Photographing Geocoins

[Ferreter5]

After being very happy with the way my recent Ferreter5 geocoin turned out, I didn't do such a hot job photographing it. I ran into problems mostly with lighting. Either the light was too strong and reflective, or not strong enough, or I cast a shadow over the coin trying to get a good close-up shot, or using a soft fill flash produced colors that were too warm, or tipping the coin at an angle to avoid one problem introduced a perspective problem, etc.

 

Anyone who has had good results photographing geocoins care to offer some hints, tips, or tricks to creating good photographs of geocoins?

 

For the best I could do with my coin and meager photography skills, you can see the photo I posted in the thread about my coin:

 

http://forums.Groundspeak.com/GC/index.php?showtopic=148974

[+Hula Bum]

I think it's a very respectable job on the picture. Cute coin by the way! I've found it easier to take pictures on jewel tone backgrounds, helps with the lighting. Without a light box set up you'll struggle, but if you've got somewhere that has natural filtered light you can hit it at the right time of day without shadows and with enough light to not have the flash go off. White sheets are helpful too!

[+crazycavelover]

Didn't mean to make you think twice about your photo skills.. Just wanted people to know how amazing your coin was.

 

maybe this thread will help you:

 

http://forums.Groundspeak.com/GC/index.php...p;hl=photograpy

 

The thread was started by Glennk721. Maybe there are a few hints, tips, and tricks posted in there somewhere..

[+Rattlingcrew]

I get my best photos on dark overcast days. In the middle of Kansas, those have been pretty rare! Glen

[Ferreter5]

Hula Bum and RattlingCrew,

 

Thank you for the lighting suggestions. I'll have to try out both a spot in my house on a bright sunny day with the light filtered through the curtains as well as one of those dark overcast Kansas days.

 

Cheers!

[Ferreter5]

crazycavelover,

 

Thanks for the link to the other thread!

[+fox-and-the-hound]

I prefer using the Glennk721 filter myself , but I just got the camera back last week!

 

In lieu of that, there are a number of people here in threads who can help you with the technicalities and I've learned a couple things, too. For lighting, try refractive lighting. That is when you bounce light off of a large lightly covered surface to produce a nice soft light. Also called softbox light, this is what jewelry photographers use. You can do this very, very cheaply at home using almost any light source and a large piece (or 2) of white or lightly colored paper, cardboard, matte finished plastic, etc (I use foamboard from officemax). Just point your light source at the reflective surface and angle the reflective surface (like you would a mirror) until the light falls nice and even on your coin.

 

Make sure you coin is on a non-reflective surface and use a tripod for your camera if you have one. You can buy them for under 15 dollars at your local Walmart and most pods have a center shaft that can be completely removed and re-inserted upside down so that you can mount your camera under the tripod between the legs and get it closer to the coin.

 

Most digital cameras have a minimal amount of zoom to them and I've found that results tend to be better if your camera is zoomed in and a little further away instead of up close. It overcomes distortion and makes focusing easier (not to mention shadows from the camera being in the way). Make sure you have your camera set on closeup setting (usually a little flower symbol) and have the flash turned off (if you're using the tripod).

 

If you get a clean, sharp image, but the color is off, that's usually an easy fix with photo-editing software. Plenty of us here can help you with that. Good luck and don't worry, that's not a bad picture at all to start with

[+cachegame]

I have the best luck with Indirect lighting (Stay away from tube lights), No flash, the exposure time will be longer so you will need a small tripod, and laying the coins on black neoprene (It has amazing light absorbing characteristics). Good luck!

[+sir_zman]

I like to take pictures at my desk at work, I have a cabinet over part of my desk that has some lights under it, and when I put my coins on a white sheet of paper and have the overhead light on, and use Macro mode on my camera I think the photos turn out great. heres one I took:

http://www.geocoincollector.com/CoinViewer...1&CoinID=20

 

and if your really interested I can post a link to the FULL size photo which is amazing the level of quality in it....heck I'll just post that too...well they are 640 x 480, so not the full size, but you get the idea:

 

http://www.sirzman.com/geocoins/NVDesertFront.JPG

http://www.sirzman.com/geocoins/NVDesertBack.JPG

[+WoolsonAbrams]

Has anybody tried to save a copy of a picture from http://geocoincollection.com/cointrade/coinlist.asp

Edited November 30, 2006 by WoolsonAbrams

[-mike-]

I struggled a long time before being able to take reasonably good photos of coins.

 

A quick first try would be just as someone said previous - overcast days near a window.

 

Regardless, the key is crisp, clean, indirect light. The challenge is getting good white light that is bright enough and still indirect. If you use an indirect light source, shadows are "diffused".

 

Now - I'm no pro when it comes to photography. So any pros that step in can feel free to swat my comments down

 

So here are some things I've used with point and shoot digital cameras that worked well:

 

- Get good light. Get some white flourescents. I got something from home depot that was labelled something like "true light". These give close to daylight color lighting. Vs. normal bulbs which glow much more yellow.

 

- Diffuse the light. I started with a plastic one gallon milk jug. It works SUPRISINGLY well. I also used an anti free plastic jug. But finally I've settled on using a white crepe paper chinese lantern I found at the dollar store. It's great for diffusing shadows and I got 5 for $1.

 

- Play with your camera settings. I had no idea what most of the settings on my camera were. You will get better results if you mess around with them. I'm not able to quote what I use in full, but I like 80 or 100 ISO, there's some kind of "AV" setting I crank up a little too.

 

- Use a tripod. I used a cheap small tripod. Eventually I found it quicker just to try to hold still and take 10 or so shots. Usually 1 or 2 come out reasonably well without the tripod It was faster for me

 

If you can afford it - a light box is great. If you want to home brew something, start with a good white light bulb and a milk carton and you'll probably be pleased with the results.

[+wigoweb]

Glad to see that someone bumped this post up. I hadn't noticed when browsing earlier. It is full of useful tips and links.

[+sir_zman]

I'm just not sure I agree that indirect light is always the best, I took the photo below last night in my kitchen, on my stove (with the light on over the stove. I put a shirt down so that the white of the stove wouldn't reflect, I turned my camera onto macro mode and I slightly proped up the coin by placing a bean behind it, so as to reduce the reflection on the coin. I used a tripod to steady my shot... I think this photo turned out great:

 

http://www.sirzman.com/geocoins/SuperCacherVert.jpg

[+Lemon Fresh Dog]

One option that works on many coins is to SCAN them rather than photograph them. I've gotten some very nice results.

[+CoinsAndPins]

I'm just not sure I agree that indirect light is always the best, I took the photo below last night in my kitchen, on my stove (with the light on over the stove. I put a shirt down so that the white of the stove wouldn't reflect, I turned my camera onto macro mode and I slightly proped up the coin by placing a bean behind it, so as to reduce the reflection on the coin. I used a tripod to steady my shot... I think this photo turned out great:

 

http://www.sirzman.com/geocoins/SuperCacherVert.jpg

 

This is very close to the same method I used for a log time and worked great. There are still a couple of coins on my website that were photographed with this method. I used to prop my coins up with washers and nuts taped together to lift the coin off of the fabric. I do it much differently now, but the Sir Zman style is the best for the least amount of money and time.

[+ModelCitizen]

This is very close to the same method I used for a log time and worked great. There are still a couple of coins on my website that were photographed with this method. I used to prop my coins up with washers and nuts taped together to lift the coin off of the fabric. I do it much differently now, but the Sir Zman style is the best for the least amount of money and time.

 

So how do you do it now?

[Ferreter5]

Wow, everybody! Thank you very much for all the great advice here.

[+crake]

I played with lighting for quite some time before finding the right set up.

 

For almost all of my coins, direct lighting via large soft box. For highly textured coins perhaps a 2nd side light. I have a set of studio strobes, but those aren't exactly handy for everyone.

 

Cloudy days with diffused light is excellent for photography. Also taking photos in the shade works well on sunny days. Just make sure you use a tripod and adjust brightness, contrast, and color balance appropriately.

[Not So Lost Puppies]

One option that works on many coins is to SCAN them rather than photograph them. I've gotten some very nice results.

 

I usually have the best results scanning them as well. only the very shiniest ones give some troubles. All the images of ours on our caching page were scanned.

[+CoinsAndPins]

This is very close to the same method I used for a log time and worked great. There are still a couple of coins on my website that were photographed with this method. I used to prop my coins up with washers and nuts taped together to lift the coin off of the fabric. I do it much differently now, but the Sir Zman style is the best for the least amount of money and time.

 

So how do you do it now?

 

$5,000 later in trial and error of equipment and thousands of trial and error pics. Photos of coins have been the most troublesome photography I have done. I am not some big professional photographer, but it was faster to learn how to fix a jet engine than it took to learn how to take a professional coin photo.

 

I even consulted with other photographers and equipment specialists. They advised against using the equipment I am using now, but I found it to work great.

 

One note about coin photos is that if you want consistent results, then use the camera's manual settings and find the right setting you like. The automatic settings will give inconsistent results.

[Nediam]

I place the coin on my window sill during decent daylight, It usually provides enough light without needing the flash (which is usually too powerful). The window sill is white so gives a simple background to play around with if I wish.

 

Best tip for taking a clear pic is to use a small tripod, set the camera on macro (or super-macro) and then use the self timer function to take the pic, this totally eliminates any camera shake caused by you pressing a button

[Deego]

I hand hold all mine in natural light.. they are not all perfect but 9/10 look ok.... If your camera as iso setting try using 200 or 400 iso to increase the shutter speed.

 

My list of 157 coins logged

 

You don't always have the time while out caching to set up a tripod but practise makes perfect

 

 

Edited January 10, 2007 by Deego

[+lindsychris]

One option that works on many coins is to SCAN them rather than photograph them. I've gotten some very nice results.

 

DITTO! I tried taking a million pictures of our coins and that didn't work at all. Scanning them works GREAT!

[+tiki]

How ironic - I just bookmarked two great little "macro photography on a budjet" DIY pages before stumbling upon this post! Here are the links:

 

http://www.instructables.com/id/E6VQS8JNGQEWPKH4JG/

 

for the above link I'd cut a hole in the top of the bucket (better to photograph coins). THey sell a very $$ version of this setup called the "lightdome" (or something like that).

 

http://strobist.blogspot.com/2006/07/how-t...oto-studio.html

 

Enjoy!

 

Tiki

[+Moosiegirl]

How ironic - I just bookmarked two great little "macro photography on a budjet" DIY pages before stumbling upon this post! Here are the links ...

 

Enjoy!

 

Tiki

 

WOW! I've been following this thread and itching to try some of the things people are doing, and I am DEFINITELY going to spend some time at that "Strobist" website. So glad you visited!