best photo angles and knofe parts?

SHOKR

Well-Known Member
Which parts of a knife and what angles are best when showing a knife and offering it for sale?

Thanks
 
Shokr,
Well really all of the angles of a knife are important for a picture.
Funny thing is that I use to better than I am now at knife photography.

A good shot showing the blade and the handle on the front side is key.
This is the side you see when holding the knife in your right hand.

DSCN0270.jpg

you want the logo clearly visible and then do a series of the obverse side, Blade close up, Handle close up and if you can get a nice gleaming of light off of the sharpened edge? Even better.

Laurence

www.rhinoknives.com
 
That photo nails it, you really want to show the contrast between any flats and the grinds. Learning to get good photos of your work so you can utilize online sales, which require large photos and tasteful background to be competitive, and have a good photographic portfolio to show clients seeking customs is paramount to success in this field. You want to have the best record of a knife after it's sold to show to others who may be interested. Any "Features" the knife has you'll want to document, be it mosaic pins, mitered bolsters, stacked liners/spacers, anything with fine detail deserves a macro shot. I can tell you, I get by with my photos but they are still one of the weakest links in my skill chain. I typically take at least 12 different shots with the knife in different positions and angle with multiples of each at different exposures and refining the location of the knife in the photo, for a total of sometimes fifty or sixty digital photos in total per knife. It takes about an hour for me to shoot a knife, cull photos, do any processing, and archive them but it's a very sound investment.

This is a typical folder from one of my knives. Some of the photos along the top numbered 1-2-3 etc are cleaned up of image artifacts and dust then compressed for email to the client. If I shot this knife again I would take photos of the knife from above showing the spine as well instead of just from underneath showing the grip where the fingers wrap. Just to give you an idea of the number of shots and different positions I photograph the knife in.
Gallery Example.jpg
 
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thanks Laurence and Frank

i actually thought that it was bad to show many pictures (unless there are specific features of course), but i guess i was wrong

i am still learning and have long way to go, but sometimes i get nice photos after few shots and sometimes takes A WHILE, but again i have a home made light box and a credit card sized camera :D

if you guys dont mind check out the pics i posted there and give me pointers if you have any extra ones

ShokrBlades (dot) com
 
Shokr,
Those look fine for the most part. The handles are a little dark but you are doing better than most. Knives can be one of the hardest things to get good pics of because of the contrast with the shiny steel to handle.

Laurence

www.rhinoknives.com
 
Looks very good. I really like the shot of the lanyard skull bead showing the glow. Aside from a few that don't zoom I can't find too much to criticize, some more light is about the only thing I'd suggest. I look forward to seeing your future work.
 
Thanks a lot guys

Yeah it seems that my MAIN problem is lighting so i decided to add another lamp, but havent done so yet
 
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