- Joined
- Oct 28, 2006
- Messages
- 13,363
Kevin, your first quote above is profoundly true.
Here's my take on which ones best represent the knife if one examined it under good light as I did, including the Black Jade insets. (I don't know for a fact that it's Black Jade but it is black, jet black, but highly reflective too.)
You have to take the use of a polarizing filter into account. The polarizer will reveal the true black color but if one is not careful it will look unnatural or sort of 'way black' like a couple of the examples above. The highlights on the stones are very sensitive to light position and must be managed with light modifiers or dealt with in post processing to achieve a look that is both natural but also balanced in terms of brightness and blackness so as not to interfere with the look of the engraving and gold. I did not have this sorted out until the doorknob shot, the very last one.
Without a polarizer the reflections from the shiny convex surface create glare which washes out color, confuses the camera's exposure control mechanisms and at best looks like a skunk's tail with a big white stripe with some dark on the sides. This is generally true for the typical angles in a knife shooting set-up where the camera looks not straight down but pretty steeply down on the knife. At lower angles this type of reflection is much less prominent but the perspective of the knife may become distorted at such angles.
Bottom line for me is this: I'd have no problem suggesting to an actively interested buyer that this last photograph is reliably accurate such that arranging to see the knife in person would likely result in its sale, and not in comments like, "This isn't what I expected from the photo." I have a high degree of confidence in the accuracy of the doorknob photo, and in the doorknob phenomenon itself. That's based on, as Kevin says, seeing both the knife and the photo in real time together.
Terrill Hoffman, a great knife photographer whom many of you know and from whom I learned a lot in the beginning said to me one time, "Buddy, I don't know any other photographer so willing to publish his mistakes for everyone to see." Aw shucks T... Wait, was that a compliment? Or something else that requires a little translation...
Thanks Buddy for taking the time to address my comments.
I and I'm sure many like myself who spend hours unsuccessfully trying to produce even so-so knife images appreciate your, Coop, Chuck and David sharing/explaining the complex processes which along with your experience, skills and equipment allow you to capture our knives so brilliantly.
I'm really liking your style. The way you capture the knives at their very best, not more and certainly not less than such. Your creative use of props (knowing when-if-and what works) and artistic selection of backgrounds. And then there's your patience with the customer and passion/dedication to expend the time and effort to create the best images possible.
Not trying to swell your head here, just give credit where credit is due. Months ago when the demand for high quality knife images was becoming a bit overwhelming, you stepped up and took your hobby to a much higher level.
My hat's off to all our photographers as custom knives would certainly not enjoy it's present status without you.
