Eric: You have a few glaring problems with this pic. The knife doesn't look real, the holes in the handle should show the background, and the Blazing knife name takes away from your main subject. Look at the other pictures in this weeks contest and you'll see that for the most part the knfe is the most important object

Max: You have obscured a fabulous knife in a very cluttered setting. Work on your composition and you'll have some winners. Lay out your different elements until the knife takes precedence.

Fred: What can I say, your pictures are always in the money. The knife in this weeks entry was beautiful and your Oriental motif was appropo. Great work as usual........you are most consistent competitor!

Alan: I really liked your composition. If a picture ever told a story yours did. Thought you deserved more votes, but tastes differ. The only negative is the background and the knife handle sort of became too close in color...a little more contrast there would have helped.

Wulf: This rendition was not as good as the first. The upper left hand corner lost the light and it became quite soft. The name was very hard to read. If you have Photoshop use the canvas effect to put whatever text you want and not take away from the pic. Email me and I will give you an explanation how to do it.

Phil: Interesting pic as usual, but you seemed to have a problem with the blade, didn't have your usual touch up.

Cowles: Every week you come closer. Composition was great, but the knife blade wasn't catching the light to your best advantage. Keep up the good work and you will win!!!

Huffman: Lighting problem---All the steel parts of the knife have no metallic look they look flat. Try different angles and you will beat this problem. Great knife!

Mondt: Spectacular knife, really liked your pic, background was appropriate but a bit busy. Try a solid background and your knife will show up even better.

Alex: Considering your inexpensive setup you accomplished a great knife selling photo. The only negative thing is the knife blade wasn't shiny like the bolsters. Check your angles...

Dogman: You have this photo thing down to a science. Since your Nikon acquisition you have been excellent. All your missing is some fresher blooms.

Heyyyy!!!. I pretty much dont hang out on the forums near as much anymore, really trying to cut it down. But I got a minute or 2 here, so I figured I would come see whats happening. The week 10 entries are pretty good. It looks like the voting really took off this time, thats a darn good thing.

Eric - I think that was your entry before blade show that was re-entered here. Needs alot of work on the scanning method, but ya entered and thats a good thing. Check with PhilL, he can tell ya all you could ever want to know about scanning.

Max - your same pic re-entered like Erics. I know thats the style of pic you like, though to me the knife seems lost in the background.

Fred - there is rarely anything to pick on in your photos...good job as usual :)

Alan - your lighting still needs some work, and your background is different, but you definately have made huge improvements since your first entry. Another couple of weeks at this rate, and your gonna be doing great.

Wulf - still a great looking knife, but still some funky lighting. Some software work could salvage that photo I think as right now the poor eneven lighting really hides the handle while piutting to much light on most of the blade.

Steve - nice set-up, but to be honest im really surprised it won. The 'cutting' out of the bolster area for the close up is extremely ragged and sloppy. Did you use the polygon tool or smart select tool? That is someting I would have completely started over on. Also, if you did not want to start over, it still could have been fixed with about 5 additional minutes of work. Learn the method better and your pics like that will be really cool.

Phil - always neat how you get so much "stuff" in the pic but still keep it from looking cluttered. Personally that tan background is getting old but still looks ok :) Also, the blade looks like its got a flash in it, but overall good quality and composition.

Don - Almost good. The knife lighting is off, the focus is not right and it just looks washed out. All the things wrong are just "slightly" off and each could have been fixed quickly to make a really nice photo.

Huffman - Blades are to bright and not very focused. Still for just getting the camera it seems as though you are learning it well. Keep practicing and you will see lots of improvement.

Mondt - Knife itself came out pretty well. That background would have been much better in a solid color, maybe red or something.

Alex - your photo is not working for me.

dogman - knife needs a bit more sharpness and flowers arent my thing, but still a decent quality photo that shows the knife off well.

Hey Rich, good to see you posting Pal, I hope everything is going good on your end.
Thanks to you and Steve for your comments. FYI, the look that you both didn't like is exactly what I was going for. You both should know that if it wasn't I would have redone it. I'm still just using my cheapo scanner and I want the results to look more like a photograph or the pics that seems to win the contests here. Looks like I failed and I can't in all honesty think I'll be entering any more. I know I'll never be able to match the quality of Steve's winning entry, so I may as well quit trying. Once again I voted for Wulf's pic, the color was still off, but it was a good shot.

Phil,
I'm insulted that you'd leave us because my photo was less than perfect. I can only vote one time so that wouldn't influence the vote. We always need someone like you around so reconsider and I'll go back to 0 for whatever. My first win in 10 tries is hardly a streak.
Be well whatever you decide,

Phil,
I hope you'll reconsider. When I look at the photos, I take a lot of things in consideration including the equipment used. I voted for your pic. In my opinion it's your best yet.

That picture told a story. The knife was the main character as it should be. The addition of the maker and the proud owner was a fine touch. The VIP pass to the Blade show with your name on it was a perfect finishing touch.

I liked the layout, the layered 3d effect and shadows, the brown leather textured background, and the subtle beveled edges. I guess I'm saying that I liked everything about it.

When I considered that it all started out with just a blade laying on the bed of a "cheap" scanner (as you put it), there was no doubt. I had to vote for it. Your pic is a winner.

Steve, get a grip I didn't say I was leaving because you won, I said I wasn't going to enter any more contests. Terry I appreciate your vote because you know exactly how much work goes into one of my illustrations, but they just don't seem to be cutting it here. I'll post a pic here if I've got something special to offer, or if there's some technique that I think will help someone else's work. The fact is I can't figure out what people are voting for, but I look at things a lot different. I not only was a photographer for many years I also taught photography and lighting at F.I.T. in NYC. Terry I just saw a picture of a Bowie that you did that was outstanding and I never saw it entered in any contest. I know it's hard for this not to sound like sour grapes, but I didn't enter pics when I was first asked to and I can't see any reason to continue. I think I've made my point, and shown the kind of work I do so I've got nothing left to prove.

I hope everyone else continues and that more people will enter and also get more people voting.

Richard, please call me at (850)581-2805. Anytime is good.

Or come to the chat room sometime soon. We're all worried bout ya!!!!!

Rich, email me old buddy. I've got something for you.

mo here,rich.
stop by and say hello sometime,man.

-mo.

There were some fantastic entries this week and I'd like to thank those that entered and especially those of you who gave critiques. It's been yet another good lesson in knife photography and it was fun too. :) By the way, Phil - I always learn a great deal about layout and composition when I see your entries - your unique style adds an element not seen in any of the other entries and I really enjoy viewing them. I, for one, would be disappointed not to have the opportunity to see more of your work in future contests.

Anyway, on to the critique:

Eric - my critique from week 9 still applies

Max - the bold outdoor lighting produced a neat effect - there are some nice sharp lines and dark shadows. But I think the bold lines and shadows could be used more effectively by creating more contrast. Had you placed just the knife directly against the wood background that contrast would have been there. Like I said last week, that stag is AWESOME!

Fred - I really liked the new version of your week 9 entry - a definate improvement! The composition was very tastefully done to create good depth and scale without compromising the knife itself. It also looked authentic, which can be hard to do with props sometimes. The lighting is even and level, the focus is sharp, and the knife is beautiful. This one received my vote.

Alan - dude, you cut the cheese! ewwww :p Cool pic though. Like Dr. Carter, you created a very believable setting which created an element of authenticity and a context of reality. I think those things are important. However, its supposed to be a knife picture, not a cheese picture, so I would have preferred to see the whole blade. Also, a flat background behind the still-life would have looked nice. Maybe if you had draped a curtain behind the table (royal blue would have looked nice)...

Steve - the technical aspects all came out really well except for the "cut" edge of the close-up. What bothered me most was that you took off the bottom of the choil, making the blade look two-dimensional. Also, the right side of the cut didn't follow the lines of the knife well and the edges looked a bit jagged. Maybe your software allows you to blur, or smudge some areas? If so, leave a little room around the edges and just blend the background into the bottom layer by using the smudge tool.

Phil - your picture has more personality than any of the other week 10 entries. It almost seems like someone can just turn the page and read a whole book about Ed Fowler, the blade show, and your quest for the perfect knife. Very cool. I didn't particularly like the way the blade looked though. The lighting was kind of weird.

Don - also an improvement over week 9. Well done. However, there seem to be some light and dark areas on the blade and the dark areas (like the swedge and the bottom of the tang) seemed lost in the background. Perhaps a broader or more uniform light source would have helped.

Tony - A little too much light on the blades. The steel looked very flat and white. These things are hard to see in a viewfinder, which makes outdoor knife photography so difficult and argues for a more controlled environment. Don't get me wrong - I thought it was a darn good pic, but something was lost in the lighting.

Doug - I really like the knife, but the background (though appropriate to the Scottish theme) was a bit busy and uneven. I didn't like the fact that the fabric seemed to rise up around the knife (like it was laying on a pillow) and there was an awkward bulge at the top of the picture. I would have preferred a flatter, quieter background.

Alex - not bad for a $2 camera ;) The picture was great in every aspect but I'm partial to textured backgrounds that contrast and highlight the colors of the subject and/or props to create a better sense of scale, depth, and, well, reality. It just seemed like something was missing.

Dogman - The knife seemed to be in too much of a shadow. I'm not saying it was too dark, but the light seemed a bit flat and lifeless. A little more contrast would've helped highlight the contours of the knife. I know I've mentioned this before, but I feel that an effective knife picture allows the viewer to really get an idea of how the knife would feel in the hand. Your week 10 entry is a great picture, but I don't get that "reach out and touch it" feeling.

I voted for Allan last week. His photo made me want to go out and but that knife. The knife was real. It was feeding me. It was doing what it is designed for. Max's photo sells the knife too, the whole image was too small tho'. the knife got lost.

ghostdog

Derrick,
I was about to be disappointed when I didn't see your critiques. I think you do a good job! ;)

I guess that the more frilly the background, the better it's received ... right?

Alex

Steve - thanks. Writing up a critique like this takes time but it forces my to look at every picture with a critical eye. When I do that I try to figure out exactly what it is that I like about the picture and I'll tell ya, I learn a lot about my own skills (or lack thereof) when I do so. I find it as useful an exercise to write the darn critiques as to read the critiques of others.

Alex - I don't necessarily like "frilly," but I do like a little something in the background. Now this is more personal preference than anything else, but somehow I find it a bit more aesthetically pleasing when there's something subtle going on in the background. I remember a pic you had a few weeks ago (and won the contest with) that had sand in the background which I thought looked really good. Further, as I mentioned earlier, sometimes a well placed prop will add an element of depth and scale, which will make the knife seem just a bit more real. Lastly, please remember that the only reason I'm picking nits is that your technical skills and overall execution leave very little to critique, so I just try to offer my opinions on layout, composition, and some of the more subjective aspects of the picture. I could have just said "nice pic," but I doubt that would have helped you much.

By the way, its quite evident that you're a skilled and experienced photographer, so I would welcome any critique or comments you could add to the discussion. You're input would likely be much more enlightening than my rather uninformed comments.

Wulf wrote, "I didn't particularly like the way the blade looked though. The lighting was kind of weird."

Well, that's three that didn't like the lighting on the blade of my last entry, but it did make you look. With all that's going on in my illustration your eye is forced to come back to the knife and the blade, and guess what? That's just where I wanted your eye to go.

Photography 101: Rule # One: Make them L@@K! Lead the eye where you want it to go, do not lead the eye off the page, but back to where you want it to go.

Phil, I just went back to see why I didn't vote for your image.
I thought it was quite creative and told a story and I really have a lot of respect for Mr. Fowler. I thought there was too much you and Ed in the image. Your stuff is needed around here, as far as my thoughts go I think everyone is locked into a very similar style .

ghostdog

Ghostdog wrote, "I thought there was too much you and Ed in the image."

I just wonder if he would have felt the same if the pic was of Brittany Spears & Angelina Joli?

I think it's kind of natural for people to want to copy the style of the pics that keep on winning, and there's nothing wrong with that. The problem is trying to over simplify why certain things work and others don't. The focus now seems to be to come up with interesting backgrounds and props, and that isn't what great photography is about. I wish people would focus more on the basics, like Focus, lighting (where you show off the best features of the subject) Contrast, color balance and composition. I see a lot of pics entered where the props and backgrounds are taking away not adding to the subject. If you can't take a decent picture of a knife on a plain white background you have a problem, and anything you add to it is just a diversion from that fact.

One problem that I have with the contest, as far as shot motivation is concerned, is purpose. That is, I prefer to work with software effects from a creative standpoint, as anyone can see by looking around the site. However, I tend to look for "Sell-ability" in the shots I do for these individual knife contest photos.

Phil, I agree with your 101 rule. However, mine has an addendum ... 101b ( The shot must be capable of selling the knife ). Even if I do an "Art Shot", I try to present the knife in a way that it's "buyable" to the viewer.

That end's up limiting the perspective and effects that I'm willing to use on the selling shots.

Here's one I just did for Darrel Ralph as a graphic ...

<img src="http://www.darrelralph.com/images/homelogo-pic.jpg" width="565" height="367">

Foreground Image by Joel Pirela
Background Image by Anonymous (DR?)

Addendum ...
This post is about "software enhancement", not photography.

Alex

Alex,
The very warm cast to the blade in Darrel's shot takes away from the authenticty, but maybe your doing what Phil did to draw the eye to the blade. Personally I like the blade to have a realistic hue.

Steve,
That picture is good enough for a magazine ad, much less permanent residence on a web site. Put your money where your mouth is and show something that is even remotely close in quality and style.

Steve,

I guess it's all in the eye of the beholder. I think the lighting lends itself quite well to the surrealistic blending into the background.

I also like the contrast which clearly defines the termination point of the blade bevel as it works its way up the toward the spine, and the way I can see the radius at the ricasso shoulders. That's something I like about Joel Pirela's pics also. The way he plays with light like he's using a paintbrush.

Bob,
Comments are just that.... I didn't know that Alex needed a defender or that I can't express myself without a hostile reply from you!!!

All I see is a challenge by me and an excuse by you.

In my opinion, you have done nothing even close to the style and quality of that picture so in my opinion I really don't see where you have a place making any negative comment about Alex's picture, especially since it is not an entry in the contest and since there is nothing in his post asking for comments.

It is a fantastic shot and you are the only one who seems to find fault with it.

What I really want to know is why my contest entries don't inspire this type of emotional response ... :)

Steve, if I were the "reigning champ of the week", no man would get by with talking to me without a "Sir Champ" in front of their snidely comments ... :lol:

Alex

Alex, that's a great shot, but you're lucky you got an actual knife to photograph. When I got to work on this project for Darrel all he sent me was a drawing and a list of, "I wonder what this would look like?"
;)

http://albums.photopoint.com/j/View?u=254126&a=1889226&p=27458757&Sequence=0&res=high

Since Bob is so good at so many things I think he should be moderator with Terrill and he can continue to shoot his mouth off!!! :rolleyes:

I wish I could find time to do more software enhancement work ...

Alex

Phil, if the photo had included them 2 bimbos i would have puked....I absolutely detest knife photos with "hot babes".
I was not criticizing your work, I was letting you know why I didn't vote for it...you had stated you were leaving the forum, I gave you a back handed compliment.

Alex you got it....the photo has to sell the knife....and I think what we are seeing here is the knife selling the photo in a lot of instances.

ghostdog

Ghostdog wrote, "you had stated you were leaving the forum"

Nope, I said I wasn't enetering any more contests here.

I was kidding about putting in the girls in my pic, I understand you just didn't care for my composition. That's okay, I appreciate your comments.