Photography Forum/Thread

Posted by: tomthbomb

Photography Forum/Thread - 01/02/09 03:55 PM

Waren Polidori contacted me about starting a Photography Forum or Thread here on the Randall Picture Gallery.
He suggested there are enough Randall Made Knife collectors that are also photography enthusiast to support a forum/thread for discussing cameras, photography methods and a place to post non-Randall photos.
I consulted Rhett and he said if there was enough interest and participation it could become a "sticky" subject.
So shutterbugs and photo nuts have at it!
Posted by: Warren_Polidori

Re: Photography Forum/Thread - 01/02/09 04:23 PM

Tom,

Thanks for taking the idea to Rhett and for getting this thread started. I snapped several photos of some does feeding in the back yard this afternoon. The pictures would be somewhat sharper but these were taken through a second story window. They actually caught me by surprise, I was looking to see if there were any ducks in the pond. I'm still experimenting with my new Nikon D90 and I'm trying different settings. This camera can be very easy in the auto point and shoot mode or somewhat complicated but it takes practice like anything else.
I sincerely hope that this thread will help us all become better with our camera's. We have several of you guys that really know what you're doing and I think we can learn from you. This is the place to post non knife related photos and discuss the business about how to do it better. If the interest drops off, we tried, but I hope we can keep it going. For now as Tom said it will not be a sticky thread but with come to the top of "Active Topics" with your participation. Let's see em guys!

Best,
Warren

Posted by: Warren_Polidori

Re: Photography Forum/Thread - 01/02/09 04:30 PM

Tom tried to explain to me how to post multiple photos but I can't figure it out so here's another doe feeding on a wild holly bush. I caught her looking through the bush with the ears framed by the tree. Just a lucky shot.

Best,
Warren

Posted by: tglassco

Re: Photography Forum/Thread - 01/02/09 04:46 PM

Thanks Tom & Warren,

I think this is a fabulous idea and should be a lot of fun.

Posted by: Warren_Polidori

Re: Photography Forum/Thread - 01/02/09 04:48 PM

My Daughter Mary Ann bought my wife the most beautiful arrangement of white and red roses for Christmas. This is close shot from about 18" of a near perfect rose at its peak.

Best,
Warren

Posted by: tomthbomb

Take night shots at the blue hour - 01/02/09 04:53 PM

I like taking photos, I'm just not good at it.
Here is a tip I lifted from Kim Komando's "Cool Site of the Day".

Quote:

When it comes to photography, lighting is everything. After all, a camera simply records the light that hits its sensor.

So, you can take better photos simply by taking them at a different time.

For example, don't take photos outside at high noon. The light will wash out your subjects. You'll get deep shadows and blown out highlights.

Rather, take your photos in the morning or early evening. The light won't be as harsh; you'll get beautiful, dreamy photos.

Of course, many photographers love to shoot at night. This is perfect for cityscapes and similar photographs. But here's a secret: Many night photos aren't taken at night.

They're taken during the blue hour, the "hour" between daylight and dark. The term comes from the French l'heure bleu; it's just a better name for twilight.

The blue hour doesn't occur at a set time. It changes depending on the time of year and your location.

So, to take photos during the blue hour, you'll need a little help. That's where today's Cool Site comes in. It will tell you the perfect time for blue hour photography. Happy shooting!




Kim's Cool Site
Posted by: Warren_Polidori

Re: Photography Forum/Thread - 01/02/09 04:59 PM

Tom,

You, Gary "Raindog" and Dale "Cabinet Man" were my inspiration for suggesting this thread. You guys do a great job of always posting great photos and have given many of us some good suggestions for camera purchases. Thanks and we're looking to the experts for help. More than 30 years ago I was into film based 35MM photography but have been away since. The digital world is so much different. It's like learning to ride a bike all over again. Thanks .

Best,
Warren
Posted by: tglassco

Re: Photography Forum/Thread - 01/02/09 06:40 PM

Warren,

Thanks for the compliments. I too was very active with 35mm photography from the mid 70's thru the mid 80's although it was almost exclusively color slides. I was heavily involved in the medical imaging industry during the early days of the transition from film based x-rays to digital. We were using digital imaging in medicine many years before digital made to the consumer photography sector.

The best thing about digital photography is you can take lots of pictures for nothing which is my best advice for anyone with an interest in digital photography. Take as many pictures as you can and experiment with bracketing your exposures and try different lighting and backdrops. You can take 100 and delete 100 and the cost is ZERO. What a deal and you never know when you will come up with a neat picture. Although I like to play with some photo-shop processing tools I rarely use these tools for my pictures. All of the knife pictures I have posted have been 100% natural.

I took this picture almost 4 years ago in Las Vegas with a very inexpensive 3 Mega Pixel Kodak Point & Shoot camera with No Photo Shop adjustment, 100% natural and an example of a picture taken during the "Blue Hour"

Posted by: tomthbomb

Re: Photography Forum/Thread - 01/02/09 07:41 PM

Sometimes you just get lucky.
Here is one I took of the ceiling of the Bellagio lobby ceiling five years ago with a Kodak Easy Share 5mp. You have to find something to do in Las Vegas if you don't gamble.

Posted by: Warren_Polidori

Re: Photography Forum/Thread - 01/02/09 07:47 PM

Tom,

Now that is a cool photo. Are they glass flowers? The collage of colors is outstanding. Well done.

Best,
Warren
Posted by: vklough46

Re: Photography Forum/Thread - 01/02/09 07:49 PM

This is a great idea guys. I hope it sticks.

Beautiful shot ttb.

Kevin
Posted by: tglassco

Re: Photography Forum/Thread - 01/02/09 08:04 PM

That's a great photo Tom and another example of having fun with digital photography.

Here is one for the Chief. This little tool works better on some photos than others and this is one of the best I have used it on.

Posted by: Warren_Polidori

Re: Photography Forum/Thread - 01/02/09 08:15 PM

Is that a kaleidoscope filter Tom?

Best,
Warren
Posted by: tglassco

Re: Photography Forum/Thread - 01/02/09 08:16 PM

YEP !
Posted by: Chief

Re: Photography Forum/Thread - 01/02/09 08:20 PM

Sure wish I had that many scrims
Soooo how does that work?

See ya, Chief
Posted by: tomthbomb

Re: Photography Forum/Thread - 01/02/09 08:37 PM

Quote:

Are they glass flowers?



Yes they are.
I wish I could get the resolution I see from others here. The original image is very sharp.
Posted by: Raindog

Re: Photography Forum/Thread - 01/03/09 12:10 AM

Great idea! I'll be happy to help in any way needed.

Posted by: tglassco

Re: Photography Forum/Thread - 01/03/09 12:24 AM

Very Cool Picture Gary. Set on full auto.? How many rounds/sec.?

Now with film that would be a very fast shutter, probably coupled with a relatively fast film. With Digital, I would say a lightning fast sensor.
Posted by: Raindog

Re: Photography Forum/Thread - 01/03/09 02:09 AM

The picture was taken at a local machine gun shoot. Having never been to Knob Creek, it is the most Class 3 firearms that I have ever seen at one location. The exif data is F/11, 1/125 sec, 130mm.

If interested, more pictures from the event can be seen here.
Posted by: Warren_Polidori

Re: Photography Forum/Thread - 01/03/09 08:04 AM

Gary,

Now that's what I'm talking about! Great stuff. Thanks for posting and your site is great too.

Best,
Warren
Posted by: Raindog

Re: Photography Forum/Thread - 01/03/09 03:49 PM

Warren, thank you for your kind words.

What are we shooting for here? A sticky thread or a complete Photography Forum. I would love to see the forum.

Posted by: Warren_Polidori

Re: Photography Forum/Thread - 01/03/09 04:30 PM

Gary,

If there's enough interest this will become a permanent sticky thread. The thought was to have a place where we can post non-Randall photos. I think we're off to a good start but we need active participation to make it work. Thanks again for your help and posting some great photos.

Best,
Warren
Posted by: Colt45

Re: Photography Forum/Thread - 01/03/09 08:01 PM

Hi All,
I'm for this, I think it will be great, I'm on all the other forums but here you can kill 2 birds with one stone.

The only thing is I'm going to have to learn how to post
pictures for the only time I tried before, Tom had to do it
for me.

Thanks,
Phil...........
Posted by: tunefink

Re: Photography Forum/Thread - 01/03/09 09:56 PM

I found this guy in my yard one day.....

Posted by: Burnie

Re: Photography Forum/Thread - 01/03/09 10:23 PM

Hey Tune, Whats Big Jim doing hanging around your place.
Posted by: Chief

Re: Photography Forum/Thread - 01/03/09 11:16 PM

Quote:

Hey Tune, Whats Big Jim doing hanging around your place.




Great shot Tune!!!
That ain't Jim.....the mouth is to small

See ya, Chief
Posted by: tglassco

Re: Photography Forum/Thread - 01/04/09 12:10 AM

Another example of a flower photo at night with flash. This one is from my backyard. If this were taken in daylight, all the deep background would have been illuminated.

Posted by: Warren_Polidori

Re: Photography Forum/Thread - 01/04/09 11:35 AM

Mitchel,

Did you use a macro lens for this? Great shot. How'd you get him to pose?

Best,
Warren
Posted by: Warren_Polidori

Re: Photography Forum/Thread - 01/04/09 11:38 AM

Tom,

Was this an auto exposure or did you select the exposure yourself? Very nice photo. I like close up shots.

Best,
Warren
Posted by: tunefink

Re: Photography Forum/Thread - 01/04/09 12:05 PM

Thanks for the kind words Warren and yes.... shot it with a 105mm Nikkor Macro lens and a bounced flash.... he sat there for 30 minutes.... then slowly crawled away.
Posted by: TonyLaPetri

Re: Photography Forum/Thread - 01/04/09 01:28 PM

This is very cool. Great idea Warren!
And some excellent shots guys!
Like some here I used to be very involved in 35mm photography. Studied
photography along with art in High School and College. Did my own dark room
work (B/W), developing and printing. I have trays full of slides from my travels.
Kind of slowed up on it over the years. Gave my original Olympus OM1 to my
older son who used it a lot ... until we bought him a digital SLR upon
graduation from college last year. That, along with this forum has got my
interest warming up, again. All of what I shoot now is with a couple of
point-and-shoot cameras. I've always been interested in composition as might
be seen in this simple shot (with a Canon SD600 point n' shoot) of the Duomo
in Florence, Italy.
Posted by: tglassco

Re: Photography Forum/Thread - 01/04/09 03:13 PM

Cool Picture Tony, Photo Composition is a whole realm on it's own.


Warren,

That's a good question. Everything on the camera was on Auto but I had to overcome a couple of obstacles. First, there was not enough ambient light to do much of anything but I knew the flash would yield a reasonably good picture but there was not enough light for the auto-focus to lock in. With the camera auto-focus pattern set for Center I illuminated the flower head with a hand-held spotlight in one hand and the camera in the other. After the lens focused I locked the focus it by depressing the capture button half way, then released the button on the hand-held light and fired the camera w/flash. It took a couple of attempts but this is what I ended up with. As it was, I ended up with a shutter speed of 1/40 sec. which is not ideal. A tripod and some more artificial lighting would have made it much easier but I didn't want to illuminate the background too much. This is what I mean when I say experiment with your camera. It's Free.
Posted by: tglassco

Re: Photography Forum/Thread - 01/04/09 03:26 PM

Close-ups of Christmas Tree ornaments can be fun too.

Posted by: Warren_Polidori

Re: Photography Forum/Thread - 01/04/09 04:52 PM

I took several pictures at the pond on my property this afternoon experimenting with different exposures and settings. While the first is in color, I wondered how B&W would look. While we live in a color world, the B&W photo looks better to me. I traveled all over the shoreline this afternoon looking for ducks. A sunny but windy day kept the ducks from the shallows. Maybe next week.

Best,
Warren


Posted by: Warren_Polidori

Re: Photography Forum/Thread - 01/04/09 04:57 PM

B&W Photo

Posted by: vklough46

Re: Photography Forum/Thread - 01/04/09 05:04 PM

Nicely done Ansel.
This is a great thread Warren. You and Tom are to be commended!

Kevin
Posted by: Warren_Polidori

Re: Photography Forum/Thread - 01/04/09 05:29 PM

Kevin,

Thanks for vote of confidence. This is only going to work if everyone participates. So, we need everyone to start snapping! There's no right or wrong here only friends.

Best,
Warren
Posted by: tunefink

Re: Photography Forum/Thread - 01/04/09 05:31 PM

I have not posted anything new in a while.... but here are a few .... play the slide shows with sound up.

http://albums.phanfare.com/tunefink
Posted by: tglassco

Re: Photography Forum/Thread - 01/04/09 05:59 PM

Mitchell,

Thanks for posting the link to your personal collection. I have only watched a couple so far and had to stop to post this. The photos and whole presentation and everything are beautiful, just beautiful. That took some imagination and talent not to mention the time, photographic and computer skills.

Thanks For Your Contribution To The Thread
Posted by: tglassco

Re: Photography Forum/Thread - 01/04/09 06:13 PM

Warren,

Those are great shots and keepers. I think I favor the B&W one. I really like the reflection on the water. Winter pictures in B&W seen so appropriate.
Posted by: TonyLaPetri

Re: Photography Forum/Thread - 01/04/09 06:46 PM

Thanks Tom.
Warren, nice photo! the color version is very "monochromatic" to start ...
I like it!
Mitchell, real nice collection of photos. You look just like a NY City Boy on that
rock in Central Park!
Thanks for sharing.
This thread may have done it! I need to get back to an SLR again!
Tony
Posted by: Warren_Polidori

Re: Photography Forum/Thread - 01/04/09 07:08 PM

Tom,

I really didn't know what I had until I uploaded on the computer. The sky is only visible in the reflection. At the time it didn't cross my mind. The polarizing filter is what made this photo. Without it, the reflections on the water washed out. I agree, the B&W really makes the whole thing work. This is fun.

Best,
Warren
Posted by: Warren_Polidori

Re: Photography Forum/Thread - 01/04/09 07:10 PM

Quote:

I have not posted anything new in a while.... but here are a few .... play the slide shows with sound up.

http://albums.phanfare.com/tunefink




Mitchel,

HOME RUN!

Best,
Warren
Posted by: TonyLaPetri

Re: Photography Forum/Thread - 01/04/09 07:43 PM

Here's a favorite. Bet ya this place, in Maine, is frozen over now!
Posted by: vklough46

Re: Photography Forum/Thread - 01/04/09 08:04 PM

Beautiful shot Tony.

Here are blooms of summer, followed by a late fall bloom.



Posted by: Warren_Polidori

Re: Photography Forum/Thread - 01/04/09 08:11 PM

Kevin,

Great photo but you'll never see me that close to a bee. They just seem to love me for some reason. That second shot if I didn't know better looks like a copper casting. Very unusual. Thanks for the post.

Best,
Warren
Posted by: Warren_Polidori

Re: Photography Forum/Thread - 01/04/09 08:21 PM

Tony,

I hope you framed this one. Peaceful is a word that comes to mind. Thanks.

Best,
Warren
Posted by: 7033grip

Re: Photography Forum/Thread - 01/04/09 09:05 PM

Quote:

Another example of a flower photo at night with flash. This one is from my backyard. If this were taken in daylight, all the deep background would have been illuminated.

Backyard!!! Where do you live...on Mars ??? That thing looks like it might eat you.

Dubie




Posted by: Warren_Polidori

Re: Photography Forum/Thread - 01/04/09 09:27 PM

Quote:

Kevin,

Great photo but you'll never see me that close to a bee. They just seem to love me for some reason. That second shot if I didn't know better looks like a copper casting. Very unusual. Thanks for the post.

Best,
Warren




On second thought, this was Kevin's High School Metal Shop project. It was indeed a copper casting, an urn in fact, disguised as a flower used to burn special tobacco as shown.

Best,
Warren
Posted by: Raindog

Re: Photography Forum/Thread - 01/04/09 10:05 PM

Great Photos everyone! Here are a few shot from the 2008 Bessemer, AL Air Show









Alabama Pilot?
Posted by: Warren_Polidori

Re: Photography Forum/Thread - 01/04/09 10:12 PM

Gary,

That had to be very fast shutter speed. Those props are frozen in mid air. Nice!

Best,
Warren
Posted by: tglassco

Re: Photography Forum/Thread - 01/04/09 10:20 PM

Tony & Kevin, Great Pictures. The Maine scene is exquisite.


Great Pictures Gary.

Someone has got to be crazy to fly upside-down that close to the ground or maybe the pilot is the same guy with the jug in his mouth in one the next pictures.
Posted by: Guido_Bitossi

Re: Photography Forum/Thread - 01/05/09 04:38 AM

.....just a little example of Italian Artisans...
Guido
Posted by: Guido_Bitossi

Re: Photography Forum/Thread - 01/05/09 05:04 AM

Tony, I see something familiar here....
Guido
Warren, I was referring at the glass flowers....
Posted by: TonyLaPetri

Re: Photography Forum/Thread - 01/05/09 08:48 AM

Si Guido!
One of my favorite places on earth!
Guido ... could those glass flowers be from Morano??
Ciao,
Tony
Posted by: tunefink

Re: Photography Forum/Thread - 01/05/09 11:22 AM

The ceiling in the Bellagio was done by Dale Chihuly. It'something to see.... it's huge.

He does some amazing work...... I think hes based in Seattle.
Posted by: TonyLaPetri

Re: Photography Forum/Thread - 01/05/09 12:09 PM

Tune,
Thanks. I've seen his work and have read about him before!
Tony
Posted by: tomthbomb

Re: Photography Forum/Thread - 01/05/09 06:15 PM

Here is the Belagio lobby (out of focus) showing the scale of the glass flowers.

Posted by: tglassco

Re: Photography Forum/Thread - 01/05/09 06:22 PM

That's huge ! I wonder how they keep those things clean?

Bad Place To Bounce A Super-Ball
Posted by: tglassco

Re: Photography Forum/Thread - 01/05/09 06:36 PM

Dubie,

That flower is commonly known as the Bird of Paradise. If you will notice the little droplet at the base of the white stalk: The flower secretes a fluid that contains the active ingredient that's in VIAGRA.
Posted by: tglassco

Re: Photography Forum/Thread - 01/05/09 06:46 PM

For all those out there that may have had trouble posting pictures: Bring it on and let's get those problems solved so we can get everyone on board posting Randall Knife pictures and any photo you like within this thread. Also, Stacking multiple photos within a single post is really very easy and saves time and space.
Posted by: 7033grip

Re: Photography Forum/Thread - 01/05/09 07:21 PM

Could you possibly send me about 100 of those Viagra plants ???

Dubie
Posted by: Warren_Polidori

Re: Photography Forum/Thread - 01/05/09 08:25 PM

Tom,

Can someone list the steps necessary to list multiple photos in one post. I've tried several times but I'm doing something wrong. Thanks.

Best,
Warren
Posted by: Chief

Re: Photography Forum/Thread - 01/05/09 10:39 PM

Quote:

I've tried several times but I'm doing something wrong.

Best,
Warren




Ya know a statement like that could get ya run over by the Bus !!!!

See ya, Chief
Posted by: Warren_Polidori

Re: Photography Forum/Thread - 01/05/09 11:10 PM

Chief,

I hate the bus, but since you commented, maybe you can tell us how we can post multiple digital images?

Best,
Warren
Posted by: Raindog

Re: Photography Forum/Thread - 01/05/09 11:28 PM

Quote:

Can someone list the steps necessary to list multiple photos in one post. I've tried several times but I'm doing something wrong.




The way that I do it is to post the pics on a photo dump site (I use www.fotki.com) Then, when posting, use the Image tag and insert the image url from your photo site.

Let me know if you need help or clarification.
Posted by: tglassco

Re: Photography Forum/Thread - 01/05/09 11:33 PM

Warren,

I will work on a more detailed description but for now, let's start here. In general, follow the original instructions that are at the top of the Picture Gallery Forum and repeat your original steps that you used to post the first photo only this time starting with #3

1. After you have successfully posted the first photo go back to your post.

2. Click On Edit

3. Without Changing Anything Scroll down and select Change This Post

4. Scroll down to the browse bar and browse for your photo just like you did with your first photo and like step #3 in the instructions

5. You need to follow the steps for the second photo exactly like you did for the first one. After you copy the URL into the address bar and click on OK you should see the address for the second photo in the POST Dialog Box.

6. If you follow the steps starting with #3 you should be able to get the second one on. You can do this over and over with more photos but remember, you have a limited time to continue to edit your post.
Posted by: Warren_Polidori

Re: Photography Forum/Thread - 01/05/09 11:40 PM

Gary/ Tom,

Very informative thanks for the update. We could all use some help now and then.

Best,
Warren
Posted by: Raindog

Re: Photography Forum/Thread - 01/06/09 01:11 AM

Tune, I noticed on your Barber's pics that you make good use of an ultra-wide lens. I am considering purchasing a Tokina 11-16mm. Do you find that you use your lens enough to justify the expense?
Posted by: tunefink

Re: Photography Forum/Thread - 01/06/09 07:50 AM

Gary,

I was shooting a 10.5 fisheye..... I don't use it a lot, but it's fun to play with. I also have a 12-24.... I shoot it a good bit. You are welcome to give either a try before you buy..... just let me know!
Posted by: Peter_Kaufman

Re: Photography Forum/Thread - 01/06/09 08:07 AM

Hi guys
Here are some pictures from my hiking trip this past fall in the Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument in south central Utah. All pictures are with an older Sony DSC 85. I'm looking for a new compact digital camera with greater zoom but needs to have optical viewfinder as I find LCD screens don't work well for my outdoor photos.

Enjoy. I had great weather and a great time

Peter
Posted by: Raindog

Re: Photography Forum/Thread - 01/06/09 12:52 PM

Peter, I love desert and remote terrain. great shots!
Posted by: TonyLaPetri

Re: Photography Forum/Thread - 01/06/09 02:11 PM

Peter,
Great Shots!
Tony
Posted by: David

Re: Photography Forum/Thread - 01/06/09 04:17 PM

Some favorites from my travels. Sorry for the large size.

North Atlantic deep dive







Mid-Atlantic deeper dive







Galapagos underwater



Posted by: David

Re: Photography Forum/Thread - 01/06/09 04:24 PM

Iceland by motorcycle

10:00 p.m., Hekla volcano



Another water crossing



Caused by glacial runoff



Beauty among the glacial moraine

Posted by: TonyLaPetri

Re: Photography Forum/Thread - 01/06/09 04:33 PM

David,
Very Cool!
Tony
Posted by: David

Re: Photography Forum/Thread - 01/06/09 04:43 PM

Tony,

Thanks. All topside shots were taken with a Canon 20D camera and a Canon EFS 18-55mm lens. Nothing too fancy, just autofocus point and shoot. No Photoshop or post-processing, other than cropping where necessary. The underwater shots are a little more sophisticated, but the equipment is not mine (too expensive).

I love my Canon, but it is almost 4 years old. I would love to have a new Canon 50D, but I keep buying these damn knives!!!!!
Posted by: TonyLaPetri

Re: Photography Forum/Thread - 01/06/09 04:53 PM

David,
Thanks for the info.
A professional photographer I work with uses Canon Cameras.
Another friend who was a army photographer in Vietnam uses Nikon, but
feels either/or ... he says "there are Nikon shooters and Canon shooters."
My Son loves his Canon 40D. I might be looking at a DSLR for me this spring.
I'll have to see if the 50D is an improvement!
Tony
Posted by: Warren_Polidori

Re: Photography Forum/Thread - 01/06/09 06:20 PM

Gentlemen,

Thanks to all of you thus far that have contributed your time to posting some wonderful photos of your life's travels and some other cool shots. This is exactly what I had in mind with this thread and I sincerely hope that we can encourage more of you in the Randall world who enjoy these great shots to post some of your own. Don't be afraid to ask these guys how they took these pictures, we all want to become better by example.
So thanks once again, I'm very impressed!

Best,
Warren
Posted by: 7033grip

Re: Photography Forum/Thread - 01/06/09 07:38 PM

Warren, your picture of the rose is maybe my favorite.

Are you sure you didn't steal it from NatGeo?

Dubie
Posted by: Rhett Stidham

Re: Photography Forum/Thread - 01/06/09 10:07 PM

Such a great and informative thread that I thought someone deserved a special RKS hat plus our having a little fun with a voting poll for the best photo.

So view the photos above and vote for your favorite. I have tried to name the photo or groups of photos with the member’s name. They are listed in order of appearance above. Apology if I missed someone so let me know.

Best regards,

Rhett
Posted by: Warren_Polidori

Re: Photography Forum/Thread - 01/07/09 12:07 AM

Rhett,

Thank you for taking the time to acknowledge those who have contributed to this thread and for offering a hat to best judged.
I hope you will agree that those who contributed thus far have shown enthusiasm for the thread as well as wonderful photo skills. Our hope is this thread can remain active with additional participation from those shutterbugs we haven't heard from yet. We all thank you for allowing us the opportunity to share in another passionate hobby along with our Randall knives.

Best,
Warren
Posted by: tglassco

Re: Photography Forum/Thread - 01/07/09 12:44 AM

Rhett,

Many thanks for your comments, recognition and support of this Thread. If we can provide a continuous photography dialog that covers a broad range of topics from camera types and digital photo processing to picture scene set-ups and props that supplements Holzinger258's fabulous instructions for posting photos, it will encourage more members to photograph and post photos of their Randall Made Knives. It is amazing the wealth of talent that is right here among the regular Forum participants.

Thanks Again
Posted by: Cabinet_Man

Re: Photography Forum/Thread - 01/07/09 01:03 AM

What a great idea! Whoever was the brainchild of this thread had their thinking cap on. I've gone through the pages of all the wonderful photos and look forward to seeing new ones posted too.

Good job!
~dale
Posted by: tglassco

Re: Photography Forum/Thread - 01/07/09 02:26 AM

Dale,

Where Ya Been?

Are you kidding, It was Warren's brainchild but you are certainly part of the inspiration with all of your great photos which has resulted in a lot of participation. Now there is a place where you can comfortably post Randall Knives and More. Look forward to seeing your photos here as well.
Posted by: EDO

Re: Photography Forum/Thread - 01/07/09 03:27 AM

Rhett,

THANK YOU!
Posted by: David

Re: Photography Forum/Thread - 01/07/09 09:16 AM

Warren and Tom,

This thread was a great idea. My hat is off to you.

I really admire folks who can take excellent macro shots or portrait photography. I have never been able to do much with lighting. I rely instead on natural light and good composition. I try to catch an interesting scene as it occurs, and I let my camera do the work.

This is what I photograph on the average Saturday when I am closer to home. And it's just as much fun!









Posted by: Warren_Polidori

Re: Photography Forum/Thread - 01/07/09 09:30 AM

Great Job David and a nice family too! I like the race car but tell him to keep his eyes on the road.

Best,
Warren
Posted by: Guido_Bitossi

Re: Photography Forum/Thread - 01/07/09 09:47 AM

Nice pics David,
those'r kinda pics I do love better....real life !
best
Guido
Posted by: TonyLaPetri

Re: Photography Forum/Thread - 01/07/09 10:25 AM

David,
WONDERFUL SHOTS!
Great lookin' Family!
Tony
Posted by: Cabinet_Man

Re: Photography Forum/Thread - 01/07/09 11:06 AM

Quote:

Dale,

Where Ya Been?

Are you kidding, It was Warren's brainchild but you are certainly part of the inspiration with all of your great photos which has resulted in a lot of participation. Now there is a place where you can comfortably post Randall Knives and More. Look forward to seeing your photos here as well.

--------------------
Tom
RKS #5553



Shut down for the Holiday span with rennovations in the work shop (some additional wiring and drywalling, re-organizing the entire floor plan for machine placement). Then a few of us have been under the weather too.

Warren, you the man! Great idea to keep everything within one area... questions, learning new things, and viewing some unique photos through someone else's eye.

Rhett, nice of you to do this.
~dale
Posted by: David

Re: Photography Forum/Thread - 01/07/09 11:47 AM

Quote:

Great Job David and a nice family too! I like the race car but tell him to keep his eyes on the road.

Best,
Warren




Warren,

That's a HER! She's the one in the middle in the shot with the motorcycle. Notice that the throttle leg is straight and the knee is locked? She takes after her mother!

Thanks guys. Everyday life is much more fun, and much more important, than the occasional adventure.
Posted by: Cabinet_Man

Re: Photography Forum/Thread - 01/07/09 12:25 PM

OK, Here are a few of my favorites of the kids.
~dale










Posted by: Cabinet_Man

Re: Photography Forum/Thread - 01/07/09 12:34 PM

Some knife pics...
~dale

model 21 ice



model 8 snow



model 21 fish with "fisheye"



older 8 sepia



"25 Handles"
Posted by: Peter_Kaufman

Re: Photography Forum/Thread - 01/07/09 12:54 PM

Here are some pictures I took on a hiking trip to Yellowstone and the Grand Tetons. Another great trip with scenery different from home. (Pennsylvania) The last one is a bald eagle.

Peter
Posted by: TonyLaPetri

Re: Photography Forum/Thread - 01/07/09 02:05 PM

Dale,
The Kids are Great!
And the knife photos??? You continue to be an inspiration!

Peter,
Terrific photos. Especially that waterfall!
Tony
Posted by: Warren_Polidori

Re: Photography Forum/Thread - 01/07/09 02:31 PM

Dale,

Welcome aboard. We look forward to your creativity and excellent photo shills. Nice photos of the family and the frog too!


Peter,
I've never been to Yellowstone. You're very lucky to have made the trip. Thanks for sharing with us.

Best,
Warren
Posted by: tglassco

Re: Photography Forum/Thread - 01/07/09 02:51 PM

Zion National Park. A couple photos from a trip a couple years ago.

At the very end of Zion Canyon. The cars at the bottom add scale to the photo.



Posted by: TonyLaPetri

Re: Photography Forum/Thread - 01/07/09 04:14 PM

Tom,
Very Nice!
Bold composition on the one with the cars!!
Tony
Posted by: Rhett Stidham

Re: Photography Forum/Thread - 01/08/09 05:34 PM

Anyone recognize this as to what and where? GB not eligible to answer this.

Best regards,

Rhett

Posted by: EDO

Re: Photography Forum/Thread - 01/09/09 04:50 AM

...old pizza oven....
Posted by: EDO

Re: Photography Forum/Thread - 01/09/09 05:13 AM

Some photos I did using my "no digital" Canon AE1


Emerald Lake - British Columbia- Canada


Edmonton - Alberta - Canada
Posted by: Warren_Polidori

Re: Photography Forum/Thread - 01/09/09 07:40 AM

Gentlemen,

I believe we have passed our first milestone. It's been one week and we have over 1000 views and over 100 posts. Thanks to all who have contributed.
-------------------------------------------------------
EDO,
Great shots. Postcard quality

Best,
Warren
Posted by: Raindog

Re: Photography Forum/Thread - 01/10/09 11:39 AM

"Emerald Lake" photo is delicious. Did you use any filters (other than UV/81A type) when taking this shot?
Posted by: Rhett Stidham

Re: Photography Forum/Thread - 01/11/09 12:14 PM

And the winner is Mitchell Harrison with "The Mantis". Congratulations Mitchell.

Regards,

Rhett
Posted by: Whiteman

Re: Photography Forum/Thread - 01/11/09 12:21 PM

Here is a pic of a big ol Bullfrog I took late last summer.

Randy

Posted by: Guido_Bitossi

Re: Photography Forum/Thread - 01/11/09 01:01 PM

OK EDO... it's a....pizza oven, but Rhett also ask about
"where"....
Last effort...
GB
Posted by: vklough46

Re: Photography Forum/Thread - 01/11/09 01:29 PM

Nice photo Randy.
Here are a couple of his younger brothers.

Kevin



Posted by: Whiteman

Re: Photography Forum/Thread - 01/11/09 02:00 PM



Another fat boy.. This guy was so fat he could hardly move..
Posted by: Warren_Polidori

Re: Photography Forum/Thread - 01/11/09 02:59 PM

Kevin/ Randy,

Nice croakers. Still hard for me to believe these things can turn into a Prince.

Best,
Warren
Posted by: Warren_Polidori

Re: Photography Forum/Thread - 01/11/09 03:01 PM

Quote:

And the winner is Mitchell Harrison with "The Mantis". Congratulations Mitchell.

Regards,

Rhett





Mitchel,

Nice job!

Best,
Warren
Posted by: tunefink

Re: Photography Forum/Thread - 01/11/09 03:19 PM

Thank you very much.... I appreciate everyone getting this cool new thread going.
Posted by: tglassco

Re: Photography Forum/Thread - 01/11/09 03:30 PM

Warren,

You have to kiss that croaker first for it to turn into a prince.
Posted by: pappy19

Re: Photography Forum/Thread - 01/11/09 04:02 PM

If you have ever tried to gig or catch a frog, you know thatthey are a very wary critter. To have some fun and catch more frogs in 5 minutes than any other method.....tie a large artifical fly or small lure on the end of a cane pole or fly rod and jig it in front of the frog. They can't resist it, and go nuts trying to catch it. You'll have enough frogs for "legs" in no time.
Posted by: TonyLaPetri

Re: Photography Forum/Thread - 01/11/09 04:25 PM

Congrats Mitchell!
Tony
Posted by: BoBlade

Re: Photography Forum/Thread - 01/11/09 07:26 PM

Good show, Tune!

Mike: Sure beats stepping on them to pull the gig out

Best,
Posted by: EDO

Re: Photography Forum/Thread - 01/13/09 07:32 AM

Quote:

Gentlemen,

I believe we have passed our first milestone. It's been one week and we have over 1000 views and over 100 posts. Thanks to all who have contributed.
-------------------------------------------------------
EDO,
Great shots. Postcard quality

Best,
Warren




Thank you!
Posted by: EDO

Re: Photography Forum/Thread - 01/13/09 07:43 AM

Quote:

"Emerald Lake" photo is delicious. Did you use any filters (other than UV/81A type) when taking this shot?



Yes, I used a skylight, the original is a slide so I had to convert in digital. No filters.
Ciao!
Posted by: EDO

Re: Photography Forum/Thread - 01/13/09 07:44 AM

Guido,
where is the oven?
I don't know...Italy?
Posted by: Peter_Kaufman

Re: Photography Forum/Thread - 01/13/09 12:24 PM

Hi
Now that the attachments are working again, here are some pictures from a hiking trip in southern Vermont a few years back.
Peter
Posted by: Warren_Polidori

Re: Photography Forum/Thread - 01/13/09 05:46 PM

Peter,

My wife and I just love Vermont. The color change looks like early September. In full color it's tough to beat that part of the country. My favorite trip was the summit at Killington in late September by gondola ride. On a clear day they claim you can see 5 states and Canada. I have photo's somewhere but this was before the digital age so everything is in prints and I need to find them first.

Best,
Warren
Posted by: tunefink

Re: Photography Forum/Thread - 01/13/09 06:12 PM

I saw this guy at the Tower Hill Botanical Gardens near Boston.... I took this with my Point and shoot Canon G7 hand held....no tripod. Sometimes you get lucky.

Posted by: tglassco

Re: Photography Forum/Thread - 01/13/09 06:21 PM

Beautiful photo Mitchell,

Lucky? Lucky you didn't get stung. Those pack a wallop.
Posted by: Warren_Polidori

Re: Photography Forum/Thread - 01/13/09 06:22 PM

Mitchel,

I'll say you got lucky. If that were me I'd surely be stung. You managed to capture a perfect photo. That ones worthy of a contest vote.

Best,
Warren
Posted by: tglassco

Re: Photography Forum/Thread - 01/13/09 06:27 PM

Fun With Old Photos

I believe this is the only time I ever saw one of these in the water. (Taken Mid 1980's) It sure turns your head.

I recently scanned some slides from when we lived in Atlanta (82 - 93). This was taken on Lake Lanier which is a huge reservoir lake just north of Atlanta.





Posted by: Warren_Polidori

Re: Photography Forum/Thread - 01/13/09 06:29 PM

I almost forgot I had these photo's. This was taken this year on Mothers Day. I'm still unclear as to how this swan entered my property, but he startled my when I exited the house that day. I opened the gate and politely asked him to leave. After hissing several times he walked down the driveway and exited down the street. Best I could figure he was from the UK because he was walking down the wrong side of the road. I just loved the old man in the Benz who just drove by like nothing ever happened.

Best,
Warren

Posted by: Warren_Polidori

Re: Photography Forum/Thread - 01/13/09 06:40 PM

Tom,

Bond, James Bond.

Best,
Warren
Posted by: tomthbomb

Re: Photography Forum/Thread - 01/13/09 10:37 PM

One of my other hobbies gives a clue to my avatar.

Posted by: Warren_Polidori

Re: Photography Forum/Thread - 01/13/09 11:13 PM

Great looking plane Red Barron, but how do you "re-size" yourself to fit into that cockpit?

Best,
Warren
Posted by: TonyLaPetri

Re: Photography Forum/Thread - 01/14/09 08:52 AM

Shoot! Ya beat me to it Warren!
Tony
Posted by: David

Re: Photography Forum/Thread - 01/14/09 10:44 AM

More from motorcycling in Iceland

The road to nowhere



Off to the glacier



Another water crossing (23 in three days)



In the Continental divide (North America on the left, Europe on the right)



Behind the falls



Gullfoss



Me and my riding buddy

Posted by: 7033grip

Re: Photography Forum/Thread - 01/14/09 06:26 PM

David, that country looks too rugged even for Polar Bears. It's like Death Valley con agua.

I hear the ladies are gorgeous though, and so is yours.

Dubie
Posted by: David

Re: Photography Forum/Thread - 01/14/09 07:06 PM

Thanks Dubie. I am a lucky man. There was NO WAY my wife was going to let me go to Iceland without her, and then she chuckled for days after we arrived because all of the beautiful women have apparently left to work for Icelandair in the United States. The prettiest Icelandic girl you see is the one that hands you your boarding pass in Boston before you get on the plane.

I am glad I took my own pretty girl with me. That way I had something else to look at when I got tired of seeing the rocks and snow.

Posted by: Warren_Polidori

Re: Photography Forum/Thread - 01/14/09 07:37 PM

David,

Looks like beautiful country and you both had a great time. Thanks for posting your photos and sharing your experiences.

Best,
Warren
Posted by: TonyLaPetri

Re: Photography Forum/Thread - 01/14/09 09:59 PM

David,
Real nice! Thanks for sharing!
Tony
Posted by: tglassco

Re: Photography Forum/Thread - 01/14/09 10:38 PM

David,

Great pictures. Thanks for sharing. That must have been a fascinating trip.
Posted by: David

Re: Photography Forum/Thread - 01/15/09 05:55 PM

Thank you gentlemen.

In keeping with the spirit of this thread, all shots were taken with the aforementioned Canon 20D, set on auto everything. No post-processing or Photoshop, other than cropping and resizing so they could be posted here.

The sunset shot was not taken in Iceland. It was taken two months later on a boat just southeast of Newfoundland, on the "Tail of the Banks." We were running north to St. Johns to escape a hurricane coming up from the south. The deep red sky was caused by the front that preceded the hurricane. Since this is the place described in the book "The Perfect Storm," we were eager to make port. But it made for a nice photo.
Posted by: David

Re: Photography Forum/Thread - 01/15/09 06:15 PM

Back to real life.....

Sunday night, January 11, 2009, celebrating after the Philadelphia Eagles beat the New York Giants in the playoffs. We chopped a hole in the ice covering the pool and everybody went for a swim. The air temperature was about 20 degrees by this time.













Who is coming over to join us this Sunday?
Posted by: tglassco

Re: Photography Forum/Thread - 01/15/09 06:35 PM

David,

From the look on the dogs face, It looks like he is thinking you all are crazy. Dogs are pretty smart.

Here in northern Florida we are blessed with an abundance of natural springs. The water temp is fairly constant year round at 72 Deg. It feels like it's freezing in the summertime. If I had jumped in that pool of icy water I would probably be impotent for the rest of my life.
Posted by: David

Re: Photography Forum/Thread - 01/15/09 07:13 PM

Ironically, that's a Portugeuse Water Dog. You know he's smart if he doesn't go in. They love the water.

On a related note, I hope the new President gets a Labradoodle. I want my dog to stay rare.
Posted by: TonyLaPetri

Re: Photography Forum/Thread - 01/15/09 08:43 PM

Hey David ... I'm thinking you had a little "anti-freeze" in ya???

Tom ... I here you're pretty important right now!
Tony
Posted by: Raindog

Re: Photography Forum/Thread - 01/15/09 11:22 PM

One of my favorite places to take pictures is at the various festivals put on by small towns all over the South. Here are a few shots at a local festival this past October.







It does me good to see the joy on the festival goers' faces. And it makes me long for summer again.
Posted by: tglassco

Re: Photography Forum/Thread - 01/15/09 11:42 PM

Great Shots Gary. Kinda makes ya feel like you are there.
Posted by: TonyLaPetri

Re: Photography Forum/Thread - 01/16/09 09:26 AM

WOW Gary!
Very nice photography!
Tony
Posted by: tglassco

Black Velvet - 01/16/09 06:46 PM

I was in a Hobby Store today and picked up a small piece of black velvet to experiment with. This photo was taken on a patio table outside on our patio. No flash with a total overcast sky. No additional lights or props of any kind. Camera was on full auto. Absolutely no Photo Shop adjustments or photo editing of any sort just Resized to post. Just be sure to have one of those adhesive roller dust/lint removers handy because almost anything will show up as a white spec. This was my first attempt and didn't even bother to wipe the fingerprints off the hilt & butt cap. With just a little imagination you can do a lot without a fancy setup.

Posted by: Warren_Polidori

Re: Black Velvet - 01/16/09 06:52 PM

Well done Tom. Good suggestion.

Best,
Warren
Posted by: 7033grip

Re: Black Velvet - 01/16/09 06:56 PM

A cloudy sky is the best thing to shoot anything shiny under...Cars, knives, etc.

Black velvet is what i use too Tom. It also goes down fairly smoothly.

Old Gators think alike.

Dubie
Posted by: TonyLaPetri

Re: Black Velvet - 01/16/09 07:36 PM

Tom,
Very Cool!
Tony
Posted by: Warren_Polidori

Re: Black Velvet - 01/17/09 07:06 PM

Several years ago my wife and I took a trip into the Adirondack Mountains in upstate NY. We wound up touring Lake Placid for several days and took a leisurely drive to nearby Whiteface Mountain. As luck would have it we found a roadside Red Fox just waiting to have his picture taken. The photo quality isn't the best but the up close and personal is something to behold. What a ham!

Best,
Warren

Posted by: tomthbomb

Re: Black Velvet - 01/17/09 07:54 PM

Quote:

I was in a Hobby Store today and picked up a small piece of black velvet to experiment with. This photo was taken on a patio table outside on our patio. No flash with a total overcast sky. No additional lights or props of any kind. Camera was on full auto. Absolutely no Photo Shop adjustments or photo editing of any sort just Resized to post. Just be sure to have one of those adhesive roller dust/lint removers handy because almost anything will show up as a white spec. This was my first attempt and didn't even bother to wipe the fingerprints off the hilt & butt cap. With just a little imagination you can do a lot without a fancy setup.



I enjoy seeing everybody's photos in this thread but Tom, this is what I was hoping it would be about. Thanks.
Posted by: Warren_Polidori

Re: Black Velvet - 01/17/09 09:12 PM

TTB,

While I love posting pictures I agree that is what this was about from the beginning. Lets hear more creative tips from you guys on how to take better photos.
I want to hear your thoughts on taking photos:

Indoors

Outdoors

How to work with daylight and artificial light, flashfill, bouncelight, filters, light-tents. All off what you know works best.
All I know is light is your friend when taking a picture so how do you guys handle it. Give us some tips on non-automatic exposures.
Lets get a little technical with our cameras. "F" stop=depth of field!

Best,
Warren
Posted by: Raindog

Re: Black Velvet - 01/17/09 11:08 PM

I disagree. I learn a lot from looking at others' photography. If you don't believe me take a gander at some of Tunefink's work and tell me that there isn't a ton of pointers to pick up.
Posted by: Warren_Polidori

Re: Black Velvet - 01/18/09 10:38 AM

Gary,

You are absolutely correct. My comments were misleading. I was asking for some ideas as to how others handle indoor and outdoor photos. Light always seems to be a problem. Either too much of, not enough, or the wrong source. Until recently I really struggled with indoor photos but somewhat solved this problem with a light box. This seems to work to some degree but I know there's a better way without spending a mint. Reflections and shadows are another constant challenge. Lets hear some ideas as to how you guys deal with some of these situations.

Best,
Warren
Posted by: Warren_Polidori

Re: Black Velvet - 01/18/09 01:40 PM

The weather has been miserable here all week but I decided that staying inside was boring so I found some icicles in the back yard. Here's two photos with different color foam board used as a backdrop. I thought it would be fun to try something different. On the dark photo I did add some enhancement to the shadows to darken the backdrop even more.

Best,
Warren
Posted by: tglassco

Re: Black Velvet - 01/18/09 01:56 PM

Very Cool Warren,

I like the one with the black backdrop the best.

Did you use a Macro lens or have the camera set on Macro?
Posted by: TonyLaPetri

Re: Black Velvet - 01/18/09 04:20 PM

Warren,
Did I inspire you to get out there?
NICE PHOTO! The black background outside works REALLY well!
Tony
Posted by: tomthbomb

Re: Black Velvet - 01/18/09 04:53 PM

Quote:

I disagree. I learn a lot from looking at others' photography. If you don't believe me take a gander at some of Tunefink's work and tell me that there isn't a ton of pointers to pick up.



Gary, looking at them helps but explaining how they were composed, lighted, etc. helps even more.
Your second photo in the left column blows me away! That little red headed girl could be the first woman President in about thirty years! Amazing photo.
Posted by: Warren_Polidori

Re: Black Velvet - 01/18/09 05:35 PM

Tom,

No macro lens or macro settings. Pictures were taken at about 18". Picture 1 was taken at 30mm, ISO 200, F16, 1/4 sec exposure. Picture 2 was the same settings except the exposure was 1/13 sec. I could have taken more shots but my assistant was getting cold.

-----------------------------------------------------------

Tony,

Are you sure you weren't in my back yard today? That photo by the water looks just like the pond on my property.

Best,
Warren
Posted by: TonyLaPetri

Re: Black Velvet - 01/18/09 06:02 PM



No, really ... just one of the streams in Shu Swamp, Mill Neck. They discovered
a family of otters there last year. The Fish & Game people are studying them...
it's a big deal for Nassau County. Mill Neck is only about 30 miles from
Mid Town Manhattan!
Tony
Posted by: Warren_Polidori

Re: Black Velvet - 01/18/09 06:38 PM

Tony,

So where are the pictures of the Otters?

Best,
Warren
Posted by: 7033grip

Re: Black Velvet - 01/18/09 06:42 PM

Leave it to an Italian to take a picture of an edible icicle.

Is that an "Italian Ice"?

Dubie Baxter
Posted by: Warren_Polidori

Re: Black Velvet - 01/18/09 06:59 PM

Dubie,

I suppose you could eat the icicle but I wouldn't eat the berries.

Best,
Warren
Posted by: TonyLaPetri

Re: Black Velvet - 01/18/09 08:14 PM

The otters were utterly invisible.
Tony
Posted by: Warren_Polidori

Re: Black Velvet - 01/18/09 08:16 PM

Tony,

You like to go camping, wait it out.

Best,
Warren
Posted by: TonyLaPetri

Re: Black Velvet - 01/18/09 08:20 PM

I'll wait!

'Till the spring.
Posted by: Raindog

Re: Black Velvet - 01/18/09 11:57 PM

Quote:


Your second photo in the left column blows me away! That little red headed girl could be the first woman President in about thirty years! Amazing photo.




Thank you so much for that. The red-headed girl is my three year old daughter. I rarely have the opportunity to see her (legal dispute with mother) and seeing her on the merry-go-round was just sheer luck. The red hair comes from my father's side of the family.
Posted by: TonyLaPetri

Re: Black Velvet - 01/19/09 10:18 AM

In response to some of the discussion on "how-to" This photo was taken in a
crude home-made light box. This Website shows how to make it. I followed it
pretty closely ...used white plastic trash bag plastic for top and sides. I don't
just use a light on top, I also use one on the side to get a little more dramatic
lighting.
http://digital-photography-school.com/blog/how-to-make-a-inexpensive-light-tent/
Tony

I forgot to add ... I put my camera on a tripod (just a good point 'n shoot right now).
With flash turned off! The flash just makes everything too bright and washed out.
Shooting outside ... in flat light (cloudy) is easier but this comes in handy during
bad weather, for a quick shot, or when you want a little more control with lighting
and props.
Tony
Posted by: tglassco

Re: Black Velvet - 01/19/09 01:47 PM

Tony,

That is a nice photo!

Thanks for the link on the Light Box. That was going to be one of my next requests. I have never had a light box nor used one but that looks simple enough. Waiting for the right exterior lighting environment is not very convenient. I have found that a very gray day works best and especially a gray day late in the afternoon. I have taken some photos on a clear day but late in the afternoon almost at dusk and have found this to work fairly well although there can still be a problem with shadows.
Posted by: Warren_Polidori

Light Box - 01/19/09 02:22 PM

Tony,

I built this very simple 3 sided enclosure yesterday out of white foam-board. The light source is a Port A Trace light box. So far so good, it seems to give adequate light. The unit is color corrected for 5000K which is considered daylight. When I'm not using it the whole thing folds flat for storage. I'm going to try different color backgrounds and experiment some. I purchased the light box off e-bay for $75 and I purchased the foam board for $5. I've seen some commercially made units that probably do the same thing for a lot more money. What I like so far about this rig is that it seems to give me an even distribution of light with no hot spots.

Best,
Warren
Posted by: TonyLaPetri

Re: Light Box - 01/19/09 03:11 PM

Tom, Thanks! Cloudy days are good, and I've had success on sunny days by
choosing a spot in the shade ... the shade providing the flat light, with a little
"brightness" from the surrounding sunlight.
WARREN!!! That's a cool idea! I have a couple of those PORT A TRACE boxes.
I'll have to try that.
Tony
Posted by: Warren_Polidori

Re: Light Box - 01/19/09 03:27 PM

Tony,

For the sides, I didn't cut all the way through. Cut just enough so you can fold and make the corners. Make the sides smaller than the light box and it just place it on top. My light box is 11X18. The white board seems to reflect enough light and you don't get too many annoying shadows. Give it a try as long as you have the light box.

Best,
Warren
Posted by: Raindog

Rocky Mountain School of Photography Workshops - 01/21/09 12:29 AM

For those that are looking to bone up on their skills, both with the camera and in the digital darkroom, I highly recommend the Rocky Mountain School of Photography Weekend Workshops. I attended the two day seminar last year in Atlanta and received a bunch of ideas and lessons. This weekend I will attend again in Birmingham.

Here is the schedule for the rest of the year:

Birmingham, AL January 24-25
Indianapolis, IN February 7 – 8
Nashville, TN February 14 – 15
Sacramento, CA February 21 – 22
Fort Worth, TX February 28 – March 1
Kansas City, KS March 7 – 8
Springfield, MA March 14 - 15
Salt Lake City, UT March 21 – 22
Buffalo, NY March 28 – 29
Bozeman, MT April 18 – 19
Grand Rapids, MI April 25 – 26

If anyone decides to take one of these workshops I would be interested in your evaluation.
Posted by: Warren_Polidori

Re: Rocky Mountain School of Photography Workshops - 01/21/09 05:15 PM

Gary,

This looks great. Thanks for posting the information.

Best,
Warren
Posted by: tomthbomb

Re: Black Velvet - 01/23/09 02:09 PM

Taken last summer with a Casio pocket camera.

Posted by: 7033grip

Re: Black Velvet - 01/23/09 03:02 PM

Were you lost again Tom?

He seems to be pointing you toward Texas.

Dubie
Posted by: tomthbomb

Re: Black Velvet - 01/23/09 03:03 PM

yes
Posted by: Topos

Re: Black Velvet - 01/26/09 05:25 PM

Tom,


Super shot. I can almost hear the friendly guide telling me where the great fishing hole is located and where to store my sandwiches and beer.
Shivering here in Boston area with the temp dropping to 16 degrees, his warm greetings are especially welcome.

Thanks again.
Posted by: Warren_Polidori

Costa Rica Lizard - 01/26/09 05:48 PM

I found this guy 2 years ago in Costa Rica. I was able to get fairly close. Nice colors I thought.

Best,
Warren

Posted by: Sheldon_Wickersham

Re: Costa Rica Lizard - 01/27/09 12:56 AM

Warren,

They've got those in Tulum, Yucatan too. Edna and I were standing on the cliff by this temple http://i.pbase.com/u33/eldarrio/upload/35701603.Tulum.jpg watching a storm roll in, when the Iguana's just came scrambling over the edge, scurrying past us...then it started to rain, about four inches in ten minutes. There we were, tucked away in the temple, along with about a dozen of those multi-hued Iguana's...

-S
Posted by: David

Who likes Boobies? - 01/29/09 10:16 AM

Of the blue footed variety?



Snicker, snicker.
Posted by: Warren_Polidori

Re: Who likes Boobies? - 01/29/09 10:18 AM

David,

Fancy flippers.

Best,
Warren
Posted by: 7033grip

Re: Who likes Boobies? - 01/29/09 10:32 AM

Nice breast on that Boobie.

Ya got me !!!

Bubie Daxter
Posted by: TonyLaPetri

Re: Who likes Boobies? - 01/29/09 11:52 AM

I like them in pairs!
Tony
Posted by: pappy19

Re: Who likes Boobies? - 01/29/09 12:07 PM

Boobies are just like martini's, one isn't enough and 3 is too many.
Posted by: David

Re: Who likes Boobies? - 01/29/09 06:29 PM

Here ya go Tony. A nice pair of boobies for you.

They're kind of small, but it's rare to see them out in the wild.

Posted by: 7033grip

Re: Who likes Boobies? - 01/29/09 07:48 PM

David, do their feet turn pink when they're horny?

Dubie Baxter
Posted by: TonyLaPetri

Re: Who likes Boobies? - 01/30/09 08:37 AM

David ...
NICE PAIR! Thanks.
Tony
Posted by: David

Re: Who likes Boobies? - 01/30/09 11:23 AM

Quote:

David, do their feet turn pink when they're horny?

Dubie Baxter




Nope. They are just born that way.
Posted by: Holzinger258

Re: Who likes Boobies? - 01/30/09 04:48 PM

Galapagos blue footed boobie, masked boobies, and iguana...
-Steve

Posted by: Warren_Polidori

Re: Who likes Boobies? - 01/30/09 04:58 PM

All right David I hereby nominate you as the National Geographic Photographer of the RKS. We'd like to see your penguins.

Best,
Warren
Posted by: 7033grip

Re: Who likes Boobies? - 01/30/09 06:56 PM

David, do you have any pics of exceptionally endowed nubile young African girls?

I have a thing for Watusis.

Dubie Baxter
Posted by: Holzinger258

Re: Who likes Boobies? - 01/30/09 07:00 PM

Are these penguins good enough?

Posted by: 7033grip

Re: Who likes Boobies? - 01/30/09 07:34 PM

Close, but no cigar.

Dubie Baxter
Posted by: David

Re: Who likes Boobies? - 01/31/09 12:07 PM

I am searching my Galapagos photos for a penguin photo.

Meanwhile, you will have to settle for a photo of a walrus, taken last Sunday in my pool.

Posted by: David

Re: Who likes Boobies? - 01/31/09 12:11 PM

Quote:

David, do you have any pics of exceptionally endowed nubile young African girls?

I have a thing for Watusis.

Dubie Baxter




Dubie,

This is the best I can do for you. From my last trip to Africa.

(If your a butt man, check out her friend in the background )


Posted by: 7033grip

Re: Who likes Boobies? - 01/31/09 08:06 PM

Holy Cow !!!!!

That would be the butt Bob.

Fat girls always liked me best.

Dubie Baxter
Posted by: TonyLaPetri

Re: Who likes Boobies? - 02/02/09 05:17 PM

Here's a little trick I tried this weekend on my snowshoe hike.
I set this up, with the shade of a single tree trunk falling over the blade...
so I got the brightness of the sun all around but the shade falling on the blade
gave the metal a "softer" light with no hot spots.
Tony
Posted by: Warren_Polidori

Re: Who likes Boobies? - 02/02/09 06:10 PM

Great job Tony and a good tip. Boy, if I only had a friend that would invite me snowshoeing!

Best,
Warren
Posted by: Chief

Re: Who likes Boobies? - 02/02/09 10:13 PM

Quote:

Great job Tony and a good tip. Boy, if I only had a friend that would invite me snowshoeing!

Best,
Warren




Warren I talked to Tony & he said "You should take a Hike"!

See ya, Chief
Posted by: Warren_Polidori

Re: Who likes Boobies? - 02/02/09 10:17 PM

Chief,

I'll take it under advisement, the walk will do me good.

Best,
Warren
Posted by: Chief

Re: Who likes Boobies? - 02/02/09 11:08 PM

If ya say so....the Marine Corp cured me on walking!!
Come on down South & we'll go site seeing in a boat!!!!
Doubt ya get to see a mouse though.......have to settle for boats with women in bikini's riding around!

See ya, Chief
Posted by: TonyLaPetri

Re: Who likes Boobies? - 02/03/09 10:35 AM

OK Warren!!!
We'll have to do a spring snowshoe hike in March!
That'll give you a little time to get in shape!
Tony
Posted by: Warren_Polidori

Snowshoeing - 02/03/09 06:06 PM

Tony,

What shape, besides your the one using snowshoes, I'll use a SkiDoo.

Best,
Warren
Posted by: TonyLaPetri

Re: Snowshoeing - 02/03/09 07:03 PM

No can do my friend ... not on THESE mountain trails
Tony
Posted by: 7033grip

Re: Snowshoeing - 02/03/09 07:30 PM

I have this image of Tony and his scouts pushing Warren and his Ski-doo for 4 miles.

Dubie Baxter
Posted by: TonyLaPetri

Re: Who likes Boobies? - 02/03/09 09:13 PM

Ok ... forget the snowshoes or the Ski-do ...
I'm gettin' in the boat with Chief ...AND THEM BIKINI GIRLS!
Tony (My Mama didn't raise no fool) LaPetri.
Posted by: Chief

Re: Who likes Boobies? - 02/03/09 09:37 PM

Better get a move on & get down here........Mardi Gras starts on the 14th, serious fun around the 19th - 24th. Even have 2-3 boat parades.

See ya, Chief
Posted by: Rick_Bowles

Re: Who likes Boobies? - 02/03/09 09:49 PM

Here's a Great Blue Heron that showed up in our backyard last weekend. We don't have a pond or water within a mile or more. I guess he was just resting.

Posted by: tglassco

Re: Who likes Boobies? - 02/03/09 10:24 PM

Rick,

Obviously that great bird heard about your reputation and stopped by to strike a pose.

Call It An Audition
Posted by: Warren_Polidori

Great Blue Heron - 02/03/09 10:25 PM

Rick,

Nice pictures of your new pet. Thanks for posting some photos. We hope to see you as a regular here showing off some of your photography handiwork. We prefer non knife pictures here since we have many threads to display Randall Knives. Don't be a stranger we need participation. Thanks again.

Best,
Warren
Posted by: Warren_Polidori

Thanks For A Great 2 Months! - 02/03/09 10:42 PM

To All:

I want to thank everyone again who has contributed to this Photo Thread. We have after two months 3,000 views, and over 200 posts. My hope is that we can continue to share our life experiences here with our best photos and have some fun with it at the same time. This is the place to share your life with the rest of us outside the world of Randall speak. I think everyone will agree that we have seen some great creativity, interesting photos, and world class entries. Please continue to share your best of the best!

Best,
Warren
Posted by: Chief

Re: Great Blue Heron - 02/03/09 10:43 PM

Rick be nice to see some shots of your Axe's!

See Ya, Chief
Posted by: Raindog

Robert E. Lee Birthday - 02/04/09 12:38 AM

In Alabama, State employees are given the choice of celebrating Robert E. Lee's birthday or Martin Luther King Day. About 50 miles from my home, in Oneonta, AL, they held the state Robert E. Lee flag raising and speech ceremony. Here are a few pics:











If you are interested in seeing more pictures from this event then go to HERE.
Posted by: Rick_Bowles

Strings Attached - 02/04/09 11:51 AM

Here's a full on bling classic. If the Gibson Les Paul is the quintessential rock guitar (and that's debatable) then this "Ultima" is the apex of the contemporary Les Paul.
Posted by: Rick_Bowles

Re: Strings Attached - 02/04/09 11:58 AM

Here's another Lester. This one is a custom shop Les Paul Elegant. David Warther found me a big piece of ivory and Will Hunt fashioned this Les Paul pick guard and a matching truss rod cover.
Posted by: tglassco

Depth of Field - A Technical Note - 02/04/09 03:46 PM

In keeping with the universal intent of this thread I thought it might be helpful to post a Technical Note from time to time. It is very obvious there is a vast wealth of knowledge and experience among those that have already contributed to this thread and I encourage everyone to continue to share their knowledge and experience.


Depth of Field

Depth of field is the range of distance within the subject that is acceptably sharp. The depth of field varies depending on camera type, aperture and focusing distance, although print size and viewing distance can influence our perception of it.

I immediately thought of this when I viewed one of Raindog's (Gary Howie) beautiful photos of small town festivals. Aside from being an exquisite photo it is one of the best natural photos that I have seen that demonstrates the concept of Depth of Field.

Notice how the fruit in the foreground is out of focus and gradually becomes clearer as you approach the green peppers. The green peppers are perfectly in focus and as you move further into the background the image gradually gets fuzzy. This clearly demonstrates the range of distance within the subject that is acceptably sharp. Many times depth of field is experienced in photos where the foreground is sharp and the image loses focus as you move further into the background but Gary's photo shows that depth of field is actually a range of focus within the image.

At the other end of the spectrum is another beautiful photo posted by Warren Polidori, Icicles & Berries. In this photo, Warren used an artificial black background so in essence there is no background or depth to the photo and because the camera lens was very close to the subject there is not a foreground to the picture so Depth of Field in this example is a moot point.

For additional information on this topic I have found the link below to be as good as any.

http://www.cambridgeincolour.com/tutorials/depth-of-field.htm




Posted by: Warren_Polidori

Re: Depth of Field - A Technical Note - 02/04/09 05:00 PM

Tom,

This is really good stuff and very technical in nature. This is something that I am very much aware of when photographing knives close-up when the knife is at an angle. When shot on automatic exposure, many times I find that the camera selected an f stop somewhat larger and it tends to render the photo somewhat blurry at the near end and far end. I mostly take these types photos with a tripod and select aperatuture priority. The higher f stop selection generally results in slower shutter speeds but results in sharper images.
To illustrate the point here are two photos of a piece of crown antler that were taken on a tripod at the very same distance and focal length. The first photo was taken on automatic exposure and resulted in an exposure of 1/100th sec @f5.
The second photo is aperature priority setting. I selected f16 the camera set the exposure @ 1/5 sec. The results are night and day. Notice how the foreground is blurry in the first photo. If left up to the camera this is what you get. The second photo is sharp from front to back. No other photoshop corrections were done except for cropping. This is one way to get better photos just by using the f stop correctly and I thank Tom for posting the idea.

Best,
Warren

Posted by: tglassco

Ice Fishing In Florida - 02/04/09 05:53 PM

We've had a few good freezes in Florida recently so I thought I would try this Ice Fishing stuff.

Man, I Love This Ice Fishing







My Friends Son Just Retrieved These Two Beauties From The Local Ice Pond






Posted by: Warren_Polidori

Re: Ice Fishing In Florida - 02/04/09 06:01 PM

Very witty Tom. What did you use for bait Hamilton's?

Best,
Warren
Posted by: tglassco

Re: Ice Fishing In Florida - 02/04/09 06:05 PM

Quote:

What did you use for bait Hamilton's?






Bon Appetite
Posted by: tglassco

Re: Depth of Field - A Technical Note - 02/04/09 06:37 PM

Warren,

That is an excellent and very practical example. Good Job.

Maybe a brief explanation of Aperture and Shutter Priority is in order.?
Posted by: Cabinet_Man

Re: Depth of Field - A Technical Note - 02/04/09 06:56 PM

Hello! Had a lot of reading to do to catch up. We've been sick with the flu for most of Jan but feeling better. Decided to take the kids fishing since we've been stuck in the house for so long. Emily went with us last year, you may remember the pic of her sitting inside the pail, but this was the first time she has ever fished through the ice. She got to ride out there on a sled since the snow is pretty deep for her short legs.

The knife in the pic is a GTR Special.
~dale


Posted by: Cabinet_Man

Re: Depth of Field - A Technical Note - 02/04/09 06:57 PM

Posted by: Cabinet_Man

Re: Depth of Field - A Technical Note - 02/04/09 06:58 PM

Posted by: Cabinet_Man

Re: Depth of Field - A Technical Note - 02/04/09 06:59 PM

Posted by: Cabinet_Man

Re: Depth of Field - A Technical Note - 02/04/09 07:00 PM

Posted by: Cabinet_Man

Re: Depth of Field - A Technical Note - 02/04/09 07:01 PM

Posted by: Cabinet_Man

Re: Depth of Field - A Technical Note - 02/04/09 07:03 PM

Posted by: Cabinet_Man

Re: Depth of Field - A Technical Note - 02/04/09 07:09 PM

For a long time I have wondered what the differences in blade width was on the #21 and the GTR. They are pretty much the same size, just wondered how the blades compared in width. I've seen many in separate pics, but in case anyone else has wondered this same thing, here are some shots of the two together.
~dale


Posted by: Cabinet_Man

Re: Depth of Field - A Technical Note - 02/04/09 07:10 PM

Posted by: Cabinet_Man

Re: Depth of Field - A Technical Note - 02/04/09 07:11 PM

Posted by: Cabinet_Man

Re: Depth of Field - A Technical Note - 02/04/09 07:18 PM

In the pics of the two knives together the 21 is slightly out of focus. The pics were taken on full auto with a Canon SLR, and is exactly what Tom is talking about with depth of field. I focussed on the front knife (GTR).
~dale
Posted by: Warren_Polidori

Camera Priority Modes - 02/04/09 07:52 PM

Tom,

A good idea without getting long winded:

Automatic Mode:This is point and shoot mode. The camera selects what "it thinks" is the best exposure based on available lighting.

Aperture Priority: The user selects the f stop or aperture, the camera automatically selects the shutter speed. Use when you need to control depth of field. Do not use when freezing the action is important. A tripod might be needed for long exposure times at higher numbered f stops.

Shutter Priority: The user selects the speed, the camera selects the aperture or f stop. Use when freezing the action is important like sports events. Don't use when focus at different distances is critical. For instance you might want to photograph a person but want the background in focus too.

Programmed Mode: The camera has predetermined combinations of both aperture and shutter. It's really just marrying the other two modes together. It all does the same thing.

My suggestion is when taking some photos take some in the automatic mode, then also take some using the semi-auto modes and see how the different setting affect the results. I rarely shoot in automatic mode especially if I have the time to compose my subject.

Best,
Warren
Posted by: Warren_Polidori

Re: Depth of Field - A Technical Note - 02/04/09 07:55 PM

Dale,

It's good to see you back on your feet again. Glad you're feeling better. Looks like the fishing trip was a success.

Best,
Warren
Posted by: New2Randalls

Re: Depth of Field - A Technical Note - 02/04/09 07:56 PM

Dale, great to hear you are feeling better. I hear this years flu is a real pain, glad I got my flu shot early. Great pictures, your daughter is growing real fast, cherish these moments and hope you limited out.
Dan Snyder #5537
Posted by: Chief

Re: Strings Attached - 02/04/09 08:44 PM

Nice Axe's Rick, pretty sweet having your pick guard done in ivory!!!

See ya, Chief
Posted by: tomthbomb

Re: Thanks For A Great 2 Months! - 02/04/09 08:45 PM

Warren, since we are showing some of our favorite photos I am bring back a few of mine.

These photos are of my Jeep 30 years apart. The first two in 1977 when I first got it and the last right after the restoration.





Posted by: Chief

Re: Thanks For A Great 2 Months! - 02/04/09 09:01 PM

Tom,

Glad to see you were able to get that ugly spot removed from the drivers seat when ya restored it!!!

See ya, Chief
Posted by: tomthbomb

Re: Thanks For A Great 2 Months! - 02/04/09 10:33 PM

Quote:

Tom,

Glad to see you were able to get that ugly spot removed from the drivers seat when ya restored it!!!

See ya, Chief



Naw, it's still there.
Posted by: TonyLaPetri

Re: Thanks For A Great 2 Months! - 02/05/09 10:14 AM

I'm away for ONE night and see what I miss!
Tom G. and Warren ... great lessons!! I like that Florida-Style ice fishing
DALE!!! So good to have you back. Emily is such a cutie!
Tom W. That's a really cool photo of you gettin' some "air" in '77!
And that Jeep still looks great ...
even a city boy like me would look good in it!
Tony
Posted by: tglassco

Photography Tutorial - 02/05/09 12:54 PM

The link I posted earlier regarding Depth of Field.

Just in case you didn't get to the bottom of the page where it says Return to Tutorials, the Depth of Field piece is just a small part of the series.

The following Link takes you to the main page with all the goodies.

Enjoy

Digital Photography Tutorials
Posted by: Warren_Polidori

Re: Photography Tutorial - 02/05/09 07:37 PM

Tom,

I don't know how you found this, but this is a weekend photography course that you would likely pay several hundred dollars for this information. It takes a long time to digest this information. SO listen UP guys! Save this link in your favorite sites. When you have some time, go take a look see.
Thanks once again Tom for taking a lead role in the spirit of this thread.

Best,
Warren

PS: It's wintertime anyway, you're not doing anything so let's get better at taking photos!
Posted by: tglassco

Re: Photography Tutorial - 02/05/09 08:07 PM

Warren,

Thanks, This was indeed a good find. If you haven't already, spend a little time looking at the Gallery Pictures
Posted by: Warren_Polidori

Re: Photography Tutorial - 02/05/09 08:56 PM

Tom,

I'll get back to you. I'm in the middle of chapter 2.

Best,
Warren

PS: Heavy stuff, but stick with it. It all comes together.
Posted by: Cabinet_Man

Re: Photography Tutorial - 02/09/09 11:19 AM

A new GTR arrived Friday and went to work cleaning fish on Saturday. These fish were brought through the ice which has gotten exceptionally thick (up to 20") this winter due to the constant cold temps over the last couple of months. The kids love to clean them... here are a few pics.
~dale

P.S. If you don't have one of these great little knives, I highly recommend one. They are light weight, very well balanced, and all around perfect for cutting and skinning chores.


BEFORE
Posted by: Cabinet_Man

Re: Photography Tutorial - 02/09/09 11:24 AM

AFTER


Posted by: Cabinet_Man

Re: Photography Tutorial - 02/09/09 11:25 AM

Posted by: Cabinet_Man

Re: Photography Tutorial - 02/09/09 11:26 AM

Posted by: Warren_Polidori

Re: Photography Tutorial - 02/09/09 04:39 PM

Great job Dale! Get them involved at a young age. Nice fish and a super knife. Lots of luck and many more catches!

Best,
Warren

PS: I don't have a GTR but I do have a Denmark that looks identical to that blade. Are they the same blade shape?
Posted by: tomthbomb

from my window 30 minutes ago - 02/09/09 07:57 PM

Posted by: Warren_Polidori

Re: from my window 30 minutes ago - 02/09/09 08:09 PM

Tom,

Great stuff! You've got that old Kodak all dialed in!

Best,
Warren
Posted by: TonyLaPetri

Re: from my window 30 minutes ago - 02/10/09 09:10 AM

REAL NICE.
What kind of camera did you use Tom?
Tony
Posted by: tomthbomb

Re: from my window 30 minutes ago - 02/10/09 09:12 AM

Tony,

Nikon Coolpix S610

The window was dirty.
Posted by: Warren_Polidori

Re: from my window 30 minutes ago - 02/10/09 09:15 AM

Tom,

Think of it as a diffusion filter.

Best,
Warren
Posted by: 7033grip

Re: from my window 30 minutes ago - 02/10/09 06:37 PM

Warren, do you live in some kind of CITY?????

I thought you were a country Italian.

Dubie Baxter
Posted by: Warren_Polidori

Re: from my window 30 minutes ago - 02/10/09 06:41 PM

Dubie,

That was TTB's picture. I live in New York's version of Fantasy Island.

Best,
Warren
Posted by: 7033grip

Re: from my window 30 minutes ago - 02/10/09 07:01 PM

Warren, if that's "deepest, darkest, East Texas", then I am selling my El Paso Barbeque Sauce stock.

Dubie Baxter
Posted by: tomthbomb

Re: from my window 30 minutes ago - 02/10/09 07:20 PM

Dubie, I do get out of the Deep Woods occasionally.

Same window 24 hours later.



A little detective work will identify the location.

A RKS patch to the first one who can name the location and how you found it.

Anyone who knows for reasons other than the photo are DQ'd.

I love/hate Texas weather!
Posted by: Warren_Polidori

Re: from my window 30 minutes ago - 02/10/09 07:44 PM

Tom,

The Properties file on the picture lists it as big D. I'd have to say Dallas TX. I'd also have to say you have plenty big D's in TX. Am I close?

Best,
Warren
Posted by: tomthbomb

Re: from my window 30 minutes ago - 02/10/09 07:50 PM

Warren,

You got it!

RKS patch on the way.
Posted by: Warren_Polidori

Re: from my window 30 minutes ago - 02/10/09 07:56 PM

Tom,

That was an honest guess based on your description in properties. Thank you very much for the patch. It will look nice in the display case.

Best,
Warren
Posted by: tomthbomb

Re: from my window 30 minutes ago - 02/10/09 07:58 PM

Quote:

based on your description in properties.



Warren, that was it.

A guess based on anything else would not have qualified.
Posted by: Warren_Polidori

Re: from my window 30 minutes ago - 02/10/09 08:08 PM

Tom,

Dubie called. As long as you're in Dallas he wants to know who shot JR????

Best,
Warren
Posted by: tomthbomb

Re: from my window 30 minutes ago - 02/10/09 08:26 PM

Kristin Shepard shot J.R.

Dubie, did you sleep through it?
Posted by: Warren_Polidori

Re: from my window 30 minutes ago - 02/10/09 08:42 PM

Tom,

It was 29 years ago. Believe that? Time flies while you're collecting Randall's.

Best,
Warren
Posted by: 7033grip

Re: from my window 30 minutes ago - 02/10/09 09:00 PM

For you far Easterners that don't know what "Big D" is...Here's some info.

Denison, Texas is
located in northeastern Grayson County on U.S. Highway 75, just 75 miles
north of Dallas and 4 miles south of the Texas/Oklahoma border.State Highway 120 passes through Denison from east to west, and State Highway 84 borders northern Denison, providing direct access to Lake Texoma, the twelfth largest man-made lake in the U.S. The residents enjoy a gently rolling and wooded terrain which stretches northward to the shores of Lake Texoma and the Red River.

Dubie Baxter
Posted by: 7033grip

Re: from my window 30 minutes ago - 02/10/09 09:03 PM

Quote:

Kristin Shepard shot J.R.

Dubie, did you sleep through it?




No, I was the Best Boy Grip on that segment. We shot it on a sound stage in West Hollywood.

Dubie Baxter
Posted by: tomthbomb

Re: from my window 30 minutes ago - 02/10/09 09:20 PM

Dubie,

Ha! "Big D", as known by everyone born in Texas, wish they had been or know how to identify it on a map is Deadwood, TX.

Deadwood, previously known as Linus, is on Farm Road 2517 some ten miles east of Carthage in eastern Panola County. In 1990 Deadwood was a dispersed rural community with a reported population of 106.

Why is it known as "Big D"?

Come on over and I will explain.
Posted by: tglassco

More Black Velvet - 02/13/09 01:24 PM

A Couple More Black Velvet Photos



Posted by: Oldvetnam1

Re: More Black Velvet - 02/13/09 02:21 PM

Great photos on that black velvet Tom. Great knives as well.
Posted by: Warren_Polidori

Re: More Black Velvet - 02/13/09 05:58 PM

Tom,

Great photos on black velvet. It really adds contrast and enhances the detail.
TTB will really appreciate that Yellow Micarta.

Good job!

Best,
Warren
Posted by: 7033grip

Re: More Black Velvet - 02/13/09 06:14 PM

Tom, doesn't your wife ever get tired of you taking pictures while she is wearing that slinky black velvet cocktail dress?

Dubie Baxter
Posted by: tglassco

Re: More Black Velvet - 02/13/09 06:43 PM

Quote:

Tom, doesn't your wife ever get tired of you taking pictures while she is wearing that slinky black velvet cocktail dress?



Well, It used to be a full length formal - Now it's a little above the knee !
Posted by: Raindog

Nice camera deal - 02/13/09 07:25 PM

For anyone needing a digital camera, there is an outstanfing deal at Adorma. A factory refurbished Nikon D40x for $275. This is for the body only but what a buy! I have purchased many times from Adorama and have also purchased refurbished Nikon lens. I have never had a problem with either.


Posted by: Warren_Polidori

Re: Nice camera deal - 02/13/09 07:40 PM

That is a great deal Gary. The D40 is a compact DSLR. I might consider it as a great travel alternative to my larger D90 and my lenses will still work with it too I believe.

Best,
Warren
Posted by: Raindog

Re: Nice camera deal - 02/14/09 12:52 AM

Quote:

I might consider it as a great travel alternative to my larger D90 and my lenses will still work with it too I believe.





True for most lens, but not all. AF and AF-D lens will not autofocus on the D40 series. Adorama used to have some killer deals on refurbished D50 bodies. At the time, that was my main camera. I was going to buy a second body but the D90 came out and I had to have it.

Here is a chart from www.kenrockwell.com that I refer to for lens compatibility.

http://www.kenrockwell.com/nikon/compatibility-lens.htm
Posted by: Rhett Stidham

Re: Photography Forum/Thread - 02/15/09 10:34 AM




Established in 1987 on the corner of Spring and Sullivan in the heart of Soho, Mezzogiorno has earned a reputation as one of New York City's most alluring and genuine restaurants.





Posted by: Guido_Bitossi

Re: Photography Forum/Thread - 02/15/09 12:32 PM

Mezzogiorno(Noon) was voted as "Best Pizza in NYC" for several years.
Is actually run by Florentine' Anzuini Family and it's specialyzed in Regional(Tuscany) Italian Cousine.
Just its FOCACCIA(white pizza with rosmarin and origano) worth a visit. JohnJohn Kennedy was crazy about that pizza but that was....other time.
Mezzogiorno Restaurant was part of my life as Newyorker ....
Best
Guido
Posted by: EDO

Re: Photography Forum/Thread - 02/16/09 05:55 PM

Dear Guido,
now I know a new place in NY.
As Newyorker my restaurant is "Angelo of Mulberry St."
Pls., have a look here:
Angelo
...and one of the guests was Mr. Ronald Reagan.
Ciao,
Edo
Posted by: Warren_Polidori

Re: Photography Forum/Thread - 02/16/09 06:17 PM

It just figures it would take some out-of-towner's to point out the best restaurants in NY. If Tony weren't in Canada this week skiing, he'd add a thing or two.
There's a Pizza restaurant in Brooklyn called Grimaldi's under the Brooklyn Bridge that makes Pizza in a coal fired brick oven. They never let the oven go out. They only sell whole pies, no slices and sometimes the line is down the street. They claim to have the best in Brooklyn.
And they there's Dominicks in the Bronx. No menus, tell them what you want to eat, family style. The safest block in the Bronx. The Cadillac's are lined up and down the street if you know what I mean. We have some good ones here just like across the pond.
Bon Appetit!

Best,
Warren

http://www.grimaldis.com/brooklyn.htm
http://nymag.com/listings/restaurant/dominicks-restaurant/
Posted by: tglassco

Free Digital Photo Editing - 02/17/09 05:31 PM

Inside the Digital Photography Tutorial Link I posted earlier there is an offer for a Free-Digital Photo Editing Program from Google, Picasa 3. Depending on the capabilities you currently have on your computer you may or may not be interested in this software. If you currently do not have any Digital Editing capabilities this software has all of the basic features as well as some advanced features and even if you have Digital Editing capabilities this software may have some features you do not currently have.

I downloaded this software even though I already have several other similar programs because I wanted to check out all it's features and functionality and ease of use. It does have a couple of features that I don't have with my existing programs. I can tell you that it is a safe program from Google and it is a fairly straight forward download process. If you have any interest al all I suggest you click on and view the, See What's New In Picasa 3, video clip on the link page and then decide for yourself. The Uninstall process is also straight forward should you decide you don't want to keep it.

During the installation process you will have the option of deciding how the software will function within your system. I do not recommend that you have Picasa 3 become your default picture viewer or have it be part of your Quick Launch programs. During the install Picasa 3 will search your computer for photos and create it's own image library folders, it will not change any current folders.

I Do Not recommend you install this program If you do not feel comfortable downloading and installing new programs. This program is rather clean in that it Does Not try to integrate itself and have tentacles reaching into your other programs the way some do.

All-In-All I find this software to offer considerably more than your basic digital photo editing packages but not nearly the features of the full blown Adobe PhotoShop BUT it's Free and from a very reputable source. Please post any questions.



Picasa 3 Free Download From Google


This Feature Is Kind of Fun, I Played with It For Just A Few Minutes

Posted by: Warren_Polidori

Re: Free Digital Photo Editing - 02/17/09 08:55 PM

Tom,

I've been using Picasa which was a suggestion from Kevin on my asking. I think most people will never use Photoshop to its fullest and it's a very expensive software program. I find Picasa very easy to use and it has just about all you need for easy editing. There's so many editing gadgets inside my D90 that I haven't even gotten to use yet. These camera's are very sophisticated and take a long time to get to know all the little things that you can accomplish.
One of you guys said it before, if you start with a good photo, there's not much that really needs to be done for good results except to crop and a light tough up.
Thanks for posting this for all to see.

Best,
Warren
Posted by: tglassco

Re: Free Digital Photo Editing - 02/17/09 09:22 PM

Warren,

I agree 100% with your comments. Even low cost Digital Point & Shoot cameras have more features than 95% will ever use. I can't even imagine what features a high end digital SLR has on board. I have never purchased digital photo editing software because there is so much good stuff out there for free. Several years ago I purchased a new printer and much to my surprise there was a package on the install disk called MGI Photo Suite which has almost all the features that PhotoShop has. Last year I installed a DVD in my PC and on that disk was a photo package that contained most of the advanced features found in Photo Shop and now I see that Picasa 3 can be had for nothing. That's why I like to at look at all the free stuff because you never know what's out there unless you try it. Most of the features on all these programs are fun to play with but in reality they are not features that will get much use. For the most part, cropping, resizing, contrast, brightness and basic color adjustments are the only features that are really necessary.
Posted by: TonyLaPetri

Re: Photography Forum/Thread - 02/22/09 10:09 PM

AHHHHH ... Many good Pizzerias in NYC.
The Italians who came here, like my Grandparents, would not have it
any other way!
I'll have to try MEZZOGIORNO soon!! It's close to where I work, occasionaly.
Tony
Posted by: Peter_Kaufman

Re: Photography Forum/Thread - 02/23/09 12:54 PM

Here is a picture I call All of the Marbles.
I still need some work on my close up photography and want to try some different backgrounds too.

Peter
Posted by: Warren_Polidori

Re: Photography Forum/Thread - 02/23/09 06:14 PM

Peter,

I have the original oldies of some of those very same models. Nice picture. Here's an idea for you to try. If you notice the fine detail is not sharp, as in the lettering. You might try a tripod to eliminate any camera shake. Tripods are fairly inexpensive and I think you'll get good use out of it especially when taking pictures in low light.
The next thing is the light source. The knife at the bottom is under exposed. You can't see the name on the knife. You probably need to get a brighter light source or move the light source closer to the subject. The fact that you're getting "hot" spots tells me that the light may not be properly diffused to scatter the light evenly. If you're taking photos outdoors, the afternoon light out of the sun is ideal and gives good light with the proper color balance. Artificial light is tricky, especially fluorescent. Make sure if you do use fluorescent, to use "daylight" corrected bulbs otherwise you'll need to adjust the color balance somewhere in editing.
This isn't complicated, if you keep it simple you'll get good results, the right colors, and no editing later on.
I got so frustrated with taking indoor photos that I built a light box. I posted the photos of it somewhere within this thread. I find taking photos outdoors gives the best results but that's not always possible so the box is the second best option.
We have some other rather intelligent people here that
I'll ask to weigh in on this topic and give their recommendations on your photo. Thanks for your post.

Best,
Warren
Posted by: Warren_Polidori

Re: Photography Forum/Thread - 02/23/09 08:49 PM

Peter,

I had the light box out snapping some other photos and you inspired me to re-create your display with some vintage Marbles. This is about the best I can do without daylight.

Best,
Warren

Posted by: TonyLaPetri

Re: Photography Forum/Thread - 02/24/09 11:50 AM

Here is a frozen waterfall I had to ski past every day last week!
I almost always stopped to admire it ... especially since there was a steep
downhill about 10 feet to the left in this picture!
Tony
Posted by: TonyLaPetri

Re: Photography Forum/Thread - 02/24/09 11:57 AM

Plenty of snow up there! This is out the back door of our rented ski house
on the lower (hot tub) level... OUTSIDE! ...where much beer and cigars were
consumed while soaking away a day of skiing/snowshoeing.
Tony
Posted by: Peter_Kaufman

Re: Photography Forum/Thread - 02/24/09 12:18 PM

Hi Warren
Thanks for the advice, I do have a tripod, but I was in a hurry when I took the picture. I need to spend some time when it warms up and take some pictures in natural light.
You have a nice set of Marbles knives too.

Peter
Posted by: tglassco

Re: Photography Forum/Thread - 02/24/09 12:29 PM

Quote:

You have a nice set of Marbles knives too.

Peter



WTF !!!!!

No Offence Guys, I Just Couldn't Resist The Temptation
Posted by: TonyLaPetri

Re: Photography Forum/Thread - 02/24/09 02:14 PM

The LaPetri Family loves the snow.
Posted by: TonyLaPetri

Re: Photography Forum/Thread - 02/24/09 02:16 PM

My body guards!
Posted by: TonyLaPetri

Re: Photography Forum/Thread - 02/24/09 02:33 PM

Back home after almost 1200 miles! Almost doesn't look like a Volvo!
And I know for some of you, that's a good thing!
Posted by: Cabinet_Man

Re: Photography Forum/Thread - 02/24/09 04:15 PM

Great family pics Tony. Looks like everyone had a good time. Glad to see there aren't any pics of you leaving your boots outside all night this time.
~dale
Posted by: TonyLaPetri

Re: Photography Forum/Thread - 02/24/09 04:21 PM

Thanks Dale!
My ski boots stay warm and toasty all night long...INSIDE!
Tony
Posted by: Warren_Polidori

Re: Photography Forum/Thread - 02/24/09 05:17 PM

Peter,

I started collecting Marbles before I found Randall. I do like those 70+ year old knives. Thanks for the response. Keep posting all non Randall related photos here. It can be knives or just about anything, we need the participation. We're here to get better at taking photos and learning from each other.

Best,
Warren
Posted by: Warren_Polidori

Re: Photography Forum/Thread - 02/24/09 05:20 PM

Quote:

Back home after almost 1200 miles! Almost doesn't look like a Volvo!
And I know for some of you, that's a good thing!





Tony,

Extra big tip at the car wash!

Best,
Warren
Posted by: TonyLaPetri

Re: Photography Forum/Thread - 02/24/09 06:37 PM

Warren,
It was up in the 40's last Saturday, so I was the "car washer".
I wanted to leave it that way for a while, but my Dear Wife "asked" me to
please wash her car. Don't ask me about my tip!
Tony
Posted by: Cabinet_Man

Re: Photography Forum/Thread - 02/25/09 02:52 PM

The best tools, big and small...
~dale

P.S. I've never used wrenches in a pic before. They're almost as difficult to photograph as knives can be.



Posted by: TonyLaPetri

Re: Photography Forum/Thread - 02/25/09 03:22 PM

Dale,
Nice Photo!
You always do a great job getting nice even lighting on the blades without
"hot spots" ... bright reflections.
Tony
Posted by: Cabinet_Man

Re: Photography Forum/Thread - 02/25/09 03:37 PM

Thanks Tony. Most of it's just good old fashioned "luck".

Here's a true "Big & Small" pic.
~dale



Posted by: Cabinet_Man

Re: Photography Forum/Thread - 02/25/09 03:38 PM

a close up


Posted by: Warren_Polidori

Forever??? - 02/25/09 08:20 PM

Nothing is "Forever". Or is it?

Best,
Warren

PS: This image was enlarged by lens work, not Photoshop.
Try to see the detail with your eye in a Forever Stamp, and then see what a good lens captures.


Posted by: Warren_Polidori

Ken Rockwell - 02/26/09 08:21 PM

Gents,

This is the best site I've found so far with good plain advice on anything in photography. Check it out if you have a need to purchase anything.
We need more pictures guys!

Best,
Warren

http://www.kenrockwell.com/index.htm
Posted by: Peter_Kaufman

Re: Ken Rockwell - 02/27/09 12:33 PM

Here is a nice picture from a hike this past fall in central PA.
I think I do well with landscapes, and need to work on my knife pictures some more

Peter
Posted by: Cabinet_Man

Re: Ken Rockwell - 03/02/09 02:26 PM

Even Emily likes taking pics of Randalls. She grabbed her camera when I had these laid out to photograph.
~dale


Posted by: pappy19

Re: Ken Rockwell - 03/03/09 12:08 AM

Very cool shot, Dale. Good on ya!!

Pap
Posted by: Cabinet_Man

Re: Photography Forum/Thread - 03/03/09 02:34 PM

Thanks Mike. I thought it was cute that she was imitating what she sees me do.
~dale
Posted by: Warren_Polidori

Re: Photography Forum/Thread - 03/03/09 07:02 PM

Dale,

If Emily is imitating what you do watch out! She's got several ivory handled Randall's on order in custom Gutcher sheaths with shoes to match!

Best,
Warren
Posted by: Raindog

Rough duty for a model #5-5" - 03/03/09 11:17 PM

I was fortunate enough to attend a photo shoot with six gorgeous models this past weekend in Atlanta. She was putting my Crown Stag 5--5 through the mill.





Posted by: Warren_Polidori

Re: Rough duty for a model #5-5" - 03/04/09 08:30 AM

Gary,

No Photoshop needed for these photo's. Nice Corwn Stag 5-5!

Best,
Warren
Posted by: 7033grip

Re: Rough duty for a model #5-5" - 03/04/09 08:54 AM

Warren you sp[elled Korwn wrong...Wonder why?

DEubie Baxter
Posted by: TonyLaPetri

Re: Rough duty for a model #5-5" - 03/04/09 09:46 AM



NICE photos Gary! Thanks.
(don't ever wash that knife! )
Posted by: tglassco

Re: Rough duty for a model #5-5" - 03/04/09 12:30 PM

Raindogs Back Got Better In A Hurry
Posted by: EDO

Re: Rough duty for a model #5-5" - 03/06/09 06:55 AM

Posted by: 7033grip

Re: Rough duty for a model #5-5" - 03/06/09 07:18 AM

Edo, it looks like you are thinking about the finest prosciutto.

Quelli Buoni !!!

Dubie Baxter
Posted by: 7033grip

Re: Rough duty for a model #5-5" - 03/06/09 07:29 AM

Understandably overlooked in this thread is the EXCELLENT quality of the photos.

If you keep this up Gary, Oxford Alabama will soon be known as the new center for high fashion photography (at least between Hobson City and Hicks).

Were you using your new Nikon?

Dubie Baxter
Posted by: Raindog

Re: Rough duty for a model #5-5" - 03/06/09 12:29 PM

Quote:


Were you using your new Nikon?





I used my Nikon D90 with a 55-200mm VR lens (mostly) and occasionally with a 18-55mm VR lens.. Most pics were made with a huge (60") lightbox and strobe. A few were taken while the other photographer was using the studio lights. I used a SB-400 w/diffuser then.

I took 600+ shots over 6 models (keep your mind out of the gutter!)
Posted by: Raindog

Re: Rough duty for a model #5-5" - 03/06/09 01:18 PM

Here are a couple shots using just the Nikon SB-400 flash. Notice the harshness and "hot spots" on the models' face. A far cry from the soft, studio lights.




Posted by: 7033grip

Re: Rough duty for a model #5-5" - 03/06/09 01:52 PM

Gary, the first "flash" model looks like my first wife did when she was 18. She was born in Sampson and raised in Opp.

Unfortunately, she weighs about 500 pounds now.

Dubie Baxter
Posted by: tomthbomb

Re: Rough duty for a model #5-5" - 03/06/09 05:12 PM

Gary,
Your models are beautiful young women and are a pleasure to behold.
With that being said this is a forum that focuses on other things of beauty, Randall Made Knives.
I would not like to think we will make it into something else.
I am sure you know of what I speak.
Posted by: 7033grip

Re: Rough duty for a model #5-5" - 03/06/09 06:29 PM

Quote:

Gary,
Your models are beautiful young women and are a pleasure to behold.
With that being said this is a forum that focuses on other things of beauty, Randall Made Knives.
I would not like to think we will make it into something else.
I am sure you know of what I speak.




You're an old fogey spoil sport !!!

But, you're right.

Dubie
Posted by: tomthbomb

Re: Rough duty for a model #5-5" - 03/06/09 07:58 PM

Quote:

Quote:

Gary,
Your models are beautiful young women and are a pleasure to behold.
With that being said this is a forum that focuses on other things of beauty, Randall Made Knives.
I would not like to think we will make it into something else.
I am sure you know of what I speak.




You're an old fogey spoil sport !!!

But, you're right.

Dubie



I am the original curmudgeon.
I didn't start out that way. I just kind of grew into the job.
Posted by: Warren_Polidori

Re: Rough duty for a model #5-5" - 03/06/09 09:04 PM

Tom,

That may be but you're the one going to the Guy Clark concert tomorrow evening, we're not!

Best,
Warren
Posted by: Raindog

Re: Rough duty for a model #5-5" - 03/06/09 09:59 PM

Quote:

Gary,
Your models are beautiful young women and are a pleasure to behold.
With that being said this is a forum that focuses on other things of beauty, Randall Made Knives.
I would not like to think we will make it into something else.
I am sure you know of what I speak.




I have plenty of nude and semi-nude pictures that I will not post. I actually thought that this thread was to learn and admire photography and was created to keep "other photography" from cluttering up the Randall pics.

From post #1 in thread:
Quote:

Waren Polidori contacted me about starting a Photography Forum or Thread here on the Randall Picture Gallery.
He suggested there are enough Randall Made Knife collectors that are also photography enthusiast to support a forum/thread for discussing cameras, photography methods and a place to post non-Randall photos.




Guess that I am wrong again. Have fun, guys.

Posted by: EDO

Re: Rough duty for a model #5-5" - 03/07/09 05:56 AM

Quote:

Edo, it looks like you are thinking about the finest prosciutto.

Quelli Buoni !!!

Dubie Baxter



LOL!!! Ahahahah....prosciutto di Parma!!!
Posted by: EDO

Re: Rough duty for a model #5-5" - 03/07/09 06:00 AM

Gary,
do you need help for taking pictures?
Posted by: Cabinet_Man

Re: Rough duty for a model #5-5" - 03/07/09 08:56 AM

Quote:

I am the original curmudgeon.
I didn't start out that way. I just kind of grew into the job.



I remember when you used to throw spit balls from the back of the class.
~dale
Posted by: tunefink

Re: Rough duty for a model #5-5" - 03/07/09 11:56 AM

Quote:

I would not like to think we will make it into something else.
I am sure you know of what I speak.





Tom, I guess I am going to have to ask specifically of what you speak. The photos are of fully clothed women. Yes, they are very attractive... but, there have been photos of other people in this thread which were welcomed and praised..... like the shot of Gary's little daughter.

I'm not trying to start a pissing contest here, but if there is a rule I would like to know what it is.

One more thought....perhaps this thread would be better off in the lounge.

Respectfully,
Posted by: tomthbomb

Re: Rough duty for a model #5-5" - 03/07/09 12:13 PM

No rule. I had a PM, several emails and a phone call saying the the photos were not appropriate.
I got none saying different.

Rhett said my only rule as a moderator was to do what I think is best for the forum.

I did. Sorry if I offended anyone.
Posted by: vklough46

Re: Rough duty for a model #5-5" - 03/07/09 12:27 PM

I'm the guy that made the phone call.
I felt/feel that it is not appropriate for the forum, and demeaning towards women.

If anyone disagrees with me please feel to PM me.

Thanks,

Kevin
Posted by: Raindog

Re: Rough duty for a model #5-5" - 03/07/09 12:48 PM

Quote:

I'm the guy that made the phone call.
I felt/feel that it is not appropriate for the forum, and demeaning towards women.




Kevin, if you had a problem then why not either voice it to me here, in the forum, or via PM? Instead, you go behind everyone's back, straight to a moderator. I find that a little underhanded and chicken-$h1t. I have had it with all of the pettiness!
Posted by: tomthbomb

Re: Rough duty for a model #5-5" - 03/07/09 01:01 PM

Quote:

I find that a little underhanded and chicken-$h1t. I have had it with all of the pettiness!



Quote:

"Rudeness is the weak man's imitation of strength."
Posted by: tunefink

Re: Rough duty for a model #5-5" - 03/07/09 01:07 PM

Quote:

No rule. I had a PM, several emails and a phone call saying the the photos were not appropriate.
I got none saying different.





Tom, there were many very positive PUBLIC posts after Gary's photos....those would seem to count as "saying different".
Posted by: vklough46

Re: Rough duty for a model #5-5" - 03/07/09 01:30 PM

Gary,
You sure are flexing those keyboard muscles today.
You should follow your signature's wisdom.

Kevin
Posted by: tomthbomb

Re: Rough duty for a model #5-5" - 03/07/09 03:03 PM

No need to move this thread to the Lounge.

If folks have photos like the ones under discussion they want to post starting a thread in the Lounge would be the place to do it.

That way if there are members that think they are not appropriate they can skip it all together.

We could post some real high quality autopsy photos here but how many Randall Made Knife enthusiast would that turn away form the forum.

I am not equating autopsy photos with those of women wearing revealing clothing.

I am saying there is a place for everything and if there are members that do not think the Randall Forums are the place for such let's take it to the place that is.

And I promise, not autopsy photos.
Posted by: Raindog

Re: Rough duty for a model #5-5" - 03/07/09 04:05 PM

Quote:

Quote:

I find that a little underhanded and chicken-$h1t. I have had it with all of the pettiness!



Quote:

"Rudeness is the weak man's imitation of strength."




Responding to a slight is not being rude. But as I said, I won't be posting any more pictures and I am going to stop visiting this thread. It's amazing to me that, of all the offensive things that is said on this board, that someone finds $$models fully clothed as offensive and demeaning. :shrug:
Posted by: Raindog

Re: Rough duty for a model #5-5" - 03/07/09 04:11 PM

Kevin, if you find calling a spade a spade rude then I guess that I am rude then. I DID find the whole deal underhanded and I DID find it CS. At least I had the courage to say it to your face, not behind your back. I stand by the fact that if you had voiced your concern publicly, or to me via PM, then all of this might have been resolved. But this does prove the point that, if a few people work behind the scenes, instead of making things public, that the few can steer a group of many. As Tune stated, many people publicly enjoyed the pictures. But it is the behind-the-scence activity that carried the weight it seems.
Posted by: Raindog

Re: Rough duty for a model #5-5" - 03/07/09 04:16 PM

I might also point out that the "Dead Sexy Knives" banner above shows and links to a bikini clad woman, wearing much less than the models that I posted. Who has complained about it?
Posted by: vklough46

Re: Rough duty for a model #5-5" - 03/07/09 04:32 PM

Gary,
I made a passing comment about how I felt that it was inappropriate. You're blowing this whole thing out of proportion. I still feel it's inappropriate in dealing with Randall Knife content. Apparently I'm not the only one. And apparently I'm the only one who will say it publicly.

You also put a link to a site that has full frontal nudity as was pointed out to me by another member. I thought that this was a family-oriented forum as there are women and children who frequent this forum.

I think your post is demeaning to women, and if you look at your picture in the Edo contest you can barely see the knife. And it's supposed to be all about the knives, isn't it?

As far as face to face, you're not saying anything to me face to face. You're hiding behind a computer, spewing out angry vitriol. Because quite frankly, if we were face to face, I wouldn't tolerate your rudeness.

Kevin
Posted by: johng

Re: Rough duty for a model #5-5" - 03/07/09 06:30 PM

It's unfortunate that any thread that lasts awhile on KTF seems to eventually deteriorate into chaos...Maybe all you regulars should mellow out a bit so the rest of us can enjoy the great info that this site disseminates. There should be another category available just for arguing and that way we can all miss it.
Posted by: tomthbomb

Re: Rough duty for a model #5-5" - 03/07/09 06:39 PM

Quote:

It's unfortunate that any thread that lasts awhile on KTF seems to eventually deteriorate into chaos...



Quote:

Pronunciation [key-os]
–noun
1. a state of utter confusion or disorder; a total lack of organization or order.
2. any confused, disorderly mass: a chaos of meaningless phrases.
3. the infinity of space or formless matter supposed to have preceded the existence of the ordered universe.
4. (initial capital letter) the personification of this in any of several ancient Greek myths.
5. Obsolete. a chasm or abyss.



I don't think so.
Posted by: 7033grip

Re: Rough duty for a model #5-5" - 03/07/09 07:00 PM

One man's opinion...No Pwobwem.

Dubie Baxter
Posted by: Warren_Polidori

Fisheyes - 03/07/09 09:57 PM

OK, time to get back to the business of posting some photos. I got an offer too good to pass up on a 10.5 MM Nikon Fisheye lens. I had one many years ago in the 35MM days and it was a lot of fun and added a different look to what your eyes see. The curvature of the lens adds distortion so straight lines appear curved. However, software can straighten these lines, amazing! I had my best friend Chester pose for a few shots on the deck today. The first photo is untouched. Notice the curvature in the siding and deck boards? The second photo after distortion correction looks almost perfect. The other interesting thing that these superwide lenses do is stretch the depth of field. I was literally inches from Chester's face but background looks far away. Fun stuff!

Best,
Warren

Posted by: tomthbomb

Re: Rough duty for a model #5-5" - 03/08/09 01:22 AM

Quote:

One man's opinion...No Pwobwem.

Dubie Baxter



More than one Dube.
Posted by: Warren_Polidori

An Update On The Photo Thread - 03/09/09 10:13 PM

I want to thank all involved for their participation thus far on the photo thread. I'm concerned that we've had a few recent bumps in the road and I hope that this did not discourage others from posting their photos. The original intent was to post other than Randall knife content and discuss how to take better photos. Digital photography is fun but more difficult than the old days. We're trying to share secrets, tricks, knowledge etc. There's lots of photo sites but we have enough talent here to pull this off. So please participate, get involved even if you never did, and have fun. To date we have over 5200 views and nearly 350 posts. This reinforces the support thus far but we need to get more of you guys involved. Discuss your photos, new cameras, tips, "how to",lenses, filters, HELP, you name it but PARTICIPATE! If you don't, this good thing dies!

Best,
Warren

PS: I'm going to post tips and challenges soon so get get warmed up for spring.
Posted by: tunefink

Re: An Update On The Photo Thread - 03/09/09 11:40 PM

Warren..... I think it belongs in the lounge.

There is not much Randall content ....and the recent moderation all point to moving it.

Just my .02
Posted by: Cabinet_Man

Re: An Update On The Photo Thread - 03/13/09 07:07 PM

Here's one I snapped today when doing some stuff. I liked it but not quite as sharp as I had expected.
~dale


Posted by: Warren_Polidori

Re: An Update On The Photo Thread - 03/13/09 07:20 PM

Dale,

BRAVO! Great shot of Emily. B&W photos are great. Let's discuss why you're not happy with this photo. I can post some information that I've read recently about ISO speed, grain, and sharpness. Give us the details about the photo data from properties if you can. To me this photo looks great but megapixel size is just part of the story. I really like the sun on her left cheek while the rest of her face is in shade. Also the background is blurry which enhances the portrait. Good job!

Best,
Warren

Posted by: Warren_Polidori

Tips - 03/13/09 09:25 PM

This is a very important tip for those who choose to shoot out of Auto Mode. In Auto Mode the camera thinks it's smarter than you, prove it wrong! This tip will contribute to sharper photos and may be one of the best basic tips you can ever remember. Lens aperture has a sweet spot that is not too open and not too closed. It generally gives the best results all other considerations being equal.
I love this site and I will post more tips in the near future.
http://www.adorama.com/Catalog.tpl?op=academy_new&article=091507

Best,
Warren
Posted by: 7033grip

Re: Tips - 03/13/09 10:58 PM

About 20 years ago we worked with an old Director of Photography who had been a combat photographer in WW2. At lunch we were asking him about how he had time to take meter readings with all the action going on around him. His response was "I shot the entire war at between f5.6 and 8."

Dubie Baxter
Posted by: tglassco

Dubie's Eagles - 03/14/09 01:02 PM

Here are a few photos of a pair of eagles Dubie had the privilege of capturing with his new digital camera. I think they function as an early warning system. Maybe Dubie can tell us more about them.





Posted by: Warren_Polidori

Re: Dubie's Eagles - 03/14/09 01:38 PM

Dubie,

Great photo! National Geographic material there.

It appears that the eagle on the left must be the female since she's really giving the other one a hard time. Looks like she's saying "rabbit, why do you just bring home rabbit? Rabbit, rabbit, rabbit. How about bringing home a nice bass once in a while!"

Best,
Warren
Posted by: tglassco

Re: Dubie's Eagles - 03/14/09 01:56 PM

Quote:

It appears that the eagle on the left must be the female since she's really giving the other one a hard time. Looks like she's saying "rabbit, why do you just bring home rabbit? Rabbit, rabbit, rabbit. How about bringing home a nice bass once in a while!"

Best,
Warren



Warren,

Those were my thoughts exactly. Female on Left/Male on Right

Photo #1 - Mature couple ignoring each other

Photo #2 - Female giving male hell while male turns his back and contends - Go Shove It!

Photo #3 - Female continues to squawk at male

Sounds Familiar
Posted by: Warren_Polidori

Re: Dubie's Eagles - 03/14/09 02:06 PM

Tom,

Great stuff! Yes it does sound familiar.

Best,
Warren
Posted by: 7033grip

Re: Dubie's Eagles - 03/14/09 02:18 PM

You guys aren't only funny, but you're right. The female is on the left.

I call them Helen and Bob..."Yellin" Helen and "Bobs" his head. They were also named for Helen and Bob Eastman, two old friends who were big Audubon people here in Winter Haven.

This Panasonic Lumix with the 483mm zoom Leica lens is a really nice inexpensive camera.

These shots were taken about 120 feet from the base of the tree, and they are about 35 feet in the air.

Dubie Baxter
Posted by: Warren_Polidori

Re: Dubie's Eagles - 03/14/09 02:47 PM

Here's several more from Dubie. Good job there Dubie!

Best,
Warren

Posted by: Warren_Polidori

Re: Tips - 03/14/09 04:47 PM

Quote:

This is a very important tip for those who choose to shoot out of Auto Mode. In Auto Mode the camera thinks it's smarter than you, prove it wrong! This tip will contribute to sharper photos and may be one of the best basic tips you can ever remember. Lens aperture has a sweet spot that is not too open and not too closed. It generally gives the best results all other considerations being equal.
I love this site and I will post more tips in the near future.
http://www.adorama.com/Catalog.tpl?op=academy_new&article=091507

Best,
Warren




This is a very nice follow-up tip to the previous one which reinforces camera lens aperture. As I read through these tips I'll post more and I hope they are useful to you.

Best,
Warren

http://www.adorama.com/catalog.tpl?article=022008&op=academy_new
Posted by: tglassco

Space Shuttle - 03/15/09 08:00 PM

At 7:43 PM (EDT) The Space Shuttle lifted off from the Kennedy Space Center. These photos were taken from my front yard in St. Augustine which is probably 90 miles from the launch pad.

That's one big rocket













After separation of the solid fuel booster rockets



On it's Way




Posted by: BOB_TEATES

Re: Space Shuttle - 03/15/09 08:03 PM

very cool
Posted by: TonyLaPetri

Re: Space Shuttle - 03/15/09 08:11 PM

Very cool, Tom ... and from 90 miles away!
Tony
Posted by: Warren_Polidori

Re: Space Shuttle - 03/16/09 02:33 AM

Tom,

Great job! For those of us that couldn't make the trip we thank you for your efforts.

Best,
Warren
Posted by: EDO

Re: Space Shuttle - 03/16/09 06:21 PM

UFO?!

Very Coollllllllll!!!!
Posted by: Warren_Polidori

Spring Ice? - 03/24/09 07:44 PM

We do not have a spec of snow anywhere here in site and temps have been cold at night but warm during the daytime. I took these snaps with my camera phone today. The setting was absolutely stunning. The sprinkler lines must have thought it was spring and were spraying water when I snapped these photos. The bushes were the most amazing things you could imagine. I took these out the window of the car and drove around the island in this parking lot as I snapped away.

Best,
Warren

Posted by: Cabinet_Man

Re: Spring Ice? - 03/25/09 12:57 PM

That's neat Warren. I've only seen this one other time, and was many years ago. A neighbor had forgotten to turn off their sprinkler system... the result was a beautiful winter display all over the landscaping beds on the front of their house... very much like the scene you have posted here.
~dale
Posted by: Warren_Polidori

Re: Spring Ice? - 03/25/09 03:01 PM

Dale,

This definitely took me by surprise.

Best,
Warren
Posted by: Guido_Bitossi

Re: Spring Ice? - 03/27/09 07:44 AM



Punta Ala, Tuscany.42°48'19.68" N-10°46'25.29" E
Guido
Posted by: Warren_Polidori

Re: Spring Ice? - 03/27/09 08:22 AM

Guido,

That's one for a postcard. WOW! Great job and a beautiful setting. Thanks for posing such a nice photo.

Best,
Warren
Posted by: 7033grip

Re: Spring Ice? - 03/27/09 08:48 AM

Just another day in Paradise.

Dubie Baxter
Posted by: TonyLaPetri

Re: Spring Ice? - 03/27/09 11:10 AM

Guido!
The only thing that would make that photo better is ...
a glass of Chianti Classico, Reserva, while you watch the sun go down!
BELLISSIMO!
Tony
Posted by: EDO

Re: Photography Forum/Thread - 03/28/09 06:33 AM

My photos, the ones I prefer...

Photos

Ciao!
Posted by: Warren_Polidori

Re: Photography Forum/Thread - 03/28/09 08:32 AM

EDO,

Wonderful photos. Thank you for sharing them with us.

Best,
Warren
Posted by: 7033grip

Re: Photography Forum/Thread - 03/28/09 08:58 AM

Edo, I'd like to hear the story of the Monument Valley photo. It really looks interesting.

Dubie
Posted by: TonyLaPetri

Re: Photography Forum/Thread - 03/28/09 02:24 PM

EDO,
BELLISSIMO! ... ESPECIALLY LAKE EMERALD!
Tony
Posted by: Cabinet_Man

Re: Photography Forum/Thread - 03/29/09 01:28 PM

Here are some non-knife pics. I took these playing around this weekend. Emily came through her 2 hour dental surgery just fine and was outside playing in the nice Spring weather. The two close ups were taken in the car while at little league practice.
~dale



Posted by: Cabinet_Man

Re: Photography Forum/Thread - 03/29/09 01:31 PM

Posted by: Cabinet_Man

Re: Photography Forum/Thread - 03/29/09 01:34 PM

Being bigger this year means being able to play on toys. This battery operated tractor moves pretty quickly since she only weighs 30 lbs... going fast and laughing hard.



Posted by: EDO

Re: Photography Forum/Thread - 03/30/09 05:21 AM

Thanks to all.
----------
During a long trip in the Monument Valley I have noticed the difference between a little native kid and the largeness of the panorama. The child sold small things. I have covered 3000 miles in these zones.
Posted by: EDO

Re: Photography Forum/Thread - 03/30/09 05:23 AM

Nice tractor, I have a similar one!
Posted by: Peter_Kaufman

Re: Photography Forum/Thread - 04/02/09 07:41 AM

I just noticed this photo tent at Harbor Freight

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?itemnumber=98219-2cuh&Submit=Go

I may pick one up for indoor knife pictures. It might help with my indoor pictures and the price is reasonable

Peter
Posted by: Warren_Polidori

Re: Photography Forum/Thread - 04/02/09 07:56 AM

Peter,

There's many of these available, especially on e-bay. Many are sold with 2 external 30 watt flourescent lamps. This one still needs the light source. You may be able to do better on a package deal. Check around.

Best,
Warren
Posted by: Warren_Polidori

Re: Photography Forum/Thread - 04/02/09 09:49 PM

It's been 3 months since we started this thread and I want to thank all again who have contributed.
So far to date we have 6132 views, and 361 posts. That's good work by you guys. Please keep contributing to this thread. If you like photography and want to share anything related especially your personal photos, please share them here.
Now that old man winter is saying goodbye, lets "spring" into action. I've posted some tips recently by Adorama. I hope you take the time to review their site. It's got some very interesting ideas that you might be able to incorporate into your photos. Check it out.
Thanks for the support.

Best,
Warren
Posted by: vklough46

Re: Photography Forum/Thread - 04/02/09 09:58 PM

Warren,

Here is a bit of spring. (Crocus)

Posted by: Warren_Polidori

Re: Photography Forum/Thread - 04/02/09 09:59 PM

Kevin,

Well done! You take all the good pictures!

Best,
Warren
Posted by: TonyLaPetri

Re: Photography Forum/Thread - 04/03/09 08:13 AM

Kevin,
BEAUTIFUL!
A great start to "Spring Photography"!
Tony
Posted by: Cabinet_Man

Re: Photography Forum/Thread - 04/06/09 10:25 AM

Kevin,
Don't cut those to bring them inside... you may get "bed bugs".
Very nice shot, lighting is nice and shows the colors very well.
~dale
Posted by: Cabinet_Man

Re: Photography Forum/Thread - 04/06/09 10:26 AM

Spring was indeed here, or at least we thought so anyway. I took these duck pics yesterday afternoon (Sun the 5th).

Posted by: Cabinet_Man

Re: Photography Forum/Thread - 04/06/09 10:27 AM

Posted by: Cabinet_Man

Re: Photography Forum/Thread - 04/06/09 10:28 AM

Posted by: Cabinet_Man

Re: Photography Forum/Thread - 04/06/09 10:30 AM

Posted by: Cabinet_Man

Re: Photography Forum/Thread - 04/06/09 10:32 AM

That was yesterday. This morning we woke up to snow covering everything again.
~dale


Posted by: Cabinet_Man

Re: Photography Forum/Thread - 04/06/09 10:36 AM

A spring hyacinth with a clump of snow on top. This pic was taken through the slats of a lawn chair. It looked neat, but the real reason I took it like this was because I didn't have any shoes on and didn't want to walk out the door into the snow wearing just my socks so found a gap in the slats on the back of the chair where you could see the flower.
~dale


Posted by: Warren_Polidori

Re: Photography Forum/Thread - 04/06/09 01:39 PM

Nice photos Dale. Many years ago we had a Mallard pair with distintive markings that would return every year to nest on our property. Of course my mother kept them well fed. On many days they would tap on the bottom of the screen door if Mother was too slow. The downside was they always painted the front stoop.

Best,
Warren
Posted by: Cabinet_Man

Re: Photography Forum/Thread - 04/06/09 04:56 PM

They are nice to watch every year. I've never seen them become quite so tame that they would come up to the door here but the kids would sure like it if they did.

The snow this morning was heavy and packed well. Someone is going to be sad when her friend melts.


Posted by: Warren_Polidori

Re: Photography Forum/Thread - 04/06/09 06:11 PM

Dale,

Tame? That pair of ducks trusted us so well that we could hand feed them.
That's a great pic of Emily and Old Man Winter. Remember next year she'll be bigger. Thanks for sharing some great shots.

Best,
Warren
Posted by: Cabinet_Man

Re: Photography Forum/Thread - 04/07/09 07:42 PM

Yes Warren, you're absolutely right. The next time she builds a snowman she'll be much bigger (which is why I take all the pics that I do). I imagine this will be the last snow of the season for us. This photo is in a folder with others to be printed and will go on a wall with framed 5x7's... no special theme other than kids just doing "kid stuff".

We've fed lots of ducks at the zoo where they walk right up to you like that (can't even get a stroller through that area as they are that thick on the walk) but I think they know better here.-ha! Part of me would want to keep them around and part of me would want to use the model 7 on them... sort of a mixed, bitter-sweet emotion.

Some ducks are pretty smart though... take this one for instance.
~dale


Duck Dodgers episode 8, "The Wrath of Canasta"

Posted by: TonyLaPetri

Re: Photography Forum/Thread - 04/07/09 09:33 PM

Dale,
I'm Jealous ... winter ended way to quickly here in the Northeast ... for SOME of
us, anyway! I was hoping to get another weekend with the old boards
strapped to my feet, hurtling down some slippery mountain!
Now it's time to dust off the kayak!
Tony
Posted by: Cabinet_Man

Re: Photography Forum/Thread - 04/08/09 04:07 PM

Tony,
It's the same way here too. We got a nice snow Monday and it was gone by Tuesday. Today I mowed and rolled the mole hills but the snowman steadfastly refuses to melt.
~dale


Posted by: TonyLaPetri

Re: Photography Forum/Thread - 04/08/09 04:27 PM

Dale,
Ya need to put a Randall on that Snowman!
Tony
Posted by: tglassco

Re: Photography Forum/Thread - 04/08/09 05:45 PM

Dale,

Looks like you have a lot of green grass for it to be so early in the year.

Great Pictures
Posted by: Cabinet_Man

Re: Photography Forum/Thread - 04/10/09 10:08 AM

Quote:

Dale,
Ya need to put a Randall on that Snowman!
Tony




He's gone Tony. He lasted as long as he could, but the sun got the best of him yesterday. Otherwise I would just for you. Could strap a large belt around him and show off a Randall hanging on his side. What model RMK would a snowman need do you think??

Quote:

Dale,

Looks like you have a lot of green grass for it to be so early in the year.




Yes Tom, it seemed to come early this year with warm temps and "Spring fever" hitting a lot of people. The neighbors put their boat in last week, and I even thought about it myself but wanted to do some stuff to it before dropping it in the water for the year. We usually get one last very heavy, wet snow towards the end of March... several inches so it's deep and won't melt, needs to be bladed off the roads. When it didn't come and we were into April I was thinking maybe we got by without it... it came, just a week or so late is all.

For the most part though it's been Spring all the way with nice temps, rain, flowers sprouting all around, and of of course baseball practice. Practice is keeping us all very busy. 3 kids, 3 practices per week... with all the running we usually get home and finish eating dinner about 9 p.m. ...they all sleep very well though.
~dale
Posted by: TonyLaPetri

Re: Photography Forum/Thread - 04/10/09 01:18 PM

Well, next time, Dale, I'd give that big ol' Snowman a nice big 6" or 9"
Sportsmann's Bowie!
I still miss the snow, but that will fade once I get the kayak in the water!
Tony
Posted by: tglassco

Just Imagine - 04/10/09 07:49 PM

Just Imagine a Model #2 with a really long blade.

Posted by: Warren_Polidori

Re: Just Imagine - 04/10/09 08:02 PM

Tom,

That knife looks like a pregnant toothpick. That's it, a fat snowman with a toothpick!

Best,
Warren
Posted by: TonyLaPetri

Re: Just Imagine - 04/10/09 08:57 PM

Yep,
That's a knife ANY snowman would be proud to wear!
Tony
Posted by: Cabinet_Man

Re: Spring photos - 05/06/09 01:16 AM

Here are a few Spring pics I thought you may enjoy.
~dale


Posted by: Cabinet_Man

Re: Spring photos - 05/06/09 01:18 AM

Posted by: Cabinet_Man

Re: Spring photos - 05/06/09 01:20 AM

Gerbera daisy... one of my favorites.


Posted by: Cabinet_Man

Re: Spring photos - 05/06/09 01:22 AM

Hibiscus...


Posted by: Cabinet_Man

Re: Spring photos - 05/06/09 01:25 AM

lilacs


Posted by: Cabinet_Man

Re: Spring photos - 05/06/09 01:27 AM

and what would Spring be without some tulips???


Posted by: Cabinet_Man

Re: Spring photos - 05/06/09 01:28 AM

Posted by: Cabinet_Man

Re: Spring photos - 05/06/09 01:29 AM

Posted by: Cabinet_Man

Re: Spring photos - 05/06/09 01:30 AM

Posted by: Cabinet_Man

Re: Spring photos - 05/06/09 01:33 AM

Posted by: Cabinet_Man

Re: Spring photos - 05/06/09 01:34 AM

Posted by: Cabinet_Man

Re: Spring photos - 05/06/09 01:42 AM

Emily modeling a Randall.


Posted by: Cabinet_Man

Re: Spring photos - 05/06/09 01:45 AM

Bored at Kristin's softball game tonight.


Posted by: Cabinet_Man

Re: Spring photos - 05/06/09 01:50 AM

So what do you do when you're bored and you've already looked at the Randall you brought along with you, climbed the seating, had a bag of popcorn and a soft pretzel?? You pick dandalions (flowers) of course!
~dale


Posted by: Warren_Polidori

Re: Spring photos - 05/06/09 08:04 AM

Great photos Dale. If it ever stops raining here we might get some springtime. We never get tired of seeing Emily. Thanks for posting.

Best,
Warren
Posted by: TonyLaPetri

Re: Spring photos - 05/06/09 09:42 AM

Dale,
Terrific Photos!!!!!
What camera do you use??
Tony
Posted by: Cabinet_Man

Re: Spring photos - 05/06/09 11:21 AM

Tony,
I use two... one is a Kodak point and shoot and the other is a Canon DSLR (just depends on what I have with me). These were all taken with the Canon. I have a couple lenses for it... a 28-90mm, and a a 75-300mm (these were all taken with the 28-90mm). I have used a Canon SLR since 1986, and love them. I have a couple 35mm Canons with lots of lenses for those. I just added a portrait lens a couple summers ago and would like to have a couple more for the digital but just haven't gotten them yet so use these two for eveything I do. I've always been into taking pics, and have been watching the digitals for years... back when they were priced in the $7,500-15,000 range. I was reading a mag at the dr's office a few years ago and saw an ad for one priced at $1500 and knew it wouldn't be long until they were priced to where most people would have one. Patience is a virtue. I feel sorry for those who paid lots to have one a while back. It's like the other digitals that were almost a thousand maybe 4 or 5 years ago... can buy a better one today for a third of that if they would have just waited. Technology grows in "leaps and bounds", or at least has anyway, so instead of little progress there is huge differences in prices within just a couple years time.
~dale
Posted by: TonyLaPetri

Re: Spring photos - 05/06/09 11:52 AM

Thanks Dale!
You're right about the prices! I might go for a DSLR NOW!
Tony
Posted by: Cabinet_Man

Re: Spring photos - 05/06/09 11:56 AM

Warren... here's another shot of Emily but you have to know the "rest of the story" in order to truly appreciate it. Emily saw an ad for Pinocchio on tv and was very interested in it. Realizing that she had never seen the movie, I mentioned that we'd have to get it for her sometime. We were at the store about 3-4 weeks ago (she's always with me day and night) when she spotted it as we passed all the aisles on a mission to get whatever it was we went in there to get. She got really excited, wouldn't stop talking until I backed up and looked at what she so desperately wanted me to see. There on the shelf was the dvd. Remembering what I had said, I now had to buy it, as a promise is a promise. I also had to open it in the parking lot as soon as we got out of the store so she could watch it on the drive home. She absolutely loves it, and has watched it every time we go somewhere. The other kids are stuck watching the same movie over and over, which gets very old, as they always give in to her and let her watch it. The stereo surround has a setting where you can turn on the movie for all to hear without each having to wear the headphones, and it rings through the entire vehicle. So if you happen across a white suburban with the sounds of soloist Jimini Cricket emanating from within, you'll know it's us.

I usually pop some popcorn to take with us, and sit in the back with her to watch this movie while the kids have practice as they last about 2 hrs so plenty of time to watch a whole movie. Before this one it was the cat in the hat that was played over and over. I am looking for a copy of the wizard of oz now (on dvd) as she hasn't seen that one either.

So anyway... this is what she thought of when holding the Randall... but of course, it's Pinocchio's nose! Why didn't I think of that?
~dale




Posted by: Warren_Polidori

Re: Spring photos - 05/06/09 04:23 PM

Dale,

Emily definitely doesn't need any acting lessons. You've got a little actress on your hands. Beware, they grow up fast. Nice pictures!

Best,
Warren
Posted by: tglassco

Re: Spring photos - 05/06/09 04:53 PM

Dale,

Always enjoy photos of your kids and your Randall Knives of course. You obviously provide a wonderful family environment for a child to grow up and blossom just like your flowers and seeing Emily, I anticipate you will have this song in your head at some point in the future.

Butterfly Kisses
Posted by: Oldvetnam1

Re: Spring photos - 05/06/09 05:46 PM

Dale,

Emily is a beautiful little girl and your photos are great. I can bet that she's Daddy's Little Girl and has you wrapped around her little finger. Her brothers too I'll bet.
Posted by: Kent_Warnberg

Re: Spring photos - 05/08/09 10:21 AM

Dale,

OK, I'll chime in too! I too appreciate all the great photos that you have posted. It's like were all watching your family grow up!

Kent

RKS #109
Posted by: Cabinet_Man

Re: Spring photos - 05/08/09 01:45 PM

Quote:

Dale,

Emily definitely doesn't need any acting lessons. You've got a little actress on your hands. Beware, they grow up fast. Nice pictures!

Best,
Warren




Warren,
You're so right, she poses and loves when I take pics of her. It's a natural thing as I don't tell her how to stand, etc., she's just "being Emily" and I snap the shots.
~dale

Quote:

Dale,

Always enjoy photos of your kids and your Randall Knives of course. You obviously provide a wonderful family environment for a child to grow up and blossom just like your flowers and seeing Emily, I anticipate you will have this song in your head at some point in the future.

Butterfly Kisses

--------------------
Tom
RKS #5553



Thanks much Tom. I enjoy taking pics, and also enjoy sharing them with others so all of you can enjoy them too. The song is nice, thanks for the link.
~dale

Quote:

Dale,

Emily is a beautiful little girl and your photos are great. I can bet that she's Daddy's Little Girl and has you wrapped around her little finger. Her brothers too I'll bet.

--------------------
Steve Rinda
RKS #5715



Steve,
Thanks for the kind words. Yes she does have me wrapped very tightly.
~dale

Quote:

Dale,

OK, I'll chime in too! I too appreciate all the great photos that you have posted. It's like were all watching your family grow up!

Kent

RKS #109



Thanks Kent. I never really thought about it that way, but you are right about watching the family grow up. When I read your post it made me remember back when I posted the first pic of Emily the day she was born. Today is her birthday, she turns 3. I'll post that first pic again with text on it that I added when having it printed into a 5 x 7 for framing and hanging on the "family wall". "Emilmyer" is just a nickname I gave her when she was a few months old and it has stuck with her.
~dale



Posted by: Cabinet_Man

Re: Spring photos - 05/08/09 01:50 PM

Here's the cake that Laura made for her this morning. Emily asked for a parrot on it a couple weeks ago so Laura made this by drawing it, cutting the paper into sections, and then cutting the different colored frosting (or icing) to match... then adding little number 3's all over it. I thought she did a pretty good job.
~dale



Posted by: Cabinet_Man

Re: Spring photos - 05/08/09 01:56 PM

She opened her presents from grandma last night, and one was a "soft baby" like Kristin had gotten when she was small. Emily loved it! Here she was this morning when I walked into the room, sitting in a chair holding her new baby. I had to snap a shot of it just because she looked so grown up.
~dale



Posted by: Cabinet_Man

Re: Spring photos - 05/08/09 02:04 PM

Now these were a fluke... it was late evening and I was getting things around to wash the back deck to get it ready for the season. The furninture had all been moved off it and placed in the grass in the back yard. After being at it for a few minutes, I looked up to see what the kids were doing. Daniel was sitting on one of the lounges, blowing bubbles for Emily with one of those large wands, while she was running around trying to pop them. The sun was setting and the lighting was perfect so I grabbed the camera and snapped a couple pics. I just love action shots.
~dale




Posted by: Cabinet_Man

Re: Spring photos - 05/08/09 02:05 PM

#2...


Posted by: Cabinet_Man

Re: Spring photos - 05/08/09 02:09 PM

Here's a shot of us on the wood pile last night. We had enough time to quickly cut another load of wood yesterday before getting back her to take Kristin to her 4:30 softball practice (yes I was about 5 mins late again ). We then got the truck unloaded afterwards yesterday evening.
~dale



Posted by: Cabinet_Man

Re: Spring photos - 05/08/09 02:14 PM

The GTR Special was the knife of choice for carry yesterday. Here's a close up of it laying on an old vice that I have in the bed of the old work truck. I thought it made for a nice pic in B&W.
~dale




Posted by: Cabinet_Man

Re: Spring photos - 05/08/09 02:30 PM

When we had finished I came up to the door to go in the house when I saw a kitten napping inside an very old metal toolbox. This tool box is rusty, the bottom is almost non-existent-ha. We can't throw it away because Andrew loves it! When he was quite small I used to play a game with him using this old rusted box (that he found in the shop one day and took a liking to). We pretended it was "treasure", and would take turns hiding it outside so the other could hunt for it. This used to go on (and on) until I finally had to stop it because it was time to get something done. We have played this game ever since he was about 3 or 4 years old so the box is really special to him (and me if the truth be known ) so we keep the old box around for this very reason. Anyway, one of the kittens was sleeping and I had the camera still in hand from taking the shots outside so snapped a few to share. I thought everyone may like to see them too, but I know Ron (BoBlade) likes cat pics, so here they are...
~dale




Posted by: Cabinet_Man

Re: Spring photos - 05/08/09 02:32 PM

Posted by: Cabinet_Man

Re: Spring photos - 05/08/09 02:42 PM

Then lastly, when I did get inside I saw a small cup of dandelions... (flowers, as Emily calls them) with a tulip on display. She had picked them for mommy and put them in a snoppy cup as the vase.-ha! ... just thought the whole idea of it was cute.
~dale




Posted by: Warren_Polidori

Re: Spring photos - 05/08/09 04:48 PM

GREAT photos Dale! Looks like you guys have been quite busy lately. Happy Birthday to Emily. Keep them coming.

Best,
Warren
Posted by: Cabinet_Man

Re: Spring photos - 05/13/09 01:33 PM

Our connection hasn't worked lately, phone is out too, and haven't been able to get the site to load. This problem usually happens every year for some reason. I'll track it down when I get time and see if I can locate the problem. If not we'll call a service guy to fix it. So if you don't hear back from me for a few days you'll know I'm not ignoring you but just not able to reply.


I cooked some ducks last night on the grill... yes I actually did the prep work and cooking this time. I normally don't cook just because I don't like it, but decided to give it a try this time. Anyway, a little GTR Special breasted the ducks and cut up pieces that we froze from last season. The seasoning I used I got out of a cook book, and was salt, garlic, thyme, oregano, allspice, and pepper all mixed together and then rubbed into the meat. I used a hinged grilling basket to hold the meat while cooking but one of the hearts fell through and lost it to the flames. The flavor was really nice!

Here are some pics...
~dale




Posted by: Cabinet_Man

Re: Spring photos - 05/13/09 01:41 PM

Posted by: Cabinet_Man

Re: Spring photos - 05/13/09 01:45 PM

Posted by: Cabinet_Man

Re: Spring photos - 05/13/09 01:48 PM

Before anyone asks, potatoes are what's wrapped in foil. I'm sure you guys all know about this but me being new to the "cooking scene" I don't know much about how to prepare or cook food... just know how to eat it. Steven (our oldest son) cut slices that go almost through but not completely through the bottom... maybe 1/4" to 1/2" apart for the length of the potato. Then stuck butter, onions, salt/pepper in each cut, wrap in foil and place on the grill with the meat.

I'm learning more about how to do these things, but not sure if it\ll go much further than just a few things... we'll see. If anyone has any easy recipes that are at the "beginner level"... cooking 101 , I'd be interested in learning some new stuff.
~dale


Posted by: Cabinet_Man

Re: Spring photos - 05/13/09 02:00 PM

P.S. Ducks are Mallards, both drake & hen meat.
~dale
Posted by: TonyLaPetri

Re: Spring photos - 05/13/09 09:57 PM

Dale,
Looks good and sounds like it tasted good!!
Grilling simplifies the cooking process somewhat and the flavors can't be beat!
My Wife is the REAL COOK in the house, but I'm the GRIIL MASTER!
Tony
Posted by: 7033grip

Re: Spring photos - 05/13/09 09:59 PM

Don't worry Dale, the "frogs" (French) have nothing on you.

They shoot from the hip too.

Dubie
Posted by: Warren_Polidori

Re: Spring photos - 05/13/09 10:10 PM

Dale,

Great Job!
We seem to be into Kabobs lately. Meat and veggies on a skewer. Super easy to make, cook and eat. Potatoes don't fair too well but everything else works fine. Duck Kabobs would be really cool.
Where's the charcoal in that grill?

Best,
Warren
Posted by: Cabinet_Man

Re: Spring photos - 05/17/09 12:50 PM

Quote:

Don't worry Dale, the "frogs" (French) have nothing on you.
They shoot from the hip too.
Dubie




Dubie,
Kevin was hunting with us when the one duck in the pic was shot. We both pulled up and fired at the same exact time, hearing only one loud "bang". Kevin being the nice guy that he is, let me keep duck. When I cleaned it I found two different sizes of shot inside.
~dale


Quote:

Where's the charcoal in that grill?
Best,
Warren



No charcoal here. I always had trouble with either burning things with flames or if waiting until the flames went out, still tasting the lighter fluid. I'm very glad there are gas grills now-a-days. With all of us, we need a large cooking space and these new gas grills are huge, perfect!
~dale
Posted by: Cabinet_Man

Re: Spring photos - 05/17/09 01:01 PM

Here's an action snapshot of the kids. We got them a trampoline for Christmas and they are just now getting to enjoy it.
~dale


Posted by: Cabinet_Man

Re: Spring photos - 05/22/09 11:08 AM

A few more pics... I took the barn/flower pics the other night after the little league game.
~dale


Posted by: Cabinet_Man

Re: Spring photos - 05/22/09 11:10 AM

Posted by: Cabinet_Man

Re: Spring photos - 05/22/09 11:11 AM

I liked the look of the old weathered barn wood blurred in the background with the flowers being the main subect.
~dale



Posted by: Cabinet_Man

Re: Spring photos - 05/22/09 11:15 AM

One of Emily at Kristin's softball game. It was very windy and quite cold that evening. I looked over at her as she was looking at me, wrapped in a blanket, and I thought it was cute so snapped this shot.
~dale



Posted by: Cabinet_Man

Re: Spring photos - 05/22/09 11:17 AM

Wearing a frisbee type disc on her head, just having fun.
~dale



Posted by: Cabinet_Man

Re: Spring photos - 05/22/09 11:19 AM

And one last one... playing with a pinwheel while sitting in the stands at the boys' last game.
~dale



Posted by: Cabinet_Man

Re: Spring photos - 05/22/09 12:06 PM

I posted these campfire pics in the camping section but not knowing if many of you move around the forum, or just stay here in this area, I'll post them here too.

We have a lot of campfires in the evenings. Roasting marshmallow's every evening is normal thing here.
~dale



Posted by: Cabinet_Man

Re: Spring photos - 05/22/09 12:07 PM

Posted by: Oldvetnam1

Re: Spring photos - 05/22/09 05:23 PM

Great photos Dale. You definitely have a great eye.
Posted by: Warren_Polidori

Re: Spring photos - 05/22/09 05:38 PM

Dale,

You've been a busy shutterbug. Lots of great shots. Thanks for sharing and bringing a smile.

Best,
Warren
Posted by: Cabinet_Man

Re: Spring photos - 05/23/09 01:25 PM

Quote:

Great photos Dale. You definitely have a great eye.

--------------------
Steve Rinda



Thanks much Steve.



Quote:

Dale,

You've been a busy shutterbug. Lots of great shots. Thanks for sharing and bringing a smile.

Best,
Warren



Warren,
"Shutterbug" pretty much sums it up. Yesterday alone I took 399 pics on the digital SLR. I've taken so many pics lately with all the games going on that I will probably wear out the battery packs.
~dale



We took Fri off, the whole day! That's a switch. With the Holiday weekend there were no games (or practices) scheduled as some will be travelling, so we took advantage of it. Yesterday we took the kids mushroom huunting, and after spending a lot of time in the woods they wanted to go see the fish. The state has a trout rearing station near here and you can see them at differnet ages, get some food to throw in and watch them jump... lot sof fun for the little ones. One, 8" or so in length, jumped right out of the tank and into the grass! Along the way were lots of photo ops, and I did take a few. There was a dog that wandered up to the trout station office a few weeks ago and has made it his home. After our family dog passed away last Fall the kids have really missed playing with a dog and gave him lots of attention. I had a small GTR Special with me... been carrying that knife a lot since first using it this winter on fish brought through the ice. I thought a pic of it with a background different than the norm would be fun so will post one of it in the woods. Here are a few pics of the day I post to share with all who wants to see them.
~dale




Posted by: Cabinet_Man

Re: Spring photos - 05/23/09 01:28 PM

Posted by: Cabinet_Man

Re: Spring photos - 05/23/09 01:29 PM

Posted by: Cabinet_Man

Re: Spring photos - 05/23/09 01:30 PM

Posted by: Cabinet_Man

Re: Spring photos - 05/23/09 01:31 PM

This guy has lots of personality.


Posted by: Cabinet_Man

Re: Spring photos - 05/23/09 01:32 PM

Posted by: Cabinet_Man

Re: Spring photos - 05/23/09 01:33 PM

Posted by: Cabinet_Man

Re: Spring photos - 05/23/09 01:34 PM

Posted by: Cabinet_Man

Re: Spring photos - 05/23/09 01:35 PM

Posted by: Cabinet_Man

Re: Spring photos - 05/23/09 01:36 PM

Posted by: Cabinet_Man

Re: Spring photos - 05/23/09 01:38 PM

Posted by: Cabinet_Man

Re: Spring photos - 05/23/09 01:39 PM

Posted by: Cabinet_Man

Re: Spring photos - 05/23/09 01:40 PM

Posted by: Cabinet_Man

Re: Spring photos - 05/23/09 01:41 PM

Posted by: Cabinet_Man

Re: Spring photos - 05/23/09 01:43 PM

Posted by: Cabinet_Man

Re: Spring photos - 05/27/09 02:33 PM

I looked outside this morning and saw the birdhouse is being used. Steven and I built this house about 12 years ago, Laura painted it with windows and a fence, etc. and it has just sort of been forgotten. I saw it early Spring and was thinking of adding it to the campfire wood but then got busy and forgot about it. This morning I saw two youngsters waiting to be fed so figure maybe it's worth restoring after they leave the nest this year. The winter has been hard on it, ice building up, and constant sun rays drying it out. It made me feel kind of bad when I noticed it today but I guess as long as it doesn't leak inside they're OK with it.
~dale




Posted by: Cabinet_Man

Re: Spring photos - 05/27/09 02:35 PM

Posted by: Warren_Polidori

Re: Spring photos - 05/27/09 05:16 PM

Dale,

Thanks for all your Spring Photo contributions. Those last two pictures though are for the birds.

Best,
Warren
Posted by: Cabinet_Man

Re: for KENT WARNBERG - 05/27/09 05:27 PM

Warren, always a comedian!

I too have a bit of comedy trying to come out. I snapped this pic in honor of our friend Kent Warnberg.

I was working with a large piece of CA Buckeye burl today and when I laid these two knives down on a bench, the Fiskars tool was right there... I just couldn't help but to think of you Kent.
~dale




Posted by: Peter_Kaufman

Re: for KENT WARNBERG - 06/15/09 12:53 PM

Here is a photo of some smaller Randalls and a Seecamp .32

They are from left to right, a Gambler, a standard 24 Guardian, a Maroon micarta GTR special, a 26 Pathfinder and last but not least a small Stanaback special

Peter
Posted by: Warren_Polidori

Gambler - 06/15/09 08:56 PM

Peter,

That Gambler is one of my favorite knives that you've posted from your collection. It's really is quite a nice fossil handle, a great set-up and a keeper!

Best,
Warren
Posted by: Peter_Kaufman

Re: Gambler - 06/16/09 07:32 AM

Thanks Warren
It is definitely one of my most unique Randalls. I bought it from Gary Clinton, and have an elephant ivory one on order from him also. I like to big knives too, but most of the time the smaller ones can be carried and can do most of your tasks.
It certainly is part of my permanent collection.

Peter
Posted by: Steven

Re: Gambler - 06/20/09 06:45 PM

Haven't looked here in sometime, what great photos. Was wonderful seeing them all at once.
Posted by: Warren_Polidori

Re: Gambler - 06/20/09 06:50 PM

Steven,

Good to see you on the Forum again. Lets see some photos!

Best,
Warren
Posted by: Steven

Re: Gambler - 06/20/09 07:04 PM

I'm a terrible photographer on my best day. I make my wife do that sort of thing.
Posted by: tomthbomb

Best Photo I Ever Took With A Camera Phone - 06/20/09 09:03 PM

Enchanted Rock, Hill Country, Texas

The specks on the left center top side of the rock are people climbing to the top.

Posted by: 7033grip

Re: Best Photo I Ever Took With A Camera Phone - 06/21/09 08:05 AM

Great Photshop work Tom.

If you really look close, you can tell it's just an ant hill.

Dubie Baxter
Posted by: Warren_Polidori

Re: Best Photo I Ever Took With A Camera Phone - 06/21/09 09:37 AM

Tom,

Great phone camera shot. Looks like Jeep country to me.

Best,
Warren
Posted by: Cabinet_Man

Re: Lumber/Kiln photos - 07/17/09 03:51 PM

Here are some pics I thought I'd post for anyone interested in seeing lumber go through what it does to get it ready to be made into something you'd find in your home. Some of you may remember this lumber in pics I posted when loading it onto a trailer. The walnut and maple trees were cut, then the logs were sawn into boards, and then we loaded it onto the trailer where it sat for a few days waiting to get into the kiln. Here are some pics of it coming out of the kiln completely dried.

This wood is walnut and maple, and is dried to 6% moisture content. This type of kiln used is a dehumidifier. There are different ways to dry wood/lumber. In each of the different ways the wood is stacked the same... stacked with small narrow strips ("stickered") between each layer so the air can circulate over, under, and around each edge. Air flow is critical so the wood dries evenly and also so mold growth is not happening while you wait.

1). Air drying
This method is free, but "you get what you pay for". The lumber is stacked and usually left outside or in a large barn/storage building. This is definitely the slowest method possible. It will take a min of a year to get it even close, but will still need to dry... usually a couple-three years can be the wait expected if choosing this method. It is still not in the best of shape after waiting years on it, although it can be cut, worked, and used for projects, the wood still retains more moisture than if dried in a kiln. Air drying is not the best way to dry lumber because 1), it takes a few years on it to be ready to rotate into the "workable" stock, and 2), it also has a higher moisture content than kiln dried lumber. This is because wood cells (shaped similar to the shape of a football) will get a hole poked into them when kiln drying which causes the cells to break which then makes them release moisture. The cell is no longer able to retain water/moisture like a vase would no longer hold water if a hole were drilled into the bottom of it. Air drying does dry the wood and get the overall moisture content down to a "workable level", but some of the cells do not get punctured and will retain more moisture... not a good thing after it's turned into a piece of furniture (or whatever).

2). Solar kiln
The best choice if available. It dries the wood slowly (longer than a normal kiln) which is better for the wood. Slow changes are always best, like when we've talked about ivory for knife handles... humidity changing slowly is OK, rapid changes like with overnight shipping are not good for the material and usually result in cracking.

3). Dehumidifier
A good way to dry wood with few cracks, and still have it fairly quickly. This load was in this type kiln for 18-19 days, not so long to wait.

4). What is commonly called a "pressure cooker". This type kiln dries very quickly, about a week, and because of the speed it most generally produces lots of cracks, checks, and less than the desired grade when finished. Usually found in high production type facilities, they generally cut around the bad spots and use what they can. They are willing to get a smaller yield just because of the shorter wait time.

Our two youngest sons, Daniel and Andrew, are standing in front of one of the kilns to give you an idea of the overall size. Track on the inside floor and wheels on the carts allow for easy loading and unloading once a load has been dried. More rails (or track) are then placed in front of the kiln so the rack or cart can be pulled out for inspection, and loading onto a trailer or truck. A shot of the digital therm, and a a close up shot of checking the moisture content. This lumber was dried down to 6% content. It will need to sit in the shop for a few days before "working it" so it can have a chance to acclimate to the moisture inside the shop. It's always a good idea to let the wood adjust to where it's going to be when working it like if you were laying a hardwood floor... you'd want to bring the wood into the house where it's going down, and let it sit there and adjust to the temp/humidity in that room for a week or before working with it opposed to just taking it off the truck and nailing it fast.

You can see some of the boards have quite a curved to them (like the bottom of a rocking chair). This is due to imperfections in the wood. Knots will cause the wood to shrink up around them and usually result in a wide crack right through the knot itself. This shrinkage will cause the wood around that area to pull in thus resulting in the extreme curve in a few of the pieces. This lumber will then be planed smooth, and to a constant desired thickness, once it has had time to adjust nicely to it's new environment.

I hope you found this interesting and I didn't put anyone to sleep.
Best,
~dale


P.S. I believe some of this may find it's way into the canoe project.
Posted by: Cabinet_Man

Re: Lumber/Kiln photos - 07/17/09 03:55 PM

One of the kilns with the door closed and sealed.


Posted by: Cabinet_Man

Re: Lumber/Kiln photos - 07/17/09 03:57 PM

Door open... you can feel the sudden heavy air as teh humidty rolls out and hits you.

Posted by: Cabinet_Man

Re: Lumber/Kiln photos - 07/17/09 04:00 PM

The wood is dried between 113-120 degrees F. this load spent 18-19 days inside the kiln.

Posted by: Cabinet_Man

Re: Lumber/Kiln photos - 07/17/09 04:01 PM

The wood once pulled out... walnut on top.

Posted by: Cabinet_Man

Re: Lumber/Kiln photos - 07/17/09 04:03 PM

The walnut off the stack and loaded, and on top now you see the maple.

Posted by: Cabinet_Man

Re: Lumber/Kiln photos - 07/17/09 04:06 PM

Checking the mositure content. This device has two "points" that are pushed into the wood to reveal the amount of moisture inside. This pic shows the meter stuck into the wood so it's is upside down for reading... the moisture content is registered at 6%.

Posted by: rodbrown

Re: Lumber/Kiln photos - 07/18/09 01:25 PM

Dale
I find the whole process very interesting. Thank you for the pictures and for explaining the different drying processes.
Does the wood come from your property?
Posted by: Cabinet_Man

Re: Lumber/Kiln photos - 07/21/09 08:17 AM

Rod,
This wood came from my wife's parents property. I thought it would be nice to have something made from trees that were from the house where she grew up. When I heard they were to come down, I made arrangements to cut and dry it. Now just to come up with something to make from it.
~dale
Posted by: Warren_Polidori

Re: Lumber/Kiln photos - 07/21/09 06:43 PM

Dale,

Very interesting post. What is the acceptable range of moisture percentage for kiln dried wood? I used to hear 4% kiln dried lumber for argument sake, and is there a difference in moisture content for different species out of the same kiln? Now once kiln dried how do you plan on storing this lumber so it stays stable?
Very nice load of lumber, looks like fine furniture grade to me. Good luck and thanks for a very informative post.

Best,
Warren
Posted by: Cabinet_Man

Re: Lumber/Kiln photos - 07/22/09 12:24 PM

Warren,
Those are good questions, and also the same ones I had when starting to use a kiln. It is a bit confusing at first, and I will add that I don't know all there is to know about drying wood. I do know enough to satisfy myself though so that I am confident with what I am doing. With wood the drying process is critical to stability. The moisture content varies with different geographical locations. Wood on the pacific coast of CA will have a higher MC than wood in the mid-west, and so on, just because of the humidity found in that area. The humidity is higher in some places than others, as you well know, which will cause the wood to take on more moisture in some places than others (or lose some moisture depending on the location) once the finished piece reaches and is set up in it's new home. Be it one of my cabinets, or a piece of extremely high priced cherry furniture purchased from Thos. Moser Co., wood takes on and releases moisture for it's entire life even after being turned into something other than a simple board.

Anyway, a long reply getting a little longer ... I am happy with drying down to 6% in the de-humidification kiln. Some "experts" say 4-6% for dry climates and 6-9% for humid climates. The thing I see when looking at these numbers is that they both have 6% in common. It is a happy medium, or a place to start if you will. Air dried lumber may have a MC of about 10-12% to give you an idea of the difference between kiln and air drying.

All of the wood in the kiln is dried down to the same amount of MC. Different species will have different MC before going into the kiln though... some white oak may be 8-9% while some cotton wood boards could be twice that amount. I've cut quite a lot of cotton wood and you can see water run out of the wood once it is cut. Leave a large chunk sitting in a bucket, container, etc., and you will see water standing in the container within a very short time... cotton wood is very wet.

Now that the wood has been dried it will be stored in the work shop where it can acclimate to the area. This is because the shop is where it will be "worked" and made into something. It is stable and will remain stable although it will gain a little moisture and also lose a little with changes in the air. These changes will occur with the different seasons... dry here in the winter, and humid during the summer months. This is normal though and in no way makes the wood unstable. All wood does this, but remember mother nature changes things gradually which is why it is OK for the wood. Just like ivory that we have talked about in the past. Wood movement has always been there, and joinery always a concern for furniture to make sure it can move without causing problems. Kitchen/bath cabinets are made from veneer, The carcass is veneer, the back is usually a very thin piece of sheet goods like veneer, luan, hardboard, etc. Then the face frame and door are constructed of solid wood (actually the only solid wood on them). Even cabinets advertised as "solid wood" have a carcass made from veneer, it's just the industry standard I guess is a way to put it, and people just don't know it. They see "solid cherry" advertised on the cabinets set up on display and think it is solid... why wouldn't they, right? Veneer is actually a good way to make them. It is strong, and the exeption when talking about wood movement as it doesn't move. It is not affected by humidity changes and does not expand and contract like solid wood does. The pieces of the cabinet carcass are not seen anyway as they are installed next to each other and the only the fronts are seen and the veneer surface when looking inside (and an end of a row of cabinets if nothing beside it). If using the 3/4"x 4' x 8' sheet material in a matching wood veneer surface, it will work nicely for the life of the house in normal conditions. With furninture and having movement in mind (and we know wood will move) it's up to the craftsman to "build into" the piece when designing the joinery, a way for the wood to be able to expand and contract without splitting the finished piece apart. A table for example needs to have a way for the top to move, to shrink and expand, when the humidity changes with the different seasons. Today it is not as big of a problem as it was many years ago as we do have a fairly controlled climate with central air in most homes. You may remember many years ago though, it was common for a wood door on a farm house to close nicely in the winter when everything is extremely dry from fireplace heat, etc., and then not want to close at all (or rub a little) when closing it in August. Drawers would do the same thing... hard to open and close when humid, and work smoothly when dry in the winter. Wood can shrink about 1/4" of movement per 12" of width... that's a lot of changing going on within a piece of furniture when you think about a 4' table which could move as much as 1 full inch in width.

The best way to store lumber that I have found is to store it where it's going to be used that way you don't have to wait for it to acclimate before using it on a project. A separate storage building would certainly help a great deal with providing more floor space for machines, etc., but would mean having to bring the material needed for a project into the shop days ahead of time so it can sit and adjust before working it. It will fluctuate some while sitting there, just as it will in your home, as changes occur in it's surroundings. However, as mentioned, that is common and it will continue to fluctuate for it's entire life.

Hope this long winded reply helped...
~dale
Posted by: Warren_Polidori

Re: Lumber/Kiln photos - 07/22/09 03:21 PM

Quite complete Dale. Thanks.

Best,
Warren
Posted by: tglassco

Photo Size Demo - 10/22/09 06:25 PM

As a supplement to Ken's posts in the Randall Knives Forum I thought I would post a similar demonstration in the Photography Forum attempting to demonstrate the effects of File Size and how it affect photos posted on the Forum. As many of you know, uploaded images to the RKS Server are limited to 100KB but images that are viewed on the Forum but reside on an outside server are not restricted in such a manner and many times are greater than 300KB. Just how and to what extent does this affect photo quality? That is what I hope to demonstrate. For practical purposes, there may not seem to be much of a difference when you look at the whole image but the difference gets pronounced when you start zooming in on parts of the image. To see the full effect you need to download each image to your computer and zoom in on the grind lines or the etching on the blade.

There are many aspects that affect JPEG compression that are far too involved to get into with this little demonstration. As I already stated, the difference in image quality may be inconsequential depending on what the images are used for but that is up to each individual viewer to decide and as has already been stated, a technically poor photo is a poor photo regardless of file size. It may be like looking at a beautiful girl from a distance but as you get closer your opinion may change.

I received permission from Ken Lunde to use one of his photos for this demonstration. I think Ken is one of the most technically sophisticated photo participants on this Forum. Since I do not have the capacity to post my own images greater than 100KB the first image is actually from Ken's Image Server and it is 304KB. I downloaded Ken's image to my computer and resized it using the Resizing software from Microsoft Power Toys and for this demonstration I have kept the viewing dimensions of each image the same @ 1000 X 664 and just decreased the file size. The file size of Images 2, 3 are 97.4KB and 86.4KB. If you set up the photos where you can switch back and forth between Ken's original and the 86.4KB photo I think you will see a definite difference. There are many versions of Resizing Software and there are probably some better than that from Power Toys but this is the best that I have found.


304KB


97.4KB


86.4KB
Posted by: lunde

Re: Photo Size Demo - 10/22/09 08:53 PM

Here is the same photo, but modified using the parameters as described below:

1000x664 80% = 280K:



1000x664 60% = 164K:



1000x664 40% = 104K:



720x478 80% = 156K:



720x478 60% = 92K:



720x478 40% = 60K:

Posted by: lunde

Re: Photo Size Demo - 10/23/09 09:11 AM

Note that all of the 1000x664 photos are still over the 100,000 byte limit. If I drop the JPEG "quality" of the 40% version by only two percent, to 38%, it brings me to just under the limit, and with no difference in perceived or apparent quality. The blade etching and grind lines are still clear.

Here is the 38% version that is hosted on my website:



And, here is the same file that has been uploaded to the forum:

Posted by: Cabinet_Man

Re: Photo Size Demo - 10/25/09 11:40 AM

One I took today... it's only 47.2 KB in size and is 1024 x 568.
~dale


Posted by: Cabinet_Man

Re: HAPPY HALLOWEEN! - 10/31/09 08:39 AM

Costumes 2009


Posted by: Cabinet_Man

Re: HAPPY HALLOWEEN! - 10/31/09 08:41 AM

And what kind of knife does a pirate carry? Around here it's a #12-9 Sportsman Bowie.
~dale


Posted by: Cabinet_Man

Re: HAPPY HALLOWEEN! - 11/01/09 07:53 AM

2nd night of Trick-Or-Treating and some different costumes. The cake walk only brought in 3 cakes this year... guess we need to have a couple more kids to increase the odds.
~dale


Image is a little blurry but was raining and I didn't take another "just in case" pic.

Posted by: Cabinet_Man

Re: HAPPY HALLOWEEN! - 11/01/09 07:56 AM

Emily wanted to be a tiger for the second night.

She "poses" for pics... looks like she has graduated from the Kelly Rippa school of posing.

Posted by: Cabinet_Man

Re: HAPPY HALLOWEEN! - 11/01/09 07:58 AM

Posted by: Cabinet_Man

Re: HAPPY HALLOWEEN! - 11/01/09 07:59 AM

She wanted her picture taken with Frank. When we walk up from the lake she always has to hug him before coming inside.
~dale


Posted by: Cabinet_Man

Re: HAPPY HALLOWEEN! - 11/01/09 08:04 AM

While all this was going on outside, Haley, the family dog decided she wanted to go outside and run around. She steadfastly refused to some when we called her. She got Emily to the ground and just wanted to play (or maybe she doesn't like tigers, not really sure ).
~dale


Posted by: Cabinet_Man

Re: HAPPY HALLOWEEN! - 11/01/09 08:05 AM

Finally a creature came out of the woods and grabbed her when she didn't expect it.
~dale


Posted by: Oldvetnam1

Re: HAPPY HALLOWEEN! - 11/01/09 08:16 AM

All great photos Dale. Looks like the family really gets involved in Halloween. Hope they all had a good time. Of course, now the sugar highs begin.
Posted by: Cabinet_Man

Re: HAPPY HALLOWEEN! - 11/01/09 08:32 AM

Hi Steve,
Our oldest is 15 and is at that age where he feels embarrassed to do "little kid things". With mom & dad doing it too, making it a whole family thing to dress up and have fun, it helps them to not feel awkward or out of place. I did have one lady get pretty close, looked directly into my mask and ask me "How old are you???"-ha. I didn't reply, just held my sack out for a treat.
~dale
Posted by: Oldvetnam1

Re: HAPPY HALLOWEEN! - 11/01/09 09:28 AM

Hey Dale,

If it's a family thing then it's all good. Steve
Posted by: Steven

Re: HAPPY HALLOWEEN! - 11/01/09 10:59 AM

Dale
Looks like a great time. I love your family values. Why can't more parents spend time with the children. They grow up so fast. I believe you are getting the most out of your parenting years.
Posted by: TonyLaPetri

Re: HAPPY HALLOWEEN! - 11/01/09 12:29 PM

Hey Dale,
Great Photos ... looks like a great time!
Wait till your oldest gets a little older!!!!! ... our youngest (you've seen him in some camping / canoeing
pics from this past summer) is 17+ and driving now. Last night, on his way out, as we discussed
where he was going, what he was going to do and with who, I reminded him that if he had to call me
from a Police Station, that he should just skip the call, because he'd be spending the night there
anyway. No real worries though ... he's a good boy ... just me playing Dad with a big grin on my face!
Spending time with them is the key! Those times do lessen as they get older. When I can get my older Son (24)
to sit for an hour, it's great to have a beer and cigar with him, and shake my head, as it feels like yesterday that I was 24!
Like we've all said before ...
THAT'S WHAT IT'S ALL ABOUT.
Keep those pics and stories coming
Tony
Posted by: Oldvetnam1

Re: HAPPY HALLOWEEN! - 11/01/09 01:40 PM

Absolutely right Tony, THAT'S WHAT IT'S ALL ABOUT. My boys are 32 and 29 and it's great to sit with them when we can and talk.
Posted by: Cabinet_Man

Re: HAPPY HALLOWEEN! - 11/02/09 09:56 AM

You guys are right, and is why I spend time with them every single day now. I would hate to "wake up tomorrow dead" and have it all be gone in the blink of an eye.
~dale
Posted by: Cabinet_Man

Re: HAPPY HALLOWEEN! - 11/05/09 08:56 AM

I forgot to mention that even Haley the dog takes part in dressing up too, not just with the running around and causing confusion when we're ready to leave.
~dale

Posted by: Don_Hedrick

Re: HAPPY HALLOWEEN! - 11/05/09 10:35 AM

Dale, the dog looks like he`s really into it! Hope the thong hanging out of his mouth is not attached to one of your favorite model #8`s
Posted by: Oldvetnam1

Re: HAPPY HALLOWEEN! - 11/05/09 11:30 AM

Dale,

Haley looks all set and ready to go. Does she go Trick or Treating as well? She looks like she could eat a whole lot of candy.
Posted by: Cabinet_Man

Re: HAPPY HALLOWEEN! - 11/05/09 11:34 AM

Quote:

Dale, the dog looks like he`s really into it! Hope the thong hanging out of his mouth is not attached to one of your favorite model #8`s
--------------------
Don Hedrick



Now that's funny! Actually just the chin strap on the hat... it got caught up in her "meaty" jowls.
~dale
Posted by: Cabinet_Man

Re: HAPPY HALLOWEEN! - 11/05/09 11:38 AM

Quote:

Dale,
Haley looks all set and ready to go. Does she go Trick or Treating as well? She looks like she could eat a whole lot of candy.
--------------------
Steve Rinda



Steve,
She would run everyone ragged if we actually took her door to door. Maybe next year, we'll see how she does. She's a puppy yet, about 8 months old and still working with her. She get as mind to do something and you can't keep her from it... a bit stubborn, that dog. She would love the candy though.
~dale
Posted by: Oldvetnam1

Re: HAPPY HALLOWEEN! - 11/05/09 02:00 PM

She looks like she's a big puppy. What breed is she? My dogs would never stand to have a costume on.
Posted by: Cabinet_Man

Re: HAPPY HALLOWEEN! - 11/06/09 09:07 AM

Quote:

She looks like she's a big puppy. What breed is she? My dogs would never stand to have a costume on.
--------------------
Steve Rinda



She's a Chinese Sar Pei with the wrinkles all over. They're very tolerant. Our last one used to wear hats on Holidays.
~dale