Lights and backgrond

[nozh2002]

I am experinenting with lights and backgrounds - made few pictures of knives:

Swamp Rat SAR Rat:

Selfmade knife, Kirpichev's bulat blade - kind of tricky. Very hard to expose bulat surface of the blade.

Spyderco Clipso Jr. ZDP 189

Sugestions? Ideas? Advises?

Thanks, Vassili.

 

[eleven]

Cool. Nice work.

 

[Cougar Allen]

 

[Murray White]

in the Gallery page, scroll down a bit and I think you will find some photography and lighting information that may be of assistance.

 

[nozh2002]

in the Gallery page, scroll down a bit and I think you will find some photography and lighting information that may be of assistance.

Diffusive light is not a big deal - you may put is in box out of wight paper or wight foam sheets, put some fome cover on the flash - however it good to have 3-dimentional picture with some light shadows around, to see alive object - etc.

Thanks, Vassili.

 

[nozh2002]

I just put more pictures:

Thanks, Vassili.

 

[Wulf]

Vassili - can you tell us about these birch bark handled knives?

 

[nozh2002]

I did a little bit here:

http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=371763

This is RosArms company from Zlatoust city. City was founded 1815, initially there were german bladesmithes from Solingen and Klingental, then russian pick up blade making art. Zlatoust one of russian blades historical center (other is Tula - major weapon city).

RosArms making russian traditional knives, sabers, daggers etc. as one like that knives (1300 rubles in Russia about $65) and also with gold inlays etc ($500) and artistic - custom ($1000). This knives are intended to general public, so they have limitation in thicknes or guard size demanded by law introduced by communists way ago.

Steel is 110x18 MSHD - 1.1C 18 Cr - best soviet stainless in 440C composition range. Hardness 57-59. Polished, grind line as you may see very accurate. However factory edge was not able to shave.

Birch bark handle is very comfortable, light, soft, warm and surprisingly durable. Shape is excellent. Guard is not present on Fox2, because of stupid soviet law still in place there. Birch Bark handles are very popular in Russia because it is termo-comfortable at extremely cold weather.

What else? For me it is just a beautifull knivese almost pieces of art! And amaizingly they have huge model line where all of them beatufull and all different. It is like TOPS but instead of military-techno style it is kind of outdoorsman-ecologycal style (prices also much better).

Unfortunately they do not very present here. Only I found here:

http://www.discountcutlery.net/ (best prices) and
http://www.worldknives.com/manufacturer.asp?manuid=44

plus official site http://www.rosarms.com/

but here they have only Fox2 knife wit full size 5mm thick blade. However they are pretty light Edelweis I have 100g (Buch Solution 317g for example). But Fox-2 of course 235g.

If you have any questions - I'll be glad to answer. I am really proud of this knives and feel obligated or comitted to help them to develop their wide presents here (I want more knives from them! (Ataman, Taezhniy, Ardibash...)).

more pics and review in Russian:
http://playground.sun.com/~vasya/RosArms-Fox-II.html
http://playground.sun.com/~vasya/RosArms-Edelveis.html

also I have this review of Utes (Cliff) by guy from Russian knife forum:

http://playground.sun.com/~vasya/RusOruzhie-Utes.html

He sad on his opinion this steel is better than what he had on Puma for 350DM. He use it a lot and it save his life in Chechnya once when two freedomfighters attempted to kidnap him on the marketplace in Grozny.

Thanks, Vassili.

 

[nozh2002]

Anozer Jewel of Russia

I am continue my experiments with lights and reflections...

Thanks, Vassili.

 

[SharpByCoop]

Vassili, this photo work is VERY nice! Good clear stuff.

I am very curious how you positioned the lights and diffuser (or removed it) to create the dark blade. Can you share that with us or with me in private? I like the drama you created.

Coop

 

[nozh2002]

Vassili, this photo work is VERY nice! Good clear stuff.

I am very curious how you positioned the lights and diffuser (or removed it) to create the dark blade. Can you share that with us or with me in private? I like the drama you created.

Coop

I have three flashes (580+420+420). One 420 I put on table near the handle to flash almost parallel to the surface - it shows excellent layers of birch bark and give light spot on the background, also it make 3d effect on handle because light is not even everywhere.

Second 420 is on the other side pointing to the foam "reflector" not for diffused light, but to be reflected in the false-edge. Blade is like mirror so to make it white make something white to be reflected in it as in a mirror.

Side of the blade shows sealing and it dark because I am not flashing it. And for the bevel I hold another white foam shield from office supplay shop in my left arm looking for its reflection in the bevel. It is lighted by 580 mounted on the camera which I hold in my right hand (kind of acrobatic sometimes).

This foam things is really handy - they are light, rectangilar and hard. Relatively cheap in comparson with real photo-reflectors.

Most challenging things is how to show light play on 3d surfase of wootz. Can not manage to light it so far (other then shown).

Thanks, Vassili.

 

[SharpByCoop]

Hi Vassili,

I understand after your good explanation. I'd like to try this myself. Fortunately, I too, have a three flash setup at my disposal.

What this shows us is just how complex lighting is to achieve different looks. I am still a student with a LOT to learn. You gave a nice seminar here. I appreciate your tutoring!

Coop

 

[nozh2002]

Hi Vassili,

I understand after your good explanation. I'd like to try this myself. Fortunately, I too, have a three flash setup at my disposal.

What this shows us is just how complex lighting is to achieve different looks. I am still a student with a LOT to learn. You gave a nice seminar here. I appreciate your tutoring!

Coop

Sorry, if it sound that way - I am not able yet choose right tone if I expain things in English wich unusual for me. So it sounds like lesson probably because I reuse phrases from tutorial, I recently read.

Well, I just start trying setting up light - I am playing with this less then a two weeks now. Almost accidently - after I bought 580 and discovered huge improvement in picture quality, I realize obvious - that it is light what makes good picture - not lenses, not background and composition but light is on the first place. Photography may be translated into "painting with light", so without light setup it is very hard to paint. Of course we are talking about photopaintings not just picture.

I am lucky that 420 is discontinued just this September by Canon and I managed to find them for quite discounted price.

Thanks, Vassili.

 

[nozh2002]

Higonokamy

Thanks, Vassili

 

[nozh2002]

Picture without lights and reflectors setup - flash on camera:

Picture with proper setup:

Bulat feather:

Thanks, Vassili.

 

[nozh2002]

2 Physics

Here first and second.

Thanks, Vassili.

 

[Physics]

This was a great read! Thanks for bumping that up to the top for me. Learned quite a bit about lighting and those ROSarms knives. Think I might have to get one now.

Excellent photo's as well! :thumbup: