Alumni magazine art director Molly Renda asked me to shoot a cover shot depicting the current budget crisis on campus by photographing a penny being squeezed by pliers. I grabbed a pair of pliers from the office tool box and proceeded to try and locate the shiniest new 2009 penny I could. I asked everyone in the office and the best we had was a shiny 2006. Using a rubber band to clinch the pliers shut on the penny, I then clamped the pliers to a light stand. One light on the white background, one umbrella light on the penny/pliers combo from the right and a white card reflector from the left was all that was needed. After shooting the 2006 shiny penny, I replaced it in the same lighting set-up with an older 1999 penny so my shadows would be the same. Using Photoshop, I took a nine from the 1999 penny and plopped it over the six on the shiny one to give me the needed 2009 date. Viola!

Here's how it ran in the magazine:

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