All About Pocket Knives

A light box is just a tool, one of the keys to a good pic besides composition is exploiting your camera's abilities, understanding the limitations of the medium, whether it's a smart phone, dlsr, point and shoot or even a 110 instamatic film or polaroid instant developing film it has limitations and understanding that allows you to get the most from your camera.

Longer exposures, higher f-stops and a tripod can go a long way to exploiting your camera. All cameras, even on cell phones have manual controls with manual focus and aperture control. The automatic settings work well enough as long as the sensors have plenty of light to accurately focus and set exposure. When you don't have ideal conditions you compensate and this is where knowing your camera helps. Knowing how to get around what the camera wants to do and what you need the camera to do. When you know your camera you know how to fool it.

A Lightbox is just another tool but one that does come in handy, it's great when you have complete control over the lighting, I use reflectors to bounce light behind the subject to light up the back and foregrounds. Learning to control the light will give you the best results, I carry several LED lights to help the camera focus on poorly lit subjects and then force a flash but diffuse it so as to not overexpose the subject.

Sometimes some post production editing is all that's needed.
Sometimes it just takes an absence of color to make a picture
Sometimes just a few props is all it takes.
Sometimes au naturale is the best.
I'm certainly no expert but I understand the mechanics of my equipment and I know how to fool it and get the most out of it which is something everyone should learn about their own equipment. Those stupidly long books they put in with cameras and cellphones really do help and you're always welcome to ask me questions, what I don't know I'll learn and what I can't answer myself I'll find an answer for you.

Mike, I agree with you on outdoor light being the best, however, the weather is often not conducive to outdoor photography here ( a problem I am sure you share where you live). I very much enjoy the "knife porn" outdoor shots. Yours are some of the best. I feel that I really do not have the eye or talent to create such shots.
However, when the subject is a beautiful old knife (not that I have many of those), I much prefer the soulless, straight on shots that focus on showing the details of the knife. For these type of shots, I know some collectors use a flat bed scanner and get excellently detailed pictures.
Lee, thanks for the critique and tips. I seem to either get black blades or excessive camera/fingers reflections. I know that my problem is primarily with the lighting. The linked article by Mark Zalesky and TheMadHungarian have provided some great tips on different ways to attack the problem lighting and I intend to give some of those a try. I also need to study and learn how to use the settings on my camera more effectively.
Dan

Wow, you guys know your stuff!

I use a Canon Power Shot 10 mega pixels digital camera

On this s... I used my iPhone

iPhone shot..I love this old tin..and Texas Rose Cody Scout! especially cause I grew up in Galena Illinois..but I learned not to proclaim I'm from the home of US Grant when I visited Alabama

Drukai - that axle grease tin is a cool photo prop. And I never had anything against Grant's hometown ... or even Grant. Sherman ... yes.

Here are a couple of old tools.

I love the Yellow Rose series.

Props can add a lot to your pics, especially indoors.

Thanks! It's a neat tin and I agree Sherman was a vicious SOB..I have visited the Alabama coast absouletly beautiful, stayed at Dauphin Island(sp) enjoyed Mobile and the bay, fishing was great!

Love the banana picture with the yellow cover knives...Yellow is such a classic look on pocket knives

Some great commentary and coaching going on here fellas, thanks so much for sharing your knowledge and ideas, I always learn alot in this thread!

I haven't been on as much lately, but love all the photos you guys are posting.

I showed this one in a few places today, but I really liked how they turned out, so I had to show them here also. 2012 Tuna Valley cotton king in ebony wood.

A walk in the woods....

Looks like a monster about to devout your knife Charlie

Kinda like this one...

Charlie looks to me like you stabbed it right in the heart.

I was traipsing along through an unfamiliar stretch of woods when I noticed an interesting hollow tree. I thought it would make an unusual photo so out came the pocket knife and the cell phone. The almost heart shaped opening is what caught my eye.

Scott, for some reason I hear the theme music from Jaws when I look at your photo!

Charlie - that photo made me think of Old Man Willow that tried to eat the Hobbits in The Fellowship of the Ring!

Yeah, I had to get Tom Bombadil to sing to him before I could get my knife back!

Sometimes it's all about the composition and light.
Sometimes it's all Photoshop

TheMadHungarian wrote:Sometimes it's all about the composition and light.

100_2622.JPG

Sometimes it's all Photoshop

ripple 3.jpg

Something about that first pic gives me chills. Very nice photograph

Composition and natural light.

Incredible shot Hungarian, wow, that one slays. Fabulous. Will that hurt the wood inlays?

Ivoryman wrote:Incredible shot Hungarian, wow, that one slays. Fabulous. Will that hurt the wood inlays?

Nah, that Gabon Ebony is dense wood and I just wiped it down after I pulled it out. I bet it sat in the water for 15 minutes while I took my pictures and messed with the camera's settings.

Creative shot, MH!!! Makes me want to grab a rod and head down to the creek!

Awesome shot in the water Hungarian! Here are a few I took today.