Studio & Macro
The Objective
To redefine bullion photography by applying traditional portraiture techniques to inanimate objects. I aimed to move beyond "flat" product shots to showcase the sculptural depth and intricate frosting of high-value silver and gold rounds through a rigorous Raw-to-Final post-production pipeline.
The Strategy
-
Technical Acquisition: Using a Canon R5 paired with dedicated 100mm macro lens, I focused on capturing the "bones" of the strike. I ensured the exposure was balanced to preserve detail in both the deepest shadows and the most reflective highlights of the precious metal.
-
Portrait-First Lighting: I treated the faces of figures—whether historical people or animals—as living subjects. By carefully positioning key and fill lights, I ensured that "eye light" was the primary focus, giving the engravings a sense of life and soul often lost in standard industrial photography.
-
Advanced Focus Stacking: To achieve edge-to-edge sharpness at extreme macro scales, I utilized Helicon Focus to stack multiple exposures. This allowed me to generate high-fidelity DNG files that maintained maximum dynamic range for the editing process.
-
Precision Post-Production: Initial color grading and tonal balancing were performed in Adobe Lightroom Classic. Following the RAW edit, I exported high-resolution PNGs into Adobe Photoshop for final refinement, meticulous surface cleaning, and gradient polishing to ensure the "strike" quality remained the hero of the image.
The Result
A portfolio of studio assets that reveal the intentionality behind every reflection. By showcasing the Raw vs. Final states, I demonstrate a mastery of the specialized optical and digital tools required to turn highly-reflective subjects into the gold standard for high-end digital catalogs.
.png)
Technical Deep-Dive: 2025 Samoa Seahorse
The Objective
To capture the intricate, multi-dimensional texture of the Samoa Seahorse, ensuring that the high-relief sculpture and the subtle background frosting were equally sharp and defined. This required a rigorous optical-to-digital pipeline to manage the extreme depth of field inherent in macro bullion photography.
The Strategy & Workflow 1/5
-
The "Bones" (Helicon Focus & DNG): The process began with a series of focus-bracketed exposures using a Canon r5 and a 100mm Macro lens. Due to the coin's varied relief heights, I utilized Helicon Focus to merge these layers into a single, tack-sharp image. By exporting as a DNG file, I preserved the raw sensor data and maximum dynamic range needed for the heavy reflective highlights of the silver, and in this project the antique version too. Some projects have gold as well, or just silver and gold.
.png)
.png)
.png)
The Strategy & Workflow 2/5
-
Tonal Sculpting (Lightroom Classic): Inside Lightroom Classic, I performed the primary color grading and tonal balancing. I focused on "molding" the light—using the DNG’s latitude to pull detail out of the shadows and soften the harsher spectral highlights. I paid special attention to the seahorse’s eye and scales, creating a "portrait-style" focus that breathes life into the metal.
%20(1).png)
.png)
%20(1).png)
.png)
.png)
.png)
The Strategy & Workflow 3/5
-
Refinement & Polish (Adobe Photoshop): The final high-resolution PNG was moved into Photoshop for pixel-level refinement. This stage involved meticulous surface cleaning to remove any artifacts and the engineering of custom gradients to enhance the contrast between the polished sea-life motifs and the matte-frosted background.
The Strategy & Workflow 4/5
-
Packaging & Certilock Integration: I managed the visual transition of the product into its Certilock security packaging. This involved capturing the "packaged state" to ensure the security features and holographic elements were legible and premium, maintaining brand consistency from the raw metal to the final authenticated unit.
The Strategy & Workflow 5/5
-
Lifestyle & Social Conversion: The final phase of the process involved translating the high-fidelity studio assets into high-engagement social media content. I transitioned from a controlled studio environment to dynamic, lifestyle-focused photography that showcased the Seahorse in real-world lighting. By leveraging natural shadows and "golden hour" warmth, I created approachable, tactile imagery that highlights the product's "hand-feel" that are polished in post production. This step ensures that the meticulous detail captured in the raw DNG files is successfully adapted for multi-platform digital storytelling, driving community interaction and completing the consumer journey.
The Production Standard: Illustrating a Scalable Visual System
The Case Study as a Benchmark While my technical workflow evolved through dozens of successful launches, I have selected the 2025 Samoa Seahorse to illustrate the "Master Blueprint" I established for Scottsdale Mint. This project represents the pinnacle of my production pipeline—merging high-relief macro photography, Helicon Focus stacking, and multi-stage Adobe refinement into a repeatable, high-output system, and finalizing with social photos if part of the project.
Strategic Consistency I utilized this specific process as the foundational blueprint for all product launches under my creative lead. By establishing a "Gold Standard" for lighting gradients and portrait-style focal points, I ensured absolute brand consistency and visual prestige across diverse product lines, regardless of the metal or minting complexity.
The Extended Portfolio
The following sample projects were executed utilizing this same master pipeline, ensuring every product—from investment-grade bars to collector rounds—met the exact same executive standards for clarity and marketability:
*Technical Note on Process: To achieve the hyper-realistic depth seen in the Eagle and Bear Stackers (both 1oz and 2oz, I have also photographed other sizes; the smaller - the more intricate; there are other stackers that I have also worked on, these are just sample) and high-relief series, I utilize a complex Composite Light Sculpting workflow. Because a single light source cannot resolve both deep sculptural relief and delicate facial features, I capture upwards of 6+ distinct lighting "maps" for a single coin—including three separate setups dedicated solely to the facial "portrait" of the subject. These exposures are then hand-blended in Adobe Photoshop to "sculpt" the light digitally, creating a final image with a tonal range and clarity that is physically impossible to capture in a single frame.
Similar approach is applied to other projects when necessary.