"Favorable Lighting" used in Knife Pic Ads

This is an easy one. Good lighting and favorable angles =OK Cropping, ok.
ANYTHING else falls on a spectrum from slightly deceptive (jacking up saturation, color balance, despeckle, sharpness) to outright lies- I fell victim to an Ebay seller that manipulated colors and transparencies to make his anodizing look totally different.
Quick to return my money, but I still think he's a crook. And he sells A LOT of the knives we like.

This is more along the lines of what I am referring to. Individual sellers on eBay and other forums who purposely photograph their knives at such angles and lighting to enhance the color saturation to such a degree that it looks like a different knife. I've purchased several Case and GEC from online sellers in recent months, a few of them arrived and were considerably lighter in color than the photos used in the ad.
 
It can be annoying at times but only order from reputable places with a return policy and it will never be an issue.
 
CFK is a good example of this...they do a great job of making their knives look really nice in pics on ebay, but they are crap.
 
This is more along the lines of what I am referring to. Individual sellers on eBay and other forums who purposely photograph their knives at such angles and lighting to enhance the color saturation to such a degree that it looks like a different knife. I've purchased several Case and GEC from online sellers in recent months, a few of them arrived and were considerably lighter in color than the photos used in the ad.
Post comparison shots. Just make sure to duplicate the position and approximate light source but leave out the Instagram filters.
 
The seller I am referring to doesn't even have negative feedback. Probably because he is quick to refund and has a strict week or so policy.
Most people that can afford a $300 knife are too busy to run to the post office and return it. Maybe I am wrong- but the other thing is that he only Mark's up the anodizing jobs $20 or so, and I feel like maybe people think even if they know they got taken, the markup is so small that they don't care that much.
I called him out on it and he said something to the effect of it says in the auction that the photos are just representative of the general ano job and not the exact piece.
He also seems to hedge this bet by always listing at least 2 at a time of the exact same knife and anodizing job and claims that some of the pics are from one piece and some from the other(s).
If you know Photoshop, you can tell that opacity has been tinkered with and levels too.
Effing scumbag move- if only for the fact I had to repackage and go out of my way to drop it off.
That's the other trick, he pays for the return shipping and original shipping is free so no one can give him negative feedback for that hassle.
I found one company that has ALL the supplies and patterns and equipment needed (multietch, electrolysis tubs, etc.) to do your own anodizing on Ti, and I can't wait to save up to get the stuff. Total investment is under $200 to be able to do almost ALL of those crazy patterns and colors you see.
Not sure if I am "allowed " to post the info, but the guy is SO CHILL and doesn't have the usual d-bag "holier than thou " machismo BS you usually run into with dudes behind the counter at a gun or knife shop.
Anyway, sorry if I hijacked this thread a bit but the OP is 100% on the bullseye that image manipulation is a huge problem in this "hobby".
Every bladesmith knows that pics sell knives as well as reputation does.
My advice is to ask for a fresh picture if you're going to spend a lot of money- not very many acceptable excuses these days for a seller unwilling to take 3 minutes to snap a cell phone photo for you.
Great topic!
 
The seller I am referring to doesn't even have negative feedback. Probably because he is quick to refund and has a strict week or so policy.
Most people that can afford a $300 knife are too busy to run to the post office and return it. Maybe I am wrong- but the other thing is that he only Mark's up the anodizing jobs $20 or so, and I feel like maybe people think even if they know they got taken, the markup is so small that they don't care that much.
I called him out on it and he said something to the effect of it says in the auction that the photos are just representative of the general ano job and not the exact piece.
He also seems to hedge this bet by always listing at least 2 at a time of the exact same knife and anodizing job and claims that some of the pics are from one piece and some from the other(s).
If you know Photoshop, you can tell that opacity has been tinkered with and levels too.
Effing scumbag move- if only for the fact I had to repackage and go out of my way to drop it off.
That's the other trick, he pays for the return shipping and original shipping is free so no one can give him negative feedback for that hassle.
I found one company that has ALL the supplies and patterns and equipment needed (multietch, electrolysis tubs, etc.) to do your own anodizing on Ti, and I can't wait to save up to get the stuff. Total investment is under $200 to be able to do almost ALL of those crazy patterns and colors you see.
Not sure if I am "allowed " to post the info, but the guy is SO CHILL and doesn't have the usual d-bag "holier than thou " machismo BS you usually run into with dudes behind the counter at a gun or knife shop.
Anyway, sorry if I hijacked this thread a bit but the OP is 100% on the bullseye that image manipulation is a huge problem in this "hobby".
Every bladesmith knows that pics sell knives as well as reputation does.
My advice is to ask for a fresh picture if you're going to spend a lot of money- not very many acceptable excuses these days for a seller unwilling to take 3 minutes to snap a cell phone photo for you.
Great topic!

If a seller pays for shipping back, then there is very little one can complain about. Thats the ultimate of customer service..hey..if their photos don't work for you and you get something you don't want, they will pay for return shipping. All the risk is gone. Having to drive to ship it back is nit picking. if I buy something from a local store and return it, I have to go to the store, its just part of the deal.

I think you are being a bit hard on them, nor does it sound like they deserve negative feedback.
 
Re-read: they fake the pics.
It's not just good photography, it's complete faking of the images color and appearance.
Furthermore, I disagree- my time is worth money. My only window of opportunity is to use my entire lunch hour to take care of it.
 
Re-read: they fake the pics.
It's not just good photography, it's complete faking of the images color and appearance.
Furthermore, I disagree- my time is worth money. My only window of opportunity is to use my entire lunch hour to take care of it.

How is it a scumbag move to use a different type of photo, and even the auction says its different, and offers to pay for return if you don't like it? The sellers time is worth money to, and having to deal with buyers that cant read their descriptions is probably on the top worse type of buyer on Ebay. How much time and money did you waste of the sellers because you are to much in a hurry to really look at what you are buying?

Don't be so hard on people man
 
READ what I wrote! THE PICTURES ARE SUBSTANTIALLY DOCTORED. As in, CGI. It's like saying that it's OK to advertise for your zoo saying there are dinosaurs there by photoshopping t-rexes onto your pamphlets

Edit- you are making other assumptions too, like I bought an impulse item. Or that this had anything to do with a description. It was completely misrepresented.
Did it occur to you that I let 2 or 3 other opportunities to bid on other knives go to buy the one I did? I wasn't in a hurry, why would you assume that?
If I think it'll make a difference and it's worth my relatively valuable time: ) I will post pics of the sale pic vs. what I got.

I think I have been pretty generous here as well considering I haven't dropped any names of this seller.
 
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Not sure if you are being sarcastic, but it actually is a civil suit considering the price.

When I sell, I take the best pics I can and that includes background and lighting, also cropping out toes and such.BUT I NEVER apply any filters because it instantly feels wrong- maybe my moral compass is calibrated different, but if it feels wrong to me, I think that's all the justification I need to form an opinion on it.
I feel that the fairest policy is to represent an item how an unaided normally functioning human eye would perceive it under ideal conditions.

It's OK to show it in the best light, but to use a more crude analogy, this isn't just like a pretty gal wearing a pushup bra. More like stuffing a couple of cantaloupes up the sweater.
 
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READ what I wrote! THE PICTURES ARE SUBSTANTIALLY DOCTORED. As in, CGI. It's like saying that it's OK to advertise for your zoo saying there are dinosaurs there by photoshopping t-rexes onto your pamphlets

Edit- you are making other assumptions too, like I bought an impulse item. Or that this had anything to do with a description. It was completely misrepresented.
Did it occur to you that I let 2 or 3 other opportunities to bid on other knives go to buy the one I did? I wasn't in a hurry, why would you assume that?
If I think it'll make a difference and it's worth my relatively valuable time: ) I will post pics of the sale pic vs. what I got.

I think I have been pretty generous here as well considering I haven't dropped any names of this seller.

I apologize for any assumptions.

It really depends on the listing. If it is being honest in the listing that the photos are a mere representation, then that is a fair warning to a buyer...cgi or no cgi. If it is completely different than what one receives, and the picture is so far off that its laughable, then yes that would be very annoying and really rude and yes kind of scummy and possibly bait and switch if it is as bad as you say.



A civil suit would not work because you were given a refund and shipping was paid to return it, no court would want you taking up time because you spent a lunch having to put it in a mail box...but I can see how aggravating it all can be for you..especially if it made you pass other auctions that would have been better than what you received.
 
I can post pics but that's probably going to lead to people knowing exactly who I am referring to. This was 6 months ago, even though the bait and switch tactic (good way to put it) deserves a public shaming, I am not sure I want to be "that guy". Maybe this was just a really egregious example and other sales were fairer representations, or his photographer is doing this without him knowing or he's mended his ways.
I do still have the side by side comparison pics (I photographed mine under 5400 degree fluorescent lighting to demonstrate closest to natural daylight), but I hesitate to post and cause potential harm though what he did was definitely wrong. It would certainly be obvious why I was pissed, but I don't want to get into an even longer conversation and further hijack the thread over it. If the OP or Sly wants to see the pics I'd do that but probably not fair otherwise even though I know I'm right on this one.
If there's someone reading this that knows a way to unequivocally prove what I am accusing the seller of that's another story too, but otherwise it's just me attacking someone's revenue stream behind his back and that doesn't feel fair (again, because I think once I publicly post this it'll only take you guys 5 minutes to know who I am referring to).
 
When I sell knives (used), I'm actually taking pains to photograph specifically so specific imperfections show up in the photos properly. That's how it should be done.

For glamour shots of new blades, sure, go to town on making them look pretty to make the sale. For a used blade, defects should be disclosed and photographed so there are NO surprises.
 
Look, I think we can all agree that there is a grey area between tasteful product photography and downright shenanigans. It's hard to say where the line should be drawn, but it's one of those things where you know it when you see it. The Golden Rule is that a potential customer should get a fair image of the entire product, including imperfections (if present).

Here's what I don't understand: It's the digital age. We don't use rolls of film anymore. You can put in as many pictures as you like! Put some eyecandy at the top of your ad to draw attention, and some different photos further down. You can also put text near the photos to give further context. Are you wondering what angle you should use on that Mother of Pearl handle? Just do both! And put a little text next to it how beautiful it is when it catches the light just right. All I'm saying is, is totally possible to have the best of both worlds within one listing.

As for Motega Motega 's example. I can understand why you might feel ripped off. But a lot of the things you describe as 'tricks against negative feedback' (such as paying for return shipping) actually sound like fair/good business practice to me. Is it possible you just got a lemon? I wouldn't go the route of public naming and shaming, because it might end up just making you look bad instead. Straight up doctoring pics is obviously a big no-no ofcourse.
 
Agree with you on all.
I purposely didn't name names for the reasons you mentioned.
Also, let's not forget that the seller uses a professional photographer who may be doing this without the seller's knowledge. All he sees are great pics of his knives.

When I get a chance I will resize the images so I am able to embed them here and you can all draw your own conclusions.

You think that is going too far?
 
I mean, you could post some comparison pics as an example, but I would just let things rest. Even though it left a sour taste, things were eventually resolved within reason, right? I think no one here needs evidence of the issue, we've probably all seen our measure of "poetic license" when it comes to product photography. No one seems to doubt the issue exists. Fortunately, it seems to go right most of the time.
 
I appreciate the reminder that taking the "high road " is almost always the better choice in relatively inconsequential situations like this.

It's really laughable how bad the job was and how vastly different from the pics but you're right- won't serve any useful purpose.
 
Just for the record, I saw some other work from this person on Youtube and it looked great !
I guess I just got a lemon like Lodd suggested. Glad I didn't trash the guy over my experience. I mean, what I got was absolute trash, but no one is perfect.
If anything, makes me want to try my hand at anodizing when I can put together a few bucks for the equipment, stencils, etc.

Great topic
 
it says in the auction that the photos are just representative of the general ano job and not the exact piece.

When I read this, I shop somewhere else. If the seller can't make an effort to take a photo of each piece for sale, then he won't make an effort later.

As for retouched, enhanced photos.... it's easy enough to see when an amateur does it. Well done retouching isn't noticeable, at all.

Especially obvious when done on a phone because all of the adjustments are 'global' as in the whole photo and not selected areas as one would do on a proper computer.

We have a photo sub-forum here. Lots of good info there, especially if you go back a couple of years when there was more camera based interest and before iPhonetography became so popular.
Be an informed consumer :)
 
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