Short, long, thick, thin—and we’re not talking about the wide variety of knives at BLADE Show. No, we’re talking about facial hair that made men nod and women blush. The beards of BLADE Show impressed all! This collection is only a small representation of what we saw at the show. We don’t care about the ebbs and flows of fashion or laboratory tests on what’s found in beards, which frankly only tell us that bearded men live life to the full extent of their whiskers! Here at BLADE, we only hope the tradition continues.
The beards of BLADE Show impressed all. This example of a full beard is combined with longer hair for a decidedly not-hipster, backwoodsy look.Another Bandholz, only this one with shorter hair, could be seen at the Chris Reeve Knives booth. We also liked the hat adornment. We guess BLADE Show had something to do with knives, but back to beards…Lou Goodman of Abraham & Moses Survival Equipment sports a neat Van Dyke, which is any mustache-beard combo but with cheeks clean-shaven.We liked the gradations of red in this full beard on Larry Roberts, “Alone” Season 2’s runner-up.Ever see a Lynyrd Skynyrd concert? We found this full beard-long hair combination, if we remember correctly, at Zombie Tools.These old-school gentlemen at Al Mar offered two styles of white whiskers and we loved them both!At Rustick Knives we found the warrior tradition expressed in a samurai-esk ponytail and full beard on the owner of Harp Leather.Dave Wenger, owner of Wenger Blades in Hudsonville, Michigan, rolled with a Hollywoodian, which from what we can figure is a trailback that meets up with sideburns. Who cares what they call it; we like it!Dan “Jake” Jaquay of KME Sharpeners chilled out on Sunday at BLADE Show with his flame-red chin tresses.Our photographer went back more than once to try to capture the wildness at White River Knife and Tool, but could never seem to catch Matt C. and Alan N. at the same time. Fortunately, they caught wind of our mission and sent this along. Double-YES!Officially a Van Dyke, the goatee on this show attendee is going as far as it wants.Eli Gautreaux of Jerry Hossom Knives checked out the Knife of the Year Award entries in the lobby.A show-goer seems to be having a good time while we admire his Hollywoodian done to full length.We found that bearded men tended to have bearded friends, so we often got twofers!A barback at Key Bar caresses the whiskers.These two show-goers worked the man buns, ear stretcher and shades.As much as we tried to capture bearded men unaware, they often knew they were being watched.This lucky winner at the Ernest Emerson Custom Knives Lottery almost looks like he is starting a French fork-style of beard. Ernie looked as debonaire as always.Ken Hunt of Attleboro Knives in Idaho sports a salt and pepper Van Dyke.Another lucky winner at the Emerson Knives Lottery, Sevag Tankian, rocks a distinctive full beard.Stephan Fowler of Fowler Blades paired his full beard with a tactikilt one day, but, well, that’s a story for another BLADE Show.This luxurious white Van Dyke was worn well by a gentleman attending the Emerson Custom Knives Lottery on Saturday.We always enjoy talking with new knifemakers…oh, and look, a beard. We hope to see this knifemaker back again next year, along with many others. Like and Follow “Erin at BLADE” on Facebook for guidance on how to get your knife into BLADE Magazine.A righteous beard! If a knife doesn’t catch your eye at BLADE Show, we’re thinking a beard or two might.Be sure to plan for BLADE Show 2018 starting now. You know there will be plenty of knives, and if there’s ever an exhibition of beards, this is the place!
This three-book set will be referred to repeatedly by those both new and established in the knifemaking craft.
Did BLADE Show 2017 get you pumped for knifemaking? This two-paperback, one-e-book set will answer question for those new to the art, while also reaffirming or acting as a review for those more established in their craft. Included are: “How To Make Knives,” “The Wonder of Knifemaking” and “Wayne Goddard’s $50 Knife Shop, Revised.” Normally this trio would cost you $99.97, but you can get it now for $34.99.
Atlanta, Georgia (June 3, 2017) – Awards recognizing the highest achievement in the custom and factory knife industries were bestowed the evening of Saturday, June 3, 2017, at the BLADE Show in the Cobb Galleria.
2017 BLADE Show Knife of the Year® Award Winners
Representatives from BLADE (www.blademag.com) distributed BLADE Magazine Knife of the Year® awards in 13 categories. Two of the awards—Industry Achievement and Publisher’s—went to a retail knife store and a knife-related organization, respectively, for their contributions to the world of knives.
All entrants in the Knife of the Year® competition were judged on a number of factors, including utility, design, creativity, materials, aesthetics, feel and other traits.
The 2017 BLADE Show Custom Knife Award Winners were also announced on Saturday, June 3, 2017, at the Cobb Galleria in Atlanta.
Best in Show: CAS & Sam Lurquin collaboration
Best New Maker: Phil Jacob
Most Innovative Design: Grace Horne
Best Fixed Blade: CAS
Best Damascus: Mike Deibert
Best Bowie: Jean-Louis Regel
Best Folder: Glenn Waters
Best Fighter: Josh Fisher
Best Handle Design: Ben Seward
Best Miniature: Glenn Waters
Best of the Rest: Lloyd Studios
Best Utility Hunter: Wess Barnhill
Best Tactical Folder: Brian Nadeau
Best Sword: Ron Chen
Best Collaboration: CAS & Sam Lurquin
Best Art Knife: David Broadwell
About BLADE Show
The BLADE Show is the world’s largest, most important knife show, and has taken place every year since 1982 and in Atlanta since 1992. Upwards of 1,000 exhibitors from more than 20 countries display their knives and knife-related items over a three-day cutlery celebration that also features BLADE University knife seminars, knife auctions, custom knife awards, celebrity appearances and much more.
About BLADE
BLADE® Magazine (www.blademag.com) is the world’s No.1 knife publication. It is also the world’s oldest knife magazine, publishing its first issue in 1973. In conjunction with the BLADE Show, it has sponsored the Knife of the Year® Awards annually since 1982. The awards are the most coveted honors in the factory knife industry and are voted on by the booth exhibitors at the BLADE Show, who this year number more than 200. Only BLADE Show booth exhibitors are eligible to enter.
The BLADE Show and BLADE Magazine are the properties of F+W of Cincinnati, Ohio.
See 40 Years of Knives that Changed the World
BLADE collected the very best factory and custom knives into two digital collections to showcase the blades that changed the edged world forever. Click a cover to grab yours today.
Knives, knives, more knives, knives, knives, this knife, that knife, other knives, knives and more knives. It’s BLADE Show time!
If the first day of BLADE Show 2017 could be summed up in one word, it’d be “the line.” That’s actually two words, but it’s fitting for the enormous early turnout of knife enthusiasts waiting for the doors to open. Never before has the line gone literally out the door, and into the parking lot, and probably crossed a few state lines.
Make no mistake, folks. The world of knives is alive and well, and beating expectations on every front. The official tallies will be made later, but this must’ve been a record. A first for a Friday!
Here’s what the show floor looked like moments after the doors opened:
In fact, it was a show full of firsts. How could it not be with the length of those lines? There’s bound to be a few newbies in there.
BLADE Show first-timer Erin Healy, BLADE‘s new managing editor, cut her teeth with a cool Kit Carson sword find. Did you know Kit Carson made swords? Well, now you do.
The learning didn’t stop there. BLADE University opened up a whole new world of knifemaking to attendees with not one, not two, but three classes on knife grinding. Instructors also zeroed in on how to select blade steel, making knives from simple tools, selecting an edge style and more.
Tom Krein dishes the dirt on knife grinding secrets. He conducted three well-attended sessions.
The Knife of the Year entrants went on display outside of the main show floor this year, as they did for the past few. This not only made it easier to check out these incredible knives, it put some of the best knives in the world front and center for first-time show goers. They’re the first knives they see when they arrive. What could be better?
Glenn Klecker puts the finishing touch on his display with a pencil eraser before submitting to the Knife of the Year Awards. Knifemakers want their works to look their best, and it shows at every booth and table at BLADE Show.
A second day of all of that and then some, that’s what. Tomorrow will be full of more knife events, and the Knife of the Year Awards will be announced. Online ticket registration is closed, but you can still find BLADE Show information at bladeshow.com.
Jim Behring of Treeman Knives holds up a Kit Carson creation
Did you known that Kit Carson, renowned for popularizing the flipper-style of folding knife, made swords? Jim Behring of Treeman Knives has two of those swords, a Persian-style dagger, a D-guard knife along with a knife Jim imagines a Roman gladiator would use as a last resort, plus a number of other fixed blades, all stamped and authenticated. All Jim would say is that he got these Kit Carson creations from an estate sale in Indiana. He’s looking to get them into the hands of someone who would appreciate their value. You’ll find Jim at booth 6E. BLADE Show is open from 9 a.m. – 6 p.m. on Saturday and from 9 a.m. To 2 p.m. on Sunday at the Cobb Galleria Centre, Atlanta, Georgia.
Every day is Memorial Day for the family of Master Sergeant Robert Mark Horrigan. The weeks leading up to the holiday and through June 17, though, mark an intensified period of mourning for Robert’s identical twin brother and American Bladesmith Society master smith John Horrigan of Elite Knives. Robert was a member of C Squadron, 1st Special Forces Operational Detachment, Delta Force, JSOC and June 17, 2005, was the date he was killed in action in Al Qa’im, Iraq. Gentlemanly, soft-spoken, John says, “Excuse my language, but I’m an asshole for about two weeks” leading up to Memorial Day. And with that, you know that no matter how courteous, no matter how elite the warrior pedigree of either man, John knows exactly how hard it is for Gold Star* families and fellow veterans, and he’s willing to get in the dirt and help.
John Horrigan owns Elite Knives and works out of his home shop in Burnet, Texas. His knifemaking began in earnest after returning from his service as a U.S. Army Ranger in 3rd Battalion, 75th Regiment.
The Horrigan twins learned to hunt and fish growing up on a farm in Limestone, Maine, which is in Aroostook County, so far north it might as well be in New Brunswick, Canada. When the boys were 10, knowing jobs would be scarce, the family moved to Florida. The humidity exacerbated their father’s emphysema and tuberculosis, however, so two years later thy moved to Austin, Texas. John and Robert enlisted together and advanced to become U.S. Army Rangers, serving in 3rd Battalion, 75 Ranger Regiment. After three years, John left the military—for love. He had met Donna when he was 17 and she was almost 15. He has now been married to his high school sweetheart for 29 years. They have a daughter and a son, with one grandchild and another on the way. “I just knew the military life was not for her,” John said.
Then-U.S. Army Ranger Robert Horrigan pins the Ranger Tab on his twin brother John Horrigan’s shoulder at a graduation ceremony on Fort Benning, Georgia.
John performed security for the U.S. Department of the Treasury for a short while and then became a deputy with the Travis County Sheriffs Office as well as a fireman. In 1983 John made his first knife. After his brother’s death, he made a commemorative knife for Bob’s unit and another for President George W. Bush. He makes everything from swords, daggers and the occasional tomahawk to camp knives, hunters and bowies. John also continues to make his brother’s design, the Bob Horrigan Military Fighter. You can read more about the brothers and their knives in an article by Kevin Jones that ran in the December 2010 issue of BLADE Magazine entitled, “Twin Brothers, Makers and Heroes.”
The Bob Horrigan Military Fighter has a 6 1/2-inch blade made out of 440C stainless. The guard and handle bolts are made of 303 stainless. The handle is fashioned with Black Linen Micarta. Overall length: 11 1/4 inches. Maker’s list price: $550. This design is also available with a double guard at 13 inches overall at the same price, or in pattern-welded steel with ironwood handles at a maker’s list price of $720.
While love and love of knives determined the course of one brother’s life, the warrior spirit could not be quenched in the other. Over the course of his 19 ½-year career, which culminated in Special Forces, Robert, who his brothers-in arms called Bob, deployed five times to Iraq and three times to Afghanistan. “Badass” and “real deal” can be overused, but not with Bob Horrigan. Delta operator George E. Hand IV wrote two eulogies of Bob for SOFREP News that get to the heart of the quintennial gentleman warrior: “Delta’s Robert Horrigan: A Better Man Than I” and “Delta Forces’ Own Robert Horrigan: Dwarfed By The Presence of Giants.”
Robert M. Horrigan left the service when his twin brother, John, did but reenlisted, moving into Special Forces after his time in Ranger Regiment. He was killed in action in Iraq, June 17, 2005, in Al Qa’im, Iraq.This portrait of MSG Robert M. Horrigan was done by Phil Taylor for the non-profit The American Fallen Soldiers Project. It was present to the Horrigan family in accordance with the 501(c)(3)’s mission of bringing comfort and healing to Gold Star* families. You can watch the video about this particular portrait at the bottom of this post.
Bob did not have to go on his last mission. He was closing in on retirement. He had plans. He was going home to his wife and daughter and he was going to make knives with his brother. Five years before, John had introduced Bob to knifemaking, and he liked it. While living in base housing on Fort Bragg Bob would run an extension cord outside to work on his creations. “I’m not sure they would have been happy about if they knew,” John says, a warmth in his voice. Like John, Bob loved the artistry of knifemaking, but he only had time for making combat knives.
In addition to medals depicted here by ribbons, Robert Horrigan was posthumously promoted to Master Sergeant and awarded the Legion of Merit Medal, the Bronze Star Medal with Valor Device and the Purple Heart. In addition to his mother, Mary; twin brother, John; and sister Lisa Shine, he is survived by his wife, Denise; his daughter, Courtney; and another brother, Daniel. He is buried in Section 60, Site 9131 at Arlington National Cemetery.
John continues to live out this dichotomy. “I could make a lot more money making fighters,” he said. After banging out 40 of them, though, he longs to delve into the art of the craft. Then, when he’s deep into a showpiece and it seems like it will never be finished, he begins to long for the refreshing simplicity of hammering away on combat knives. “I flip flop,” he says. “I used to have six or seven pieces, 80 percent done” for BLADE Show. He laughs about what he refers to as his attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. Now he works on two at a time and finishes them before he moves on to the next one. After the show he enjoys being able to relax and resume his own pace.
When he needs a break from combat knives, maker John Horrigan switches to crafting high-end pieces of art. This bowie is made in American flag mosaic-pattern steel. Although you can’t see it, “In God We Trust” is engraved along the spine. The handle scales are 416 stainless steel engraves with the Statue of Liberty. The quote on the blade is done in 24-carat gold. Contact: Elite Knives
So although Robert didn’t have to go on that last mission, he wanted to be with his unit. And with that decision, the dream the twins shared of living out their days together with their families and making knifes ended—hard, on the other side of a breached door. The objective was to sneak in, target Abu al-Zarqawi, the al-Qaida leader in Iraq, and get out. The problem was that by the time the mission was underway, the enemy knew the Americans were coming. Bob Horrigan was the number-one man. He got inside the room and was immediately engaged in an intense firefight. The number-two man, Master Sergeant Michael L. McNulty—also a twin—was shot down on the threshold. While teammates extracted Mike from the doorway, Bob took hits to his femoral artery and head. Both men held on while their brethren simultaneously continued the battle, plugged their wounds and extracted them to a secondary airfield approximately 1000 meters away because a closer one was under attack. Both men were alive when they were put on the aircraft and when they landed at the medical facility. Heart massage was performed on Bob. But, as John explained, when you’ve been hit that many times, when you’ve lost that much blood, no matter how much they hold on, it’s only a matter of time before they succumb.
John 15:13 reads this way in the New King James version of the Bible: “Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends.” John Horrigan will tell you that his twin brother, Robert, did just that for his brothers-in-arms. Jesus did the same for us. This photo of Robert was taken taken March 19, 2002, east of the Shahi-Kot Valley on the route to Khost during the post-Operation Anaconda chase.
The part about both men being twins, was only the first of endless seeming coincidences. Robert’s wife kept his remains in an urn at home for a few years before he was interred, but John also wanted to visit the grave of the man who had died with his brother. He made the trip to Arlington National Cemetery, and when asked who he was looking for, gave McNulty’s name. There were three men also standing at the information desk. “Who did you say you were looking for?” one of them asked John. John repeated the name. He tried to introduce himself. Being an identical twin, the men already knew who John was. They were from his brother’s unit, and they too had come to visit McNulty’s grave.
Another time the Horrigans had planned a family trip back to Maine. Many people were involved and Donna was looking at a particular house to rent. It was expensive so John suggested checking Craigslist. She found the same house listed for less. As the process continued, the twin’s sister, Lisa, began to suspect a scam. John wasn’t sure at first, especially since he was so used to dealing with wire transfers through the course of selling his knives internationally. He was busy in Boston and directed his sister to handle it. On the way to Maine, John thought, ‘Maybe it is a scam,’ and called the Ellsworth Police Department. A detective, Dotty Small, confirmed that it was indeed a scam. John called Lisa who was standing on the porch of the house, which already had tenants living in it. John told her what he had learned. In an event to commemorate Maine’s heroes called The Summit Project, Detective Dotty Small had hiked Baxter Mountain carrying a stone with the initials of a fallen warrior on it: M.R.H.
“Maine is good to its veterans,” John Horrigan said. According to The Summit Project nearly 1 in 7 Mainers are veterans or approximately 15 percent of the state’s population, one of the highest rates of any state in the nation. The Summit Project honors fallen heroes and brings awareness to the challenges of grieving families. The Bangor Daily News covered the event in 2014. The article was entitled “Feeling the weight: Hikers carry tribute stones for Maine heroes to Baxter mountaintop.”
One night at the firehouse, John had a dream. In it, Robert came to him and told him to look up Al Qa’im. “I’m thinking, ‘I’ll never remember that,’” John said. Al Qa’im was a center for insurgency near the Syrian border, and the town in which Bob was killed. It means ‘I have risen.’” John pauses. “Another translation is ‘I have ascended.’”
It is like this all the time, Bob seemingly orchestrating serendipitous exchanges for his family and especially his twin. “I lost half of me,” John said. It took me a year and a half to get beyond wanting to blow my head off,” he admitted. “God really had to hit me with a sledge hammer…It’s not about you anymore. It’s about Me.”
John and Robert’s mother was a novice nun. After five years in the convent, she knew she wanted to have children so she left. The Horrigan children were given a Catholic upbringing. “In the Army, you drift away,” John said. About two years before he died, Robert told John that he was coming back to God. John accepted the news in his easygoing manner, but perhaps didn’t think as much of it as he does now in hindsight.
“All this macho ‘I can handle it.’ Well, obviously, you can’t. You have to talk to someone,” John said. “There has to be a support network, and having God can help.” John is quiet for a moment. “Bob was a sniper,” he reveals. Bob told John that he’d killed 50 to 60 enemy combatants. “He did not have PTSD, that I know of,” he emphasized. Bob told John that he was OK, because he was “alright with God.” The Old Testament is filled with killing, John said. “Evil exists in this world and you have to exterminate it. It’s like when you have an infestation of bugs. You have to kill every one or they’ll come back. When you’re fighting an ideology where (the enemy is) hiding behind women and children, it’s like a cancer of the highest magnitude” that must be eradicated.
“Memorial Day is not a happy time,” John said. He acknowledges the day by telling people about his brother and the tragedy of leaving a hurting wife, 12-year-old daughter, mother, siblings and especially a twin with whom he did everything. But perhaps because of the leadership ingrained in him as a Ranger, John understands that he cannot be consumed by the grief of his own loss. God channels his pain in a way that reaches people just like him, veterans and family members who are wracked with unbearable grief. John recently lost a firefighting co-worker to suicide. It left him shocked because the man was always so cheerful “Everyone has demons. Call me. We’ll fight them together.”
Knifemaker John Horrigan Remembers Fallen Twin Brother Robert Horrigan
*Gold Star families are those that have lost a service member in combat. You will see the vertical red-rimmed banners most commonly on vehicles. Each blue star represents a family member serving in the military, while a gold star represents a fallen service member.
In addition to a review of Robert Horrigan’s Military Fighter from Elite Knives, you’ll also get a rundown on Old West-style push daggers in the October 2011 issue of BLADE.
So what does fellow Special Forces member Kim Breed think of Elite Knives’ Bob Horrigan’s Military Fighter? Read his review right away in this downloadable version of the October 2011 issue of BLADE for $5.95.
Marine Explosive Ordnance Disposal Technician Staff Sergeant Johnny Joey Jones inspects a knife at Zac Brown’s knife company. The Southern Grind spokesman remembers the fallen, especially the mine sweeper who died in the explosion that took Jones’ legs.
In 2010 ABC Nightline produced a three-part series on Marine Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) Technician Staff Sergeant Johnny Joey Jones. During eight years of service, Jones deployed to both Iraq and Afghanistan. It was while in Helmand, Afghanistan, on August 6, 2010, that Jones stepped on an improvised explosive device, losing both his legs and severely injuring one arm. In the face of inordinate challenges, Jones not only maintained a positive outlook, but became a beacon of hope to his fellow amputees, his fellow veteran collegiates and the public who follow his charity work and appearances on Fox News. Triple J or Joey, as his friends call him, is now spokesman for Zac Brown’s Camp Southern Ground, a 400-acre camp and retreat for children and military families that is funded by the proceeds of numerous artisan shops, including Southern Grind, the musician’s knife company. You can read more about Jones and some of the substantial knives offered through knife-lover Zac Brown’s company in the September issue of BLADE Magazine. (If you can’t find BLADE near you, subscribe.) But no matter how far Jones progresses physically, no matter what business pinnacle he reaches, the Southern Grind spokesman remembers the fallen, one fallen in particular, the man who died in the explosion that took Jones’ limbs: Marine engineer and mine sweeper, Corporeal Daniel Greer.
In the course of eight years of service in the Marine Corps, Staff Sergeant Johnny Joey Jones was deployed to both Iraq and Afghanistan as an Explosive Ordnance Disposal technician. In 2010 he lost both his legs in an explosion. No matter what he does: recovering from his wounds, inspiring fellow veterans as they recover, making motivational presentations, representing charity organizations, appearing on Fox News as a commentator, or as current spokesman for Zac Browns Camp Southern Ground and Southern Grind, the musician’s knife company, Jones is always positive and never fails to remember the Marines, soldiers, sailors and airmen who died in service to our country.
A TV Crew Interviews Jones in Afghanistan, Unaware Of The Fate To Befall Him
Jones’ Recovery Is Motivated By Fellow Wounded Brethren And The Fallen
Jones Remembers The Marine Who Died In The Explosion That Took His Legs
Jones’ Second Chance At Life Is In Honor Of Those Who Died In Combat
No Matter The Obstacle Jones Has Some Marine-Tough Encouragement
Read about the styles of knives most often carried into war and lots more in this two-pack of BLADE’s Military Knives issues for 2010 and 2011.
Boldly designed military knives, stories of knives that saved the lives of men in combat, soldiers who make knives for soldiers, and makers who support the troops, it’s all covered in these two special issues. Normally, $11.90, this download .pdf pack is on sale for $5.99.
Taking great photographs of knives is no easy task—unless you’re a professional, in which case you can stop reading. Essentially, you’re taking a highly detailed shot of something that fills the entire frame, not something small like a bee in the center of a background of blurred petals, but a long, thin item that needs to be in focus from point to butt. But there’s so much more. Every line must be fully revealed and a depth established to convey thickness or thinness. I know close to zero about the mechanics of the art. There are plenty of videos and online courses out there that’ll give you the science of the “study of light.” They can speak to you of aperture, ISO and shutter speed in infinite combinations. All I know is a good photo when I see one, and how I have tried to improve my own photography. Here are the 6 things BLADE looks for in a knife photo. It’ll be up to you to make it happen. Why? Because there are “5 Ways To Get Your Knives Featured In BLADE” and you want to be ready.
Dan Eastland of Dogwood Custom Knives used professional photographer Chuck Ward to take this exquisite image of his Hawkins knife. Chuck will be the official photographer at the 2017 BLADE Show. Contact www.dogwoodcustomknives.com for more about this outdoorsman’s knife.
Hire A Professional
Knife manufacturers, like good real estate agents, know that great photos will close a sale. They understand that the investment in a professional photographer pays off. When BLADE asks for a photo of their latest release, for example, some even allow high-resolution downloads right from the consumer website without having to go through a media relations person. That can be a time-saver at deadline. I’ve even experienced a large company resubmitting photos with even better ones. There’s nothing that says a one-man-show can’t learn from that level of perfectionism. It’s the same effort you put into crafting your knives.
Hiring a professional photographer will cost you some money, and it’s worth every penny. But like all professionals, some are more versed in what we’re trying to accomplish than others. A portraitist, wedding photographer or photojournalist may or may not be able to give you the results you’re looking for. You want to make sure you chose someone who can show you a portfolio of knives, guns, tools or similar items that looks…well…perfect.
The handle on Tim Tracey’s everyday performer doesn’t stand out as much as it could against the similarly colored background. The caramel color ends up saturating everything in the photo. Also, although the focus on the blade is crisp, the topline on the handle is a touch soft.Tim Tracey took his knife outside and got not only a good image of the blade and handle, but good contrast and a better depiction of the piece’s fullness. The recurved blade is made of 1095 steel and sports exhibition grade curly maple scales. Makers list price: $220. Contact [email protected], Timtraceyknives.com on Facebook or @TimmTracey on Instagram.
You will want two kinds of photos. Photos for your website and social media will create an emotion, an atmosphere. Instagram is full of examples of survival, bushcrafting and hunting knives being photographed outdoors and tactical knives being shot in gritty workshops or light-painted in darkness. Makers create everyday carry still lifes with folders, wallets and watches. Typical? Sure, but each one tells a story that has been told a thousand times before in a slightly different way. Nobody reads just one novel, and nobody looks at just one knife photo. They are all beautiful in their own way. The other kind of photos you will need are those of just the knife itself on a simple background, what is often referred to as glamour or beauty shot.
The question you have to ask yourself is: Are you willing to put as much study and effort into your photography as you are your knifemaking? Answer honestly. There’s no shame in shelling out cash for stunning work. Fill your website with those choice images and have them on hand for BLADE, and then you can practice your own photography skills for social media. Even on social media, though, take the time to post only your best images. Plenty of knife-related Facebook Groups out there are looking for banner photography and have to reject knifes they’d like to showcase because the image is, say, out of focus.
Although this image clearly shows the blade on this skinner by Bobby Toerck, the multicolored handle gets lost in the textured bark.In this image, the handle on Bobby Toerck’s drop-point skinner is nicely contrasted against the still-textured, but now single-colored burlap. And the 80CrV2 blade still looks terrific. The handle is triple-dyed box elder burl by Terry Dunn. Maker’s list price: $175 with Kydex sheath. Contact T4 Custom Knives on Facebook or call 903-812-1173.
Do-It-Yourself
Let’s say you can’t justify the expenditure at this point in your knifemaking journey. Or, more likely, by the very nature of your interest in crafting, you’re determined to take quality photos of your knives yourself. You think, How hard can it be? Very. It can be very challenging to produce the kind of photos needed for a glossy magazine.
“Real” Camera Vs. Camera Phone
You can take the cost of a few sessions with a photographer and buy yourself a decent camera, for starters. Keep in mind, however, that lenses that come with a camera are usually not very good. Be prepared to buy a decent mid-range lens at a minimum.
In this vertical image of a horizontal knife, the butt is cut off. There is also glare on the handle and the blade looks dull. Will Thompson decided to get some help for the reshoot.Even though Will Thompson’s handle has to work to stand out against the tree bark, it succeeds. The pattern is now discernible and the blade looks great. This drop-point finger skinner is made of 1095 steel and the Plantstone (stabilized pine branches with aluminum flakes) scales are from Robert Belcher. Maker’s list price: $75. Contact [email protected] or on Facebook at Dusty’s Cutlery.
Then again, there are some excellent photos being taken with newer camera phones. Do NOT attempt this with an older model. You will only frustrate us both because they do not allow for high enough resolution of the images. Be sure if you submit a photo from your phone that you email it at its largest size. If there are settings on your phone that need to be changed to allow for taking photos at higher resolution, then you’ll need to set those accordingly. Those settings will apply only to photos you take going forward; you cannot retroactively apply them to photos already taken. Whether you use your phone or a “real” camera, the same fundamentals of photography apply.
Tip: If you smoke or if you have your phone in your shop, there could be resin or dust on your lens. You’ll want to clean that—gently—before you begin.
Be sure to take great photos of all your work before they are sold, and to back them up, either in the cloud, through an online backup service or on a thumb-drive.
6 Things BLADE Looks For In A Knife Photo
Focus
The entire knife must be in focus, from point to butt. Are there some artsy shots of crystal clear blades and blurred handles or vice versa? Sure, but that’s not what we’re looking for in print. Online, we’re more open to considering some of those shots, provided we have some conventional full-focus shots to accompany the story as well.
If you are taking what we call a “using” shot where you’re photographing the knife in use for an online story or if we are working on a story together for print, be aware of where your camera is focusing. I have seen crystal clear shots of a leaves on the ground while the knife and the hand it’s in are both blurry. Focus is probably the single most important aspect of a good photo.
Contrast
Be aware of the color of your background. A grey knife on gray pavement, a black knife on a blackened tree stump, camouflage your knife. It’s like a silver or gray car against gray pavement on a gray winter day—you can’t see it. No contrast. This applies to multicolored handles against multicolored backgrounds as well.
In this image of Andrew Griggs’ knife, the blade looks dull and the focus on the handle is somewhat soft. Also, if this image were being used for a BLADE Magazine section that required a cutaway, the prop would be in the way of the blade.Andrew Griggs got outside to reshoot his knife. Now you can see the pattern-welded steel! The Southern Comfort gentleman’s fixed blade has a Vintage Paper Micarta handle. Maker’s list price: $300 with leather sheath. Contact Griggs Knives on Facebook.
Composition
For two of BLADE’s sections, “What’s New” and “Knifemaker Showcase,” only cutaway images of the knife are used. (See the “5 Ways To Get Your Knives Featured In BLADE.”) This means that you don’t need to worry about the background at all. In fact, white paper is fine, but watch for any shadows. It’s fine to have a slight shadow, provided the lines of the knife are clearly visible. If the edge or spine of your knife bleeds into the shadow to the point where you can’t tell where the knife starts and the shadow ends, that’ll need to be reshot. Our designers need to able to see those lines.
Mood images are fine for both a feature in print and for online stories. Feel free to get as creative as you want, but ensure that the knife is the main attraction. Photographing knives is one of those times when the rule of thirds really isn’t applicable. The knife is the main attraction and we’re not going for proportional sharing with a background. If the image you’re submitting for consideration is for a section of the magazine that uses cutaways and there’s moss or grass, fabric or fur encroaching on the blade itself, that’ll impede the designers in their work.
Make sure no part of the knife is cut off, and don’t crowd the point or butt. If you place the knife in a stand and that stand encroaches on the knife, it can’t be used for a cutaway, but it could possibly still be used for an online story or in print.
Devin Bliss has taken a very good photograph here. However, there is shadow at the handle, which would make it challenging for the designers to see where to make the cutaway image for inclusion in say, BLADE’s “What’s New” or “Knifemaker Showcase” sections.In Devin Bliss’s second attempt, the handle is more visible, but looks less rich in the harsher lighting. The inclusion of the pinecones makes a nice vignette without encroaching on any line of the knife, so it could still be used for a cutaway or as is. As a side note: Artists will tell you that the eye finds odd numbers more pleasing. I did not tell Devin that. I simply told him the truth: He had surpassed my level of being able to offer suggestions for improvement. He contacted another knifemaker for guidance.At this point, knifemaker Devin Bliss has reached a level of photography that serves his knives well. What did he do? “I changed the direction, propped up the handle onto the antler, moved the lighting around and used a foil reflector to get…a bit more light on the handle and a white reflector to mask off some glare on the blade and bolster.” This modified pronghorn is made of CTS-XHP steel with a curly koa handle. Maker’s list price $300 with stamped leather sheath. Contact [email protected], 903-736-3052 or on Facebook at DB Custom Knives.
Depth and Angles
In layman’s terms, you need to ensure your knives don’t look flat. You’re trying to capture something that’s three-dimensional in a two-dimensional medium. This is where some knives can look disproportionate because you’re focusing on the handle and the blade is in the fuzzy background, so to speak. A shallow depth of field is fine as long as your knife is standing out crisply from point to butt.
Finding the right angle will also help prevent your knife from looking flat. Prop up your knife somehow. Even just leaning it against a pebble allows you to move and capture the thickness or thinness of the piece. Laying it on your hand can work as long as your flesh doesn’t obstruct any of the knife’s lines.
Tip: Take dozens of photos from many different angles and distances and pick the best one of the bunch. If you don’t nail it, don’t compromise, don’t settle, get back there and take dozens more. Pros will take hundreds of impressions to deliver 30. Seriously. Take more shots. No, more. Get a ladder and shoot down, circle your quarry and shoot multiple shots from each hour of the clock, and get down and shoot at eye level. Shoot at morning, noon and night, but mostly late afternoon, to see how different types of sunlight affect your knife images. It’s what the pros did when they were starting out. Now, after years of experience, they can judge the sun’s angle and know how to get what they need.
Charles Hawkins has a hard time taking a bad photo, but he pulled out all the stops on this one. That is a stovetop background, complete with streaks and a red glow. The glare on the handle deadens the handle and the pattern in the steel also appears dull. Note the photographer’s hands reflected on the cooktop. Analyze the entire photograph closely.Charles Hawkins took his knife outdoors, and now the focus is as sharp as can be. The background adds interest while still allowing for plenty of contrast. The 3.5-inch blade is made of pattern-welded steel from Alabama Damascus Steel. The handle is ironwood. Maker’s list price: $300. Contact www.hawkcustomknives.com.
Lighting
Natural light is easiest for the amateur to master. A cloudy day is good to reduce blade glare but sometimes it will dull colors. Try a sunny day, but shoot in the shade. Avoid glare on either the handle or the blade whether you’re shooting indoors or out. You also don’t want dappled light coming through the leaves of a tree to interfere with the hamon, for example, so try to find a solid overhang. You also don’t want reflection to make your blade look different than it is in reality.
Indoor lighting is infinitely more challenging. Low light, fluorescent light, light-painting in a dark room—they all have the potential to become “noisy,” grainy, soft. I will leave it to the articles and videos you’re going to pour over to explain why, but trust me, it’s not easy. Sometimes, in light-painting for example, the pins might absorb all the light and they take over the picture. Or the handle’s too dark, or the handle’s visible, but the blade looks dull. Changing the countless variables on this project will help you get the right shot out of your many attempts. It can help to take notes so you know what you’ve tried and whether or not it worked.
Avoid using the flash inside your camera. It will only give you an overlit image that makes your work look flat. An external flash, shot off a wall or ceiling or even a white T-shirt, or an extra light diffused with a white paper bag, may help, but now your knifemaking shop has turned into a spaceship and you’re behind in your orders.
Specs
Images need to be 300 dpi for print with the photo at least 8 inches on the longest side, preferably 10. The image size should be at the very least 600 KB. It’s not that we’ll run it that large, but we need to have the option to do so, especially if we’re doing a cutaway and the knife doesn’t fill the frame.
We prefer .jpg format, and that you attach the image file rather than dragging it into the email. Sometimes that can make a difference in resolution quality, though it admittedly shouldn’t. Also, for similar reasons, submit originals and not versions scraped from Facebook or other social media platform, even for online stories.
Remember, it’s all about the knife here at BLADE. Oh, and makers and manufacturers, too. But without a fantastic photo of a knife as a starting point, how are we ever going to get to know you better?
“101 Knife Designs” is not only filled with great comparisons of blade designs and design theory, but offers terrific examples of exceptional knife photography by Hiro Soga.
Knifemakers of all skill levels will enjoy comparing knife designs in this book by Murray Carter. The photographs by Hiro Soga are exquisite! There is even a discussion on the theory of knife design to help you better understand your craft. Save 35 percent off the cover cost of $29.99 for a total of $19.99.
