KRP, I didn't see your first name, which we like to see here in your post on the forum.

The following is an excerpt from my thread in the "Picture Gallery". The thread is called, "How to Improve Your knife Photos".

Study the submitted entries for ideas on how to improve the quality. Start out first to get away from reflective surfaces such as shiny furniture tops. Put a piece of colored felt down for a background.

Look at Tony's "studio" (Its outside on an overcast day). Professional looking on a small budget with a point & shoot camera.

If you are using a smartphone, look at Steve's "set-up. Overcast day outside on the brick wall.


Here's the excerpt:

"It's a common result for folks to take a reflective item such as a knife and shoot indoors with a "smarthone" or a "point & shoot" camera, many times, unconsciously, with the flash mode on, washing out details in the subject.

This flash washout gets worse when one lays the knife and sheath on a shiny wood surface, and they can't understand why it's overexposed.

"Take It Outside" (on an overcast day). Look at the detail in Tony's outdoor image.

Alternative backgrounds are wood decks, trees stumps, and an 18" square of linoleum tile with a textured or "wood" or "granite" pattern. The tile background make it appear as if the knife were shot inside on the floor. Outdoor overcast lighting will make a photo more acceptable & professional looking. This lighting IS hard to beat (& cheap, too).

To get really sharp images with a camera, set the aperture at f/8 or f/11 ( if you camera permits) and put the camera on a tripod. It doesn't matter whether the tripod cost $25 or $250, the camera becomes rock-solid. If you don't have a remote shutter release, use the camera's self-timer feature and set it for 5 or 10 seconds. This allows the camera to "settle" after your hand pushed the shutter button.

You will be amazed at the improvements in your images from just taking the advice given in these few posts. There are more ideas to come.

Remember, now, "film" is cheap".

Hope this helps.

Buck Buchanan

Though it looks like the knife was positioned on the floor, it is sitting on a 18" square of black granite linoleum tile, sitting on a table outside on the back deck.