Primitive Bone is hard to photograph!

Doug Add

Doug Add

Joined
Jan 9, 2012
Messages
3,331
I have tried several times to capture this Northfield 73, but just cannot. First it was too much sun that washed out the bone. I thought today I could get it since the skies are overcast. I took shots in the rain. Then it turned to sleet. Now it is snowing, but still no good pics with my cheap Canon.
 
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I don't know why that second photo is rotated wrong. I saved it just like the first, but it keeps showing up wrong. Sorry. I am a photo idiot.

Edited to say, I think I fixed it.
 
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Very kind offer. Send me that carved pumpkin and I'll take horrible pics, but enjoy every minute of it!
 
I'll try to get some good pics of the one I have, if I get a technique that works I'll let you know. :thumbup:
 
I think you did an excellent job of capturing the character of that Primitive Bone, especially with the BlackBerry pics! (Amazing how sometimes a non-camera can do better than a camera - go figure). I don't have a GEC in Primitive Bone (yet), and part of the reason/problem is that most dealers have pretty lousy pictures.

Great looking knife - thanks for posting! :thumbup:
 
The Blackberry pics do a great job of capturing that bone. Nice!

I get the best results with my Canon on a clear sunny day in the shade, but you're right, Primitive bone is tricky.

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Doug, your white balace is out of whack on the Canon shots. Set your camera to raw mode and shoot a gray card as a reference. Use that reference to determine and set the white balance for your other files when converting from raw to jpg. That's the best / easiest way to get accurate colors. If you don't want to fool around with raw conversions, set your camera's white balance preset to the type of lighting you are using. Digital cameras have trouble guessing the right color light when your primary light source is incandescent (normal light bulbs) making your jpgs have a strong yellow cast.
 
Thanks Chief, but you might as well be speaking Slovenian to me. I know nothing about photography. When I want to list some of my fountain pens or handguns for sale I take them to my friend who knows what he is doing. These are just a few shots taken with an inexpensive Canon we bought my son to take to Europe a few years ago. I know I'm out of my league here, probably ought to keep my photos to myself for my own enjoyment and record-keeping.

Thank you for your kind suggestions. I'll see if I can figure out what this is all about before I attempt more shots.
 
Doug, don't give up, and try shooting outdoors, on the shady side of the house on a sunny morning. Lay your knife on something neutral in color, gray or beige. More than anything, don't let the camera flash, it is a shiny objects worst enemy. Shoot straight on, or at a slight angle to get the blades to look the best. That is a great looking knife by the way.
 
Yeh its all about lighting. Move the camera, your body, and the knife around in the light looking for the best shot. Its tricky, but i get some amazing shots just from my phone as well. Its just about the lighting and the angle. Those PB scouts are SHINY which can really throw off a camera. here are a few shots of PB i did with a camera phone

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Doug Add said:
Thanks Chief, but you might as well be speaking Slovenian to me. I know nothing about photography.
Click to expand...

Please post more shots! I love primitive bone and would love to see more shots of yours. I think you would be happier with your indoor shots if you would change one setting on your camera, white balance to incandescent, it's in your manual. You don't need to know anything about photography or speak Slovenian, you can do it.

If you don't want to mess with it, shade works excellent as Rick's great shot demonstrates.
 
I use a Canon camera and shoot indoors. I find my pics come out best in the mid to late afternoon when I'm no longer getting direct sunlight. If its overcast then it doesn't matter too much what time of the day. In my pics, the light is usually coming from the left side of the pic. I also like the blue background as that puts the camera in outdoor photography mode and, to me, makes the colors come out a bit better. You can see the difference the time of day makes with my pics as the background color doesn't always come out the same.

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Another Primitive bone - this one's nothing special in terms of texture, but the translucent color is interesting.

GECWhittler02.jpg
 
Thanks for all the tips fellows, and the gorgeous photos!

As hard as this thing is for me photograph, it is just as hard to open. Since I got a cocobolo 72 the day before this one arrived (which has a slimmer profile and much easier to open blade), I may not hold on to it. Tempting to keep because of the primitive bone, but I just don't see it getting much use.
 
I do the same as Rick-- bright day but under an awning, with indirect light.

PrimBone_Dogleg_mark.jpg

PrimBone_Dogleg_pile.jpg

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Notice there is very little shadow in any of these, because the light is coming from all around the knife.
 
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