Theme assignments for upcoming Photo Contest weeks

BossDog

KnifeDogs.com & USAknifemaker.com Owner
Staff member
Let's add a few twists to the photo contest...

We are going to have some theme weeks. i.e., all the pictures have to follow a theme that week.

If we have 10 straight weeks of the same style photo's, we get one weeks experience. Let's throw in some photo challenges that make it more interesting and a learning experience for everyone....

Week 4 photo contest is about insets.


This means multiple photo's of the same knife layered into one image.

Your week 4 photo entry should be an inset. We will (attempt) to be judging on insets and how you use them.

GIMP software is free and will do an excellent job of creating a composite image so cost isn't a factor.
An inset photo has another little photo layered on top of a larger photo. Like Picture in a Picture on your TV.
This is an example of an inset photo. In the lower right I have a small photo inserted into the big one to show the back side of the knife had a kitchen magnet...
Insets add some additional views of a knife that would otherwise not show up in a static one view picture. On the inset image below, I added a small drop shadow around the inset photo to show it off more. When I inset the smaller photo into the larger one, the yellow backgrounds blended so well the inset was lost.

An inset is an obvious additional, smaller picture inserted into a larger one. It is a deliberate technique to communicate additional views of a knife.
They are a bit harsh visually but really communicate multiple views and information in one image. An inset works well for commercial product pictures and we use them often on the supply site. There are hundreds of ways to present an inset into an image. Round, square, vignette, blur, exploded view, etc.
An inset is not a composite. See week 5 for that.
nemo inset example.jpg



Week 5 photo contest is about composites.

This means multiple views of the same knife edited to appear like several identical knives layered into one image.
Below is a composite image. Same knife, multiple images blended into one image so it appears there are three identical knives in one image.
This image has same angle of viewing but three different focal lengths. It appears this could be done by just cropping and enlarging the same picture but this was three different images blended into one. It's a busy picture but I made it that way on purpose. I really wanted the viewer to see the wood and also how the bolster fit into it. I also spent hours hand sanding those bolsters so I was darn sure gonna show them off a little.
I tried several different variations of this and below is where I landed. The drop shadow frame is what you see most pro pictures use and really add a professional touch to a photo. In this case, since the knife had three different focal lengths, I really pushed the depth on the drop shadow frame to give a 3D look that matched the knife photo.

Your week 5 photo entry should be a composite... We will (attempt) to be judging on composites and how you use them.

composite example.jpg

Here is another composite example. The deer scene on the front is the same scene on the back but viewed from an entirely different perspective.
scrim-montage-jpeg-framed2.jpg

Week 6 is about Staging a Photo


Your week 6 photo contest entry should have some element of staging.

Staging or dressing up your photo's is what this week's contest is about.
Coop took this one for me. He matched the leaf colors to the liners on the knives and the colors in the wood handle. He pushed the saturation colors in the leaves to make them nearly glow and give it some punch.

coop staged.jpg

Here is a laughably bad staged picture. I spent 15 minutes just trying to hide all the golf ball logo's. I can't recall what I was going for here but I failed to achieve it.
I can tell you I live right next door to a golf course and we have golf balls landing in our yard all the time so I needed to put them to use I guess..
golf balls.jpg


Week 7 Cell Phone


Use your cell phone for your week 7 photo contest entry.
Cell phones today can take good pictures if you take some time.
Let's see what you can do. I am looking to be amazed this week...

Week 8 is Black and White

Use the settings in your camera or phone or post edit with software for a Black and White image.
There are no other restrictions. Just a nice black and white image. Make Ansel Adams proud...

A couple things to look for.
Color artifacting really pops up in the white areas, especially if you post edit with sharpening.
In gray areas, it tends to get blotchy, especially if you push the contrast.
I read somewhere in a good black and white image, there should be a pure white and a pure black in the picture. I'm not sure about that but I always push at least one spot to pure black using a "levels" histogram slider. White tends to show up as blown out for me. It's a real art to put out a clean black and white with no blown out or loss areas from the full white and black range.



Weeks 9 & 10 are completely open for any technique
 
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lol, hunting knife for the golfer....just in case you clock the prize buck in the noggin while practicing with your 3 iron..

How about themes that have to do with feeling...cold and warm, or woodsy and tactical (tactical might be a little too precise but you get the idea).
 
How about only "black and white" photographs aka Ansel Adams?

Or just "blades", "hamons", "bolsters", or "logos" or "pins" or "whatever".

Maybe "best wooden handle" or "best stag/bone/mammoth handle" or something similar.

DeMo
 
Good idea with the themes Boss. Thanks for doing this I'm just starting this knifemaking adventure and the photo tips and ideas I'm getting from this contest is great and I know it is going to improve me.

since I don't yet have a light box how about a
outside or natural light category
 
Great idea.
I like all of the challenges.
If you want to make one really hard... 3+ knives.

It'd be fun to see everyone's sets as well, but that's me.
 
How about a theme that express the use of the knife; food prep, chopping, gent's accessory, or staged with tactical stuff placing emphasis on the knife.
 
Week 8 theme is Black and White....

Nearly every camera or cell phone has a black and white setting or there is simple, free software out there to convert a color image to B&W...

Watch your white areas for color artifacting and gray areas for blotching...
 
A few theme challenges that can help advance knife photo skills:
- mirror polish blade (mirror = absence of all finishing marks, lines etc.)
- pearl handle knife
- the hamon
- horizonless background
- window light only
- outdoor setting (natural sunlight)
 
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