No Frills Lighting

Yup, you're all right. The top one is natural lighting. Phil sees the bright band in the lower photo that is my mirror (kicker) reflecting the tent back into the knife.

Thanks Phil. He's always right on target.

Coop
 
The bag? My tactical man purse, of course.
I was having a hard time lighting the blade so that all 3 facets were evenly lit while still being distinguisable. My kneaded erasers were 2 flights down and the bag was at hand.
One of these days I'll take my time, gather all my goodies and try to compete with you guys. Until then, I'll keep flyin' without a net.
:D
Here's another...
evo_snow.jpg

The iron was on the same floor as the erasers ;)

I figure it doesn't hurt me to show some less than perfect shots for you all to critique. If I were taking these shots for a paying job, you could be sure that I do alot of running up & down the stairs!
Better to critique my fast and furious shots than have someone be afraid to post a shot.
Maybe some of the lurkers can benefit, eh?
 
Coop--the two images look like relflectors were used but one was the white cardboard and the other (in this case a mirror but any more specular relector would do the same) more highly polished surface resulting in a grayish highlight on the metal as opposed to a specular/shiny highlight on the metal.

Ebb- I think Coops concern was more for the background which a lot of folks tend to emphasize over the subject matter and even the last image, one's eyes go wandering around the image looking at the bright background with "splotches" on it long before finding the knife. Image either has multiple light sources of different color temperature or it is underexposed on high ISO as there is a discoloration due to either color temp or noise on the blade.

standard


this is a piece by Tom Overeynder with engraving by Jon Robyn which is quite a spectacular 3D rendering of the dragon.
 
another background for this Scot Shoemaker wire wrapped utility which one might think of as a lot of "cold steel"

standard


the leading line of the color brings the eye to the handle which is the same tone as the mountains and yet the bright area of the blade is enough to attract the eye to it so the eye is led continuously throughout the whole image but not distracted by the background.

and back to my standard background which just fits nicely with so many knives. This one is by Frank Centofante (Fl7 I believe) with unique engraving by Lynton MacKenzie.

standard
 
Man PhilL you are certainly going to town digitally! Very nice!

Here is a shot taken with my Fuji S7000 of a Rob Criswell 16" bladed Wakizashi, long and shiny is not a good combo, single softbox light from above left and I added a white reflector card beneath the handle to help bring some light up to show some detail along the bottom of the handle.

16.jpg


Here is a close up of the handle, same setup but zoomed in on the handle

criswellhandle.jpg


Just lovin' this digital world! ;) I'm eyeing a Canon 10D waiting on a friend to make the jump to light speed on a Canon 1Ds and then I'll need to sell some blood to get the Canon :rolleyes:

G2
 
Murray, the last shot was a "how not to sample" ;)
The noise on the blade appeared when I reduced the image. I think my web-host reduced it further :(
The background is way too busy, the folds are distracting and there is no 'reason' for the knife to be there.

One of the best articles in blade featured a well finished knife with a matching poorly finished knife.
I thought that was a great learning aid.

Here is a shot that I took my time on. A more serious attempt, if you will.
The only PS work was to crop out the table top and drop in the logo.
rogsheath.jpg

Convex ground blades are really tough to light evenly. Next time a flat ground blade!
I shot this in my window on an overcast afternoon (today).
A little better?

BTW I made the sheath myself. It was the sheath that didn't want to get made, but that's a story for another forum ;)
 
Just got back from a 7 week trip including 3 knife shows and a 15 day bus tour of Hawaii. Have about 2000 images to edit plus a lot of other computer work but will be posting images etc about the Chicago Knife Show, Blade West and Plaza Cutlery Show as soon as I'm able. Might not beat the NY show though but hope others are doing some knife photography and will post.

I also have 4 new knives and will post them soon too.
 
Here's a shot of a Phil Boguszewski folder belonging to LarryLuana, the knife
has a 4 9/16" long blade, this is a big but easily handled folder!

Shot using a mockup of a light tent, some white styrofoam packing material
provided the cover while I had one light from above and just behind, along
with a piece of paper to kick some light back along the bottom of the handle.

And here is a link to a web site with some info about Light boxes

boguszewski.jpg


G2
 
Folks it's good to see this thread still going and some of the wonderful pictures that are being posted here. Gary that Boguszewski is beautifully done.

However I don't want to lose track on the original purpose of starting this thread. I want to encourage folks to take better of their knives and to not be intimidated into thinking they need a lot of expensive or complicated equipment. Let's Keep It Simple.

It would be nice if you see someone that could improve their pics by reading this thread that you point them here.
 
Pictures are pretty easy to take, clear pictures are harder, but good/great pictures are the hardest.

The two things that drive me crazy are shooting MOP, and Damascus, I can do it with my 35 MM, but digital, even after 2 years gives me problems with those items.

Maybe a better digital with more control will help, I'd love a TTL 35MM digital.
 
PhilL said:
Folks it's good to see this thread still going and some of the wonderful pictures that are being posted here. Gary that Boguszewski is beautifully done.

However I don't want to lose track on the original purpose of starting this thread. I want to encourage folks to take better of their knives and to not be intimidated into thinking they need a lot of expensive or complicated equipment. Let's Keep It Simple...


Thanks PhilL, but that was about as simple a shot as it gets, the styrofoam packing material was just a sheet of about 1/16" thick just set over top of the knife and leather to act as a light tent, and one 60watt bulb in a reflector just above and behind it, quick, cheap as can be! So it didn't take much in the way of materials or lighting setup, came out pretty clear though! :)
G2
 
T. Erdelyi said:
Maybe a better digital with more control will help, I'd love a TTL 35MM digital.
T. that's exactly what I'm talking about, you think a better or more expensive camera is the answer. I've just taken a look at some of your slipjoint pictures and I have to tell you it's not the camera that's the problem, it's your lighting and choice of background.

Gary, I wish you had taken a picture if your setup to go along with that outstanding pic of the Boguszewski.
 
Phil,
I used the natural lighting by a window, with a piece of white paper to block some of the direct light as you showed in one of your earlier posts. It worked very well in photographing the temper lines on the blade..
Thanks, Dr. Phil. ;)
David
 
PhilL said:
Gary, I wish you had taken a picture if your setup to go along with that outstanding pic of the Boguszewski.

PhilL I was thinking the same thing, I have a friend, thanks TOB9595 aka Tom!, loaning me a couple of Tom Krein's knives that I promised to take a few photos of and will pull back and shoot the setup, similar to what was done with the Boguszewski, one of these days I'll make a frame to hold the stuff ;)

G2
 
Nitin,

Your photos show that outside lighting is plenty good. For the most part they're very clear. But that's where the trouble begins....

Good case of the background stealing and diminishing the attention from the knife.

The macro lens setting can be dangerous. Unless the workmanship is FLAWLESS (and it rarely is) this can attract the eye to otherwise unseen imperfections.

I like the mirror mount prop. Goes with the rest of the shots.... :eek: :p :D

Please allow me to comment with *just* a bit of tongue in cheek. You are trying hard and doing good. I know you just wanted to see how quickly and easily you can create a clear photo. You did just that. I just want you and others to consider the BIG picture in composition and clarity. K.I.S.S. works all around...

Keep it up!

Coop
 
Thanks alot Coop, your comments are exactly the kind of thing I am looking for. I think it was you who mentioned a while back that i was overusing the macro feature, and I am just now getting over how close I can get to my knives. :)

And you're right about the shots being for image quality, not composition. I checked back up on this thread, ran outside with the camera and the knife in my pocket and propped the knife on the only thing on the table (the rear-view mirror).

I'd like some more tips on composition if you have the time, any criticism is good criticism as long as it makes the photos look better.

Nitin
 
I managed to get this photo using my over head trak lights with three 40 watt bulbs. I have the trak lights mounted to a piece of suspended white melamine about 24" above my desktop. I diffuse the light thru a piece of 4 mil. Mylar.
Greg
 
Very nice. Clear and well-lit. Where did you secure the mylar film?

Coop
 
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