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- Name
- Chris
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Starting to explore macro shooting. First experiment.
The two pound coin is the biggest, and doesn't need 1:1 macro, more like 1:3 at a guess. Lighting coins which are both shiny and highly detailed is clearly a problem, especially if the lens is near enough and big enough to get in the way (very much the case with this cheap 30mm macro lens). I lit this with two small LED panels, one on each side. I see on PP that I've blown out the highlights, possibly blurring them with slight flare/diffraction, and I've lost the detail and characteristic shine of the flat surfaces. And I should have cleaned the coin a bit. And the background is much too hairy!
So I think the next experiment should have much more diffuse flatter lighting for reduced contrast, with possibly some stronger direct highlight and contrast picker. That's beginning to sound like a small macro light box cum studio...
The two pound coin is the biggest, and doesn't need 1:1 macro, more like 1:3 at a guess. Lighting coins which are both shiny and highly detailed is clearly a problem, especially if the lens is near enough and big enough to get in the way (very much the case with this cheap 30mm macro lens). I lit this with two small LED panels, one on each side. I see on PP that I've blown out the highlights, possibly blurring them with slight flare/diffraction, and I've lost the detail and characteristic shine of the flat surfaces. And I should have cleaned the coin a bit. And the background is much too hairy!
So I think the next experiment should have much more diffuse flatter lighting for reduced contrast, with possibly some stronger direct highlight and contrast picker. That's beginning to sound like a small macro light box cum studio...
Sounds like you know what's needed anyway. A better, simple background would help and more directional light would bring out more of the texture. Try some alternate compostions too (unless you are going for more "product" like shots and just wanting to show the coin).