Two Grumpy Old Men

[RGT]

I realize that this group hates when people post pictures, but you will just have to bear with me. I've been wanting to get some good pictures of this coin since I got it a few months ago. Since I got the new camera at Christmas I've been busy imaging other things. But today I finally got around to this one.

 

 

I'm sorry if anyone is offended by this old tarnished thing.

[melmcbee]

Stunning absolutely stunning I will have to say that everyone here has definitely increased my interest in early commemoratives.

[Bruceswar]

very nice coin..... Let me guess MS 66? Just a nice coin... Congrats...

[Hoot]

Old and tarnished that way, I'll give you VF money for it. Horrible design. Those two nasty old guys would have sooner killed each other than have appeared on a coin together.

 

Hoot

[RGT]

Hoot, the coin did look better before I spilt orange juice on the front. Just as I got it dried off my daughter dumped her grape juice on the back. I need a good cleaner to get those nasty stains out.

 

Bruce, PCGS gave it an MS65 and I'm not brave enough to crack it out to see if it would go up. It is very clean for a 65 though.

[kryptonitecomics]

Who hates pictures here?? I love to look at nice coins

[TomB]

That's a very nice looking coin, how is the luster on it? Are you collecting the early commems with a Civil War theme?

 

Why would you think we hate pictures? We are posting them all the time.

[rexcat]

RGT,

 

Great looking Coin wait, every time I go back and look again, it gets better, fantastic coin!

 

You photo ain't to bad either, you have recorded the surface texture and luster along with the color nicely. Could you please tell me what camera and lighting set up you used. Whatever you doing is working real well.

[RGT]

Oh come on Tom! All I read here are complaints about having to look at coin pictures and people begging for others to post grade results and ebay links.

 

 

Oh, wait. Maybe I'm thinking of a different forum...

 

 

Maybe I should also start using more of these funny little pictures when I post.

 

 

Actually, I started trying to put together a classic commem type set a couple of years ago. I want to put them in the registry but won't do it until I get pictures. I'm still experimenting with lighting and camera settings so it's going slow. I did get my two cent pieces, three cent silvers and half dimes in the registry, but I have quite a few less coins in those sets.

 

The Gettysburg has good luster but it's not booming. I think the darker than average tone may be hiding it somewhat.

 

 

rexcat,

 

I'm using a Canon Digital Rebel with a 100mm macro lens. I've tried several types of lights but usually get my best results using Reveal bulbs. I've also tried one, two and three light set-ups but I almost always like the pictures better when I use only one light. It seems with more lights the coin looks washed out and the shadows go away making the detail harder to see. Maybe some of you photography experts can explain how to get around this. I think most people recomend using more than one light but it doesn't seem to work for me.

 

There's nothing special about the set-up. The camera is on a copy stand and I hold a lamp in hand and move it around until I like what I see in the view finder. I always end up taking several shots and throwing out the ones where I got too much glare, too much light, too little light, etc.

 

Thanks for the comments!

[rexcat]

RGT,

 

I have tried more than one light myself and feel the same way about the results, and like using the reveal bulb too, they seem to bring out the toning in the correct colors.

 

The camera you have has been the hot ticket lately in my other hobby, astronomy,

it's a very good camera. Myself, I haven't made the jump to a digital SLR yet, keep buying coins.

So I'm plugging away with point and shoot, an Olympus C-750 with an extra lens that I rigged up to a filter ring to get the macro focus I'm looking for without be right on top of the coin.

 

Thanks for the info.

[etexmike]

Very nice pic. You are not too shabby with the camera. I wish I was that good at it.

 

I love the color on that coin.

 

-------------

 

etexmike

[Hoot]

Hoot, the coin did look better before I spilt orange juice on the front. Just as I got it dried off my daughter dumped her grape juice on the back. I need a good cleaner to get those nasty stains out.

 

Bruce, PCGS gave it an MS65 and I'm not brave enough to crack it out to see if it would go up. It is very clean for a 65 though.

 

 

Please send to me:

 

Hoot

c/o Warm Springs Mental Facility

Anaconda, MT 59333

 

Oh, and send it COD.

 

Hoot

[RWB]

RGT,

You will generally get the best coin photo results using one large light source, such as a 10" or 12" white diffuser in front on the lamp. Changing the subject-to-light distance will alter the density and sharpness of shadows. Altering the vertical angle and position of the light source will highlight or suppress specific details. When lighting a coin, think of the coin as a miniature sculpture. The best artistic effect occurs when the light seems to come from in front of, and slightly above the subject’s face. Thus, on the "grumpy old men" above, the light should probably come from the right, rather than from the left as on the photo.

[RGT]

Thanks for the tips. I'll have to try out a diffuser and see how it works out. The lamp I use in hand seems to work well for small coins, but with halves and dollars I end up getting glare on one side while leaving the other side too dark. A large diffuser might be just what I need.

 

I remember reading somewhere your tip about the direction the light should be coming from. I will try to pay more attention next time. Usually I try the light from several directions and elevation angles and then just keep the one I like best. Sometimes the pictures that have the light coming from the wrong "artistic" direction end up showing the color better or highlight other design elements better.

 

I've also noticed that changing the light distance does have an effect. It seems I get a more "rich" picture if I move the light further away, as long as it doesn't end up too dark. I have to be careful though with the SLR so that I don't end up shining light in the wiewfinder.

 

So far I've taken about 2000 coin pictures with the new camera and I still feel like a beginner.

[spy88]

RGT, I'm sure you're already doing this but my suggestion is to make sure you get a "0" white balance regardless of where the light is. The further away the light, the more open the apurature or slower the f stop. Playing with these two functions in relation to the distance the light is from the coin.

 

Your posted image is really very good but you can tell the light is coming from the left by the shadows in the left field and the bright areas to the right. As RWB points out, the light coming from 12 o'clock will illuminate 95+% of the coins surface. The lower the light from this position will start the formation of shadows to the 6 o'clock area. It's a balancing act, but you've got a good start! Beautiful tone on that commem!