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Self Made gets my vote this week. Although the tip of the knife is a little soft, I could overlook that because the staging of the knife is very effective. The little detail that, IMHO, makes this image work is the diagonal lines created by the decking. Take those away and the image would not...

Shot with my iPhone 5 - lighting and editing per my usual workflow. The digital file produced by the i5 camera has some serious limitations including loss of detail in both the brightest and darkest areas. Still, IMHO it's a minor miracle that a phone camera can produce an image this good. The...

This very special knife, "Freedom's Steel," was auctioned off for $25,000 at the annual NRA convention a couple of years ago in support of the 2nd Amendment to the US Constitution - the "right to bear arms." I made a bunch of images for them to choose among and use. This one was not chosen but...

Benr.t gets my vote - excellent - each view adds information and the overall balance makes the image easy to look at.

Composites can can be tricky and time consuming. The 'selection' tool within one's photo editing software (in Photoshop I use the pen tool) is essential for making good composite images. It helps with the blending of multiple views and provides a way to actually remove a knife from its...

Absolutely. Also the best way to get rid of those dark tips. Great advice in your post.

Insets aren't my favorite way of displaying knives but, like Tracy said at the top, they are fairly quick to create and convey a lot of information on one page. It's definitely good to know how to do them right. This image is one I made just for this week's assignment using a knife by Tai Goo...

Yes - Clarity = focus + resolution Focus is mainly a product of the lens and resolution is mainly a product of the camera's digital sensor. A knife image meriting a high clarity rating will be fully in focus end to end with details that are crisp, sharp and easy to see. When looking at a...

Assuming the 'props' are relevant and don't distract from the knife I never hesitate to crop them IF that makes the knife as big in the frame as it can be. Too much background and not enough knife is a very common flaw that diminishes the knife's presentation.

What ingredients are necessary to produce a quality knife photograph? There could be many answers but using a categorical rating system will introduce objectivity into the image evaluation process. And eventually, 'what we measure improves.' I suggest the following system (a version of...

Weatherman - post #10 above His image contains more visual information than most of the others. A potential buyer wants to see things like the tang, the swell of the handle and a reasonably accurate representation of the handle/blade ratio.

Good points above. Also, truth is that manipulating photos to deceive a buyer is very rare because the buyer will immediately know upon receipt of the knife!!! As an aside on this topic, the best and most satisfying compliment I've ever had from a maker/customer came from Tom Overeynder. Tom...

Won't repeat the details of my set-up and intent with this photo which are included with my entries in weeks 1&2 for anyone who's interested. Something I haven't mentioned before (in this forum) is the importance of the angle of the knife on the page. It should be angled to show the important...

Ebbtide got my vote. It's a good clear picture that is balanced both light to dark and through the color spectrum. The image is free of major defects and does everything right to help the viewer 'like' the knife. There were some other nice photos too - something to like in every one!

Usual set-up: two lights through diffusion paper suspended above the knife with white foam board reflecting light back in to lessen shadows. The intent is to make sure the shiny parts of the knife reflect the diffusion paper and/or the white foam board so as to avoid random color casts and...

Thanks Tracy - These days I'm focusing (pun intended) on special projects like the Bowie Knife exhibition book published by the Historic Arkansas Museum in Little Rock and Dr. Jim Lucie's book, Scagel Handmade. I'm also developing a unique video format for high-end custom knives that takes the...

Tracy invited me to participate in the contest and share some of what I've learned about knife photography. IMHO, contests are the best way to learn. Like making knives, putting your work out there for others to judge lets you know where you are relative to where you want to be. I submitted 27...

I've been a fan of Mike Williams, ABS Master Smith, and his knives for years, especially his Bowie style knives. Having had several discussions with Mike about his hunting adventures out here in Colorado, it was clear to me that he thoroughly understood what was important about knives for the...

This is a very nice large Bowie style fighter by Jerry Fisk - another in his series of National Living Treasure (NLT) knives. The blade is 10.5 in. - OAL is 16 in. The damascus steel features Jerry's "Dog Star" pattern. An excellent sheath by Paul Long completes the package. Per Jerry, "This...

Thanks to Mark Zalesky for inviting me to photograph over 200 authentic Bowie era knives to be featured in the exhibit described below. Quoting Mark: "Below is a press release announcing an exhibit, "A Sure Defense: The Bowie Knife in America," which will be opening in December in Little...