Everyone has a different process to their photography and there’s not always a right or wrong way to do things. It’s also likely that each person’s process changes over time or even changes depending on the coin they’re photographing. Here I will outline my process when photographing my coins, such as the steps I take, things I consider, and how I go about editing the photos. This process was used to photograph approximately 2/3rds of my collection, though it is always evolving over time.
Click on a section below to learn more about what is covered and to click through to each article.
I walk through my typical lighting setup, what things I look for when lighting, a few tips and tricks to try and get my coins to photograph well, and how I separate the background from the coin to make the editing process after quicker.
- Initial Setup
- Lighting Adjustments
- Background Separation
The exact settings for your camera and lens won’t have a huge impact on the resulting photo but they can be particularly useful for getting your lighting right. I discuss some of the trade-offs between depth of field, light, and focus stacking, as well as useful features that can help improve your consistency.
- ISO & Shutter Speed
- Aperture
- Magnification
- Metering
- White Balance
This section is less of a guide to focus stacking and more an overview of my process when focus stacking. Your exact methods may vary, particularly if you have different equipment. I cover the key concepts of choosing the right step size and correctly finding the start and end positions for the focus stacking.
- Step Size
- Finding the Start and End Points
Here I go through my usual post-processing steps such as the focus stacking software and settings, how I adjust the colour and look of the photo, removing/darkening the background, and the final composition.
- Stacking Software
- Photo Editing
- Composition