Coin Macro-Photography
How To Make Close-up Pictures of Your Coins Without Equipment
Coin Macrophotography usually refers to taking Close-up pictures of the coin, i.e. the resulting image of the coin would be at a larger than normal size. The main goal is to create an image that clearly shows all lettering, the date, and details of the coin design. Especially It's important when the images are submitted for the coin grading or selling the coin collection.
I came up with this simple and fast method out of necessity of taking good quality macro-photographs of coins when I didn't have any proper equipment at hand and time to get it. All I had was my digital camera Pentax Optio 33 WR.
Simple Setup
Even though my simple method doesn't require a special setup, such as certain light sources, a photo tripod, and a special photo platform, it requires the outdoor dispersed light. Such light condition exists when the sky is overcast or during pre-dusk hours. The light can't be a direct sunlight as it produces strong shadows. The best place to make a photo setup would be on the balcony, deck, or verandah.
The main goal of coin macro-photography is to show all the details, visible and sharp, of a coin. That's why any camera movement is out of question. A camera support is a MUST! It enables you to shoot both sides of the coin at exactly the same size and angle so they can be combined into one image and look right together. How to achieve a stable camera position without a tripod or a copy stand? Simply, you can use a rectangular piece of thick clear glass that is free of scratches. I usually use a glass shelf of a medicine cabinet. I never forget to wipe all fingerprints off it with the window cleaner before use. Then I place my camera face-down on the glass and hold it tight when I take pictures.
In order to achieve a perfect horizontal level of the glass, I place it on two "pillars", they could be books, small boxes, or any other objects of identical height. It's also very important to set everything up on a smooth and leveled surface. For example, a small coffee table could be used for a base platform. Just make sure the table surface is leveled parallel with the glass.
Next,
you need a small platform under the glass where a coin would be placed.
The books of different thickness can be useful for that purpose. By interchanging
them, I easily adjust a necessary distance between a coin and camera's objective.
Finally, I place a piece of printing white paper or a piece of felt of any desirable color for background and make sure that its texture doesn't distort the focus (in case of automatic camera usage). My setup is ready!
As you can see this setup is quite primitive, nevertheless, it allows me to take excellent pictures without using professional equipment. For example, all images of the Wire Money-early Russian coins and Coins of Russian Empire Photogalleries were created by this method.
Russian 1731 1 Rouble
