Things You'll Need:
- Digital camera with close up or "macro" capability.
- A piece of black or gray paper or other material.
- A light in a housing like a clamp handled work light.
- A white paper or cardboard reflector
- A tripod (optional)
- A piece of black paper or cardboard.
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Step 1
A gray background produces a very different look for this krugerrand photo.There are two ways to shoot coins. The shadowing method works with all coins and the dark contrast method works with shiny, silvered coins.
In the shadowing method you use a light to bring the surface details of the coin into sharp relief. This is done by placing a single strong light to one side of the coin to create deep shadows that emphasizes the lettering and figures of the coin.
1. Set up a shooting space on a table.
2. Use a letterhead size piece of gray or black paper or other material (I use black or gray acetate sheets) as a background. I prefer shooting silver coins on black backgrounds and gold coins on gray (like the Krugerrand in this article) or black.
3. For the best results use a light like a hardware store, clamp handled, work light. Mount it to the left of the set up and at or slightly above the tabletop. The light should be a few feet away from the set up. -
Step 2
Holding a black card over the coin produced this dramatic image.4. Place the coin on the background and turn on the light. Move the light around and watch how the shadows accentuate the letters and the figure.
5. Sometimes I use a white poster board to soften the shadows if they are too dark. To do this, simply hold the board on the right side of the set up to bounce some light into the shadow areas.
6. Set the camera to a high ISO like ISO400 and the white balance control to the light bulb (incandescent light) setting. -
Step 3
With silvered coins you can get dramatic pictures of coins that really pop out their detail by using this simple trick.
A shiny, polished silver coin reflects light and it also reflects darkness. To get black into the flat areas of the coin hold a large piece of black cardboard over the coin. The flat areas of the coin will reflect this black surface and the embosses letters and figures will be emphasized.
