Cointrates

drdoak

I've coined my own phrase there in the title I think (no pun intended)... I rented a Canon MP-E 65mm macro lens for a week (though I forgot a focusing rail) and decided to do some shots of old coins I have. My thought was to try to simulate portraits to some degree by getting in close on the faces. Some of the head always gets cut off since I didn't want the rims in frame. So, how'd I do? Any thoughts on how it might be done better?

1. Churchill


2. JFK


3. Liberty


There are a few more shots in the gallery over YONDER.

It was a highly technical setup consisting of a tripod, strobe, wooden box, lots of neodymium magnets acting as stands, random whitish objects as reflectors, and some tin foil to let me slide the box back and forth easily over my backdrop (no focus rail remember). All manner of fun!

Lord Vetinari

LIke them all - lighting looks good
Brian V.

timbo13

I like these, they are different and interesting

drdoak wrote:

...

It was a highly technical setup consisting of a tripod, strobe, wooden box, lots of neodymium magnets acting as stands, random whitish objects as reflectors, and some tin foil to let me slide the box back and forth easily over my backdrop (no focus rail remember). All manner of fun!

I think this is part of the fun of shooting macro!

Skippy

drdoak wrote:

I've coined my own phrase there in the title I think (no pun intended)... I rented a Canon MP-E 65mm macro lens for a week (though I forgot a focusing rail) and decided to do some shots of old coins I have. My thought was to try to simulate portraits to some degree by getting in close on the faces. Some of the head always gets cut off since I didn't want the rims in frame. So, how'd I do? Any thoughts on how it might be done better?

1. Churchill
2. JFK
3. Liberty
There are a few more shots in the gallery over YONDER.

It was a highly technical setup consisting of a tripod, strobe, wooden box, lots of neodymium magnets acting as stands, random whitish objects as reflectors, and some tin foil to let me slide the box back and forth easily over my backdrop (no focus rail remember). All manner of fun!

Hey these are very impressive
Mr Churchill looks 3D and JFK's colour with that bronze/gold touch is my favourite.

All three are excellent.... just had a look at the link to the rest of the coins, you have quite the eye for photographing COINS

Your setup works really well, love the lighting you achieved with all of these too Excellent Post ... Skippy
.

drdoak

Now if only I could figure out where that gold coloring came from... I'd be surprised if it was from the modeling light (though the strobe was only at 1/4 power). Might be some of the copper core or zinc peeking through and catching the light.

Thanks for the comments!

Skippy wrote:

Hey these are very impressive
Mr Churchill looks 3D and JFK's colour with that bronze/gold touch is my favourite.

All three are excellent.... just had a look at the link to the rest of the coins, you have quite the eye for photographing COINS

Your setup works really well, love the lighting you achieved with all of these too Excellent Post ... Skippy
.

Cygnus Studios

drdoak wrote:

Now if only I could figure out where that gold coloring came from...

The gold coloring is your lighting. When shooting coins at an angle, your lights need to be diffused a lot more than when shooting straight on.
Try setting the coin flat, place one light close to the lens (touching), preferably on the left side. If you are shooting at 4 inches or more this will light the entire coin.
Shooting the modern cupro-nickel coins are sort of like shooting early proofs. The light and angles have to be the same to get the correct color.
The only time you want to angle the lights on modern coins is when shooting certified coins. The plastic will diffuse the light at the right angles.
With one light you will get a look like this:

eminart

Maybe not what you were going for, but I like the gold coloring in #2 a lot.

GOLDENORFE

like #2 best, nice lighting
phil
http://www.flickr.com/photos/goldenorfe/

drdoak

Cygnus Studios wrote:

The gold coloring is your lighting. When shooting coins at an angle, your lights need to be diffused a lot more than when shooting straight on.
Try setting the coin flat, place one light close to the lens (touching), preferably on the left side. If you are shooting at 4 inches or more this will light the entire coin.
Shooting the modern cupro-nickel coins are sort of like shooting early proofs. The light and angles have to be the same to get the correct color.
The only time you want to angle the lights on modern coins is when shooting certified coins. The plastic will diffuse the light at the right angles.

I did try some shots nearly straight on like that, but I wanted to get as much shadow as possible to magnify the depth of the subject. I liked the different greens and yellows that sparkled on his face, so I kept that version to post. Kind of shows off the crystalline structure. Of course, these were never intended to be documentation of the coins, though I do get your meaning.