Post by: jazzbass on October 05, 2017, 11:52:00 PM
The first version I did has a border of all the different boxes from c 1940 - present:
(http://sakinfo.com/final-boxes-small.jpg)
I also did a version without the boxes, which I think is cleaner but does lose a little historic significance:
(http://sakinfo.com/final-no-boxes-small.jpg)
Post by: GoatDragon on October 05, 2017, 11:55:22 PM
Post by: AimlessWanderer on October 06, 2017, 12:29:51 AM
If you don't mind me asking, what kind of percentage of the overall collection is this?
Post by: jaydar on October 06, 2017, 12:39:58 AM
If this does not win a recount should be demanded :)
I think this should be my new wallpaper
Post by: Syncop8r on October 06, 2017, 02:21:09 AM
Post by: detron on October 06, 2017, 02:25:54 AM
I prefer the second photo myself over the first.
Post by: detron on October 06, 2017, 02:27:40 AM
(http://decentfilms.com/uploads/articles/mission-impossible.jpg)
Post by: NorCalJim on October 06, 2017, 03:17:48 AM
Holy cow, so many SAKs! :o Awesome composition and shot! :tu:
+1
My first thought was "Holy Cow!" and then I saw your response--almost word for word my thoughts! Amazing composition!!!
:salute:
Jim
Post by: Frater_Martin on October 06, 2017, 04:51:12 AM
And there are two issues which I can't even imagine: how it was arranged and how you took photos of this.
Post by: Aloha on October 06, 2017, 05:36:00 AM
Post by: SteveC on October 06, 2017, 05:39:54 AM
Post by: gerleatherberman on October 06, 2017, 05:46:18 AM
Thanks for sharing!
Post by: Ron Who on October 06, 2017, 06:03:30 AM
Post by: El Corkscrew on October 06, 2017, 06:04:23 AM
Post by: theonew on October 06, 2017, 06:09:33 AM
Post by: koke on October 06, 2017, 06:42:51 AM
I see a winner here. :like:
Good point the history of the boxes. :tu:
Post by: jazzbass on October 06, 2017, 07:05:03 AM
If you don't mind me asking, what kind of percentage of the overall collection is this?
Probably about half. Underrepresented in this picture are the thicker, 5+ layer knives. They're so tall that they don't photograph well - look around the bottom you can see what I mean. They really need to be in the center of the image to avoid lens distortion, weird perspective and long shadows. So while there are one or two Champions and SwissChamps in this shot, it is definitely heavy on the Golfer/Spartan/Tourist side of things. I'd guess I used 75% of my 1-3 layer knives, 50% of my 4 layers and 25% of my 5+ layer knives in this.
I prefer the second photo myself over the first.
I do as well. It's just cleaner and *feels* better to me. I actually submitted the boxes shot to the contest, but my wife thinks I should have a copy of this printed out for display. If I do that I'll definitely do the one without boxes.
I made a third version of this with no boxes and added an XL and XLT in the upper left and right corners, respectively. I like that it has all the different models in my collection, but unfortunately it tends to give off a very "QR code" sort of vibe.
Post by: GoatDragon on October 06, 2017, 08:09:55 AM
Post by: EMZ on October 06, 2017, 09:10:46 AM
2nd pic is better, I think. The boxes distract, because their composition is different from that of the knives.
When I submitted my pictures (2), I got both times an e-mail from Vic. I suppose you submit once again. But do it before it is too late!!!
Post by: LeaF on October 06, 2017, 09:47:13 AM
Btw Jazzbass, what is that Victorinox logo centerpiece in both photographs?
I think it's a special box, which was used in some limited runs
Post by: moonweasel on October 06, 2017, 10:01:10 AM
Post by: glenfiddich1983 on October 06, 2017, 10:37:40 AM
Post by: jaya_man on October 06, 2017, 10:43:57 AM
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Post by: jnoxyd on October 06, 2017, 12:20:07 PM
Post by: Chako on October 06, 2017, 12:22:11 PM
Post by: twiliter on October 06, 2017, 12:28:56 PM
Post by: GigaHz on October 06, 2017, 12:34:24 PM
Post by: pfrsantos on October 06, 2017, 12:34:40 PM
:facepalm:
Show content
27 differences so far...
:ahhh :ahhh :ahhh :ahhh
:ahhh :ahhh :ahhh :ahhh
Post by: Barry Rowland on October 06, 2017, 12:35:43 PM
Post by: jazzbass on October 06, 2017, 02:10:18 PM
When I submitted my pictures (2), I got both times an e-mail from Vic. I suppose you submit once again. But do it before it is too late!!!
Very helpful, thank you. When you submitted, did you get a email response immediately or was there a delay? I just resubmitted and still no response.
Post by: jaya_man on October 06, 2017, 02:54:20 PM
There should be an immediate confirmation screen if submission was successful... I never got confirmation email even then I can see my entries.When I submitted my pictures (2), I got both times an e-mail from Vic. I suppose you submit once again. But do it before it is too late!!!
Very helpful, thank you. When you submitted, did you get a email response immediately or was there a delay? I just resubmitted and still no response.
I think they udpate the gallery once a day during work hours... that means submission on fridays after office hours will only be seen on Monday.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Post by: VICMAN on October 06, 2017, 03:12:55 PM
Decided to take a pic for the Victorinox contest that represented my collection. The goal was to capture all the different model and scale variations along with instances of all the different tools that I could. I'm pretty happy with how they came out - the full res images (6000x4000) are clear enough that you can read all the details on the knives.
The first version I did has a border of all the different boxes from c 1940 - present:
(http://sakinfo.com/final-boxes-small.jpg)
I also did a version without the boxes, which I think is cleaner but does lose a little historic significance:
(http://sakinfo.com/final-no-boxes-small.jpg)
Very impressive! :like: :tu: :tu:
Post by: jaya_man on October 06, 2017, 05:23:24 PM
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Post by: jazzbass on October 06, 2017, 05:38:48 PM
Just checked, your pics are now showing jazzbass :cheers:
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Haha... I just saw the same - both are up there. I guess I'm in! Thanks guys. :cheers:
Post by: Peter1960 on October 06, 2017, 07:08:21 PM
I give my kudos to you :tu:
Post by: ColoSwiss on October 06, 2017, 09:08:02 PM
Post by: strmliner on October 06, 2017, 09:47:04 PM
Holy cow, so many SAKs! :o Awesome composition and shot! :tu:
:2tu: +1 :2tu:
JB, you are the man! Any updates on your efforts with the book?
Post by: VICMAN on October 06, 2017, 11:01:03 PM
Decided to take a pic for the Victorinox contest that represented my collection. The goal was to capture all the different model and scale variations along with instances of all the different tools that I could. I'm pretty happy with how they came out - the full res images (6000x4000) are clear enough that you can read all the details on the knives.
The first version I did has a border of all the different boxes from c 1940 - present:
(http://sakinfo.com/final-boxes-small.jpg)
I also did a version without the boxes, which I think is cleaner but does lose a little historic significance:
(http://sakinfo.com/final-no-boxes-small.jpg)
I saw your pictures posted on the Victorinox gallery page and it looks to me like you should have a good chance. :like: :tu: :tu: :cheers:
Post by: GigaHz on October 07, 2017, 12:06:51 AM
Post by: Steinar on October 07, 2017, 01:30:44 AM
Post by: Frailer on October 07, 2017, 05:29:33 PM
Holy cow...
My response exactly.
Very cool.
Post by: Zhenchok on October 07, 2017, 05:43:05 PM
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Post by: BerkshireHunter on October 07, 2017, 11:14:45 PM
:like:
Post by: Poncho65 on October 09, 2017, 12:57:37 PM
Post by: Huntsman on October 09, 2017, 02:14:25 PM
Well done Vic for prompting JB to take this photo :salute: and so glad you enterred JB :tu:
As others have said ,,, amazing collection - beautifully arranged layout - and stunning photo - You must have got a crane in to suspend yourself over the collection for the click!!
And again as others said .. if this does not win - something has gone wrong in the world
Also, as we all know here, there could not be a more worthy winner.
You can blow this photo up on your screen and look at it for hours, wandering around marvelling at the various models and trying to work out what they all are ???
And really good to see the knife that surprised you back on the boards - Centre one o'clock - Wasn't it the Officers Knife that was 100mm not 91 ? Or something like that ?
I was going to enter the competition - But was on hols last week and forgot :twak:
Of course my pic would not have been in the same league, but it would have been nice to partake.
I do think this was a brilliant competition idea by Vic - I've only looked at a few photos - But they all are nice to see - And it's great to read all the associated the stories.
Post by: jaya_man on October 09, 2017, 04:51:45 PM
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Post by: Ron Who on October 09, 2017, 07:04:55 PM
Post by: Mechanickal on October 09, 2017, 08:21:01 PM
Feeling quite pissed...
Post by: Sneider on October 09, 2017, 10:37:09 PM
None of my entries were ever shown on their site...
Feeling quite pissed...
Oddly. Why should Victorinox ignore a serious submission? :shrug:
Maybe this helps:
- Photos uploaded at the first days of the competition are no longer seen.
- Participation is only possible once per person. Maybe Victorinox has erased multiple logins.
- The English and the German sites show different galleries.
Post by: jaya_man on October 10, 2017, 02:44:19 AM
The Contest starts at 12:00 a.m. (GMT +01:00) on September 19, 2017, and will run until October 6, 2017, at 11:59 p.m. (GMT +01:00).I stand corrected, somehow October 9 stuck in the back of my mind :cheers:
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Post by: jaya_man on October 10, 2017, 03:00:07 AM
I can still see all of my entries though...None of my entries were ever shown on their site...
Feeling quite pissed...
Oddly. Why should Victorinox ignore a serious submission? :shrug:
Maybe this helps:
- Photos uploaded at the first days of the competition are no longer seen.
- Participation is only possible once per person. Maybe Victorinox has erased multiple logins.
- The English and the German sites show different galleries.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Post by: FolderBeholder on October 10, 2017, 12:33:25 PM
The first version I did has a border of all the different boxes from c 1940 - present:
All those boxes! :cheers: Love 'em! :like: :drool: :like:
I like the knives too of course. :tu:
Post by: NorCalJim on October 10, 2017, 01:37:22 PM
The first version I did has a border of all the different boxes from c 1940 - present:
All those boxes! :cheers: Love 'em! :like: :drool: :like:
I like the knives too of course. :tu:
When I saw all of those boxes, I thought of your affinity for mint SAKs in boxes. This collection is the most amazing thing that I have seen on this site.
Jim
Post by: jazzbass on October 19, 2017, 12:43:19 AM
When I started this project, I didn’t really understand how much of a pain it would be. I am an amateur photographer to say the least – I really know embarrassingly little about photography. Fortunately, my sister is a professional photographer and she helped figure a lot of things out.
Starting off, my goal was to get as many knives in the shot as possible. The goal was 300+ (final number was 472, so better than I hoped for). To maximize the number of knives in the shot, I figured I’d lay them out in an area the same dimensions as the image sensor in the camera. I took this shot with a Nikon D610 full frame DSLR which has a 36x24mm sensor. Since 6x4 was my target ratio, the easiest thing to do was grab a full sheet of plywood (4 ft x 8 ft), use the full width and 6 of 8 ft of length, and use that as the base:
(https://sakinfo.com/shot/post01.jpg)
I covered the plywood in white Kraft paper (that conveniently comes in 4 ft wide rolls). I knew lining up the knives without any guide would be a challenge, so I measured off and marked 1” increments along the side of the plywood and stuck thumbtacks in each line – 244 thumbtacks total.
(https://sakinfo.com/shot/post02.jpg)
Then I took some white polyester thread and strung it between all the tacks making a grid:
(https://sakinfo.com/shot/post03.jpg)
Then I tackled the layout. Started with the logo in the center and just build out from around that. I had a few goals in mind:
1. Create an interesting pattern that didn’t have too much repetition in knife direction and style
2. Show a lot of the different tools
3. Represent all the different scale types and have a decent variation in color
4. Include very important and historic models
5. Show the basic evolution of the officer’s knife from 1890 – present. This is the purpose of the row of at the top.
This took longer than I thought it was going to. Like A LOT longer. Like an amount of time I’m embarrassed to quantify so I just say “a lot”.
(https://sakinfo.com/shot/post04.jpg)
With the layout mostly finished, I moved the plywood to the floor on top of a couple furniture dollies. This allowed me to roll the entire layout around to adjust it in frame, set up lights, fix the camera, etc.
(https://sakinfo.com/shot/post05.jpg)
Now time for the first test shots. At first I tried to use the 50mm prime lens I usually keep on my Nikon for general photography. To completely frame a 6 ft x 4 ft area with a 50mm lens I need about 10 ft of distance between the camera and subject. Lucky for me the ceiling in my garage is 10.5 ft high, and there is a hole in it to allow access to the attic space above. So, I mounted the camera in the attic access hole (red arrow in the pictures above and below).
(https://sakinfo.com/shot/post06.jpg)
I took some test shots. That’s when I ran into my first problem – distortion:
(https://sakinfo.com/shot/post07.jpg)
The focal length on the 50mm lens is too short to shoot something this big without distorting it. You can see here how the edges of the shot aren’t even remotely square and are being bent in via barrel distortion. It most obvious on the long edges and in the corners:
(https://sakinfo.com/shot/post08.png)
I called my sister and she said a longer focal length lens would help lessen the distortion. After debating several options, I decided to try an 85mm prime lens. For the same size subject this would allow me to move the camera back further, get the same area in frame but with a lot less distortion. I could have used a zoom lens (e.g. 70-200) but I was really concerned with preserving as much fine detail in the full res shot as possible. To get that sort of sharpness with a zoom lens would mean buying/renting a $2000+ professional quality lens. Not really in the budget. A pro quality prime lens, however, can be had for a little less than a consumer quality zoom, so that’s the route I went. With the 85mm lens I needed 14 ft of distance between camera and subject, so I set up my tripod in the attic:
(https://sakinfo.com/shot/post09.jpg)
One of the most important factors to getting this shot to work is shown here: the remote tethering setup. I can power the camera from A/C power instead of a battery (blue arrow) and connect the camera to my PC via USB (red arrow). So the camera can stay on for hours while I set up the shot, and I can control the camera completely from software called CameraRC on my laptop:
(https://sakinfo.com/shot/post10.jpg)
Live preview, shutter speed, aperture settings, ISO, focus point, and shutter release can all be remotely controlled from the software. I can take a shot, download from the camera that's 14 ft up in the attic, open the shot in Photoshop and check my settings and alignment. Straighten some knives out, tweak a few things in the layout (rearrange things that look odd, tighten up some spacing, etc), adjust the lighting, and do it again. Lather, rinse, repeat until I’m satisfied with the shot.
Speaking of lights, this was the other fun part of the shoot – lighting over 450 shiny metal and plastic objects and taking a photo of them without pro levels of lighting gear is a challenge. A friend of mine has a photography business and suggested I get a lot of LED work lights and point them all up, bouncing the light off the ceiling and wall to light the shot indirectly. So that’s what I did:
(https://sakinfo.com/shot/post11.jpg)
And that worked great. There could have been more light, but with the camera on a tripod it wasn’t a huge deal – just slow the shutter speed down. I was able to get the shot fairly evenly lit with not a lot of heavy shadows on the knives. It left the background paper a bit greyish, which turns out I liked – it made the tools and the lighter knives stand out more. At the end it just needed a little color correction and clean up work in Photoshop - taking out dust specs, stray eyelashes, stuff like that. And done!
Really the key to all this was my garage layout. I just got extremely lucky here. The height of the ceiling was perfect. Setting up the camera in the attic and shooting through the access hole worked perfectly. The fact that I painted my garage bright white (mainly to reflect as much light as possible when working on cars) worked out perfectly when lighting the shot.
Post by: detron on October 19, 2017, 12:50:22 AM
Post by: jazzbass on October 19, 2017, 12:54:46 AM
So here are the final two shots. After the contest deadline was past I reviewed the earlier shots and made some tweaks to the layout and the lighting. One of my friends pointed out that the digital clocks were out of sync so I fixed that too (if you're going to be OCD, be OCD). I decided to skip the box idea, and the "big knife in all four corners" idea ended up looking too much like a QR code for my taste so that got dumped too. I did end up with one shot with the center logo and one without. The full res image (6000x4000) is big enough to have a poster printed from it, so I'm going to order one this week and see how it turns out. Click the thumbnails below to see larger images.
With logo (472 knives):
(http://sakinfo.com/new%20final%20logo%20tiny.jpg) (http://sakinfo.com/new%20final%20logo%20large.jpg)
And without (477 knives):
(http://sakinfo.com/new%20final%20no%20tiny.jpg) (http://sakinfo.com/new%20final%20no%20logo%20large.jpg)
Post by: Fuzzbucket on October 19, 2017, 01:55:37 AM
A couple people were asking how I got the shot. Here's probably more info than you want to know.
Absolutely brilliant...!
Post by: Huntsman on October 19, 2017, 02:12:38 AM
A couple people were asking how I got the shot. Here's probably more info than you want to know.Definitely not too much detail JB - It was pretty clear that this shot did not happen by accident - Thanks for sharing - Brilliant :salute:
- Loved the picture initially and love it even more now :tu:
And I was closer than I thought !! ;)
You must have got a crane in to suspend yourself over the collection for the click!!As you say - So lucky with ceiling heights, painted walls, loft door hole size etc etc
Loved the remote control aspects - and the synchronising the times is hilarious - But of course essential ;)
Anyway folks - I want to know the results now - As do we all I'm sure
EDIT: Although Vic have quite a job on their hands I'd say ... apart from our obvious winner of course ;)
BTW JB - You do know you'll need to totally redo the shot to add in the wood and gold Compact - eh ??? ;) :o
PS - And do we spy your collection boxes at the back of the garage? - Or is that your regular tools? :)
EDIT PS - Will you be selling the poster - I'd buy one !!
Post by: ColoSwiss on October 19, 2017, 02:51:37 AM
Post by: jaya_man on October 19, 2017, 02:52:57 AM
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Post by: El Corkscrew on October 19, 2017, 03:16:25 AM
Thanks detron!
So here are the final two shots. After the contest deadline was past I reviewed the earlier shots and made some tweaks to the layout and the lighting. One of my friends pointed out that the digital clocks were out of sync so I fixed that too (if you're going to be OCD, be OCD). I decided to skip the box idea, and the "big knife in all four corners" idea ended up looking too much like a QR code for my taste so that got dumped too. I did end up with one shot with the center logo and one without. The full res image (6000x4000) is big enough to have a poster printed from it, so I'm going to order one this week and see how it turns out. Click the thumbnails below to see larger images.
With logo (472 knives):
(http://sakinfo.com/new%20final%20logo%20tiny.jpg) (http://sakinfo.com/new%20final%20logo%20large.jpg)
And without (477 knives):
(http://sakinfo.com/new%20final%20no%20tiny.jpg) (http://sakinfo.com/new%20final%20no%20logo%20large.jpg)
eye candy
Post by: gregozedobe on October 19, 2017, 03:22:43 AM
And I had a quiet chuckle to myself when I read "(if you're going to be OCD, be OCD)". I think there are a few people on MTo who can (or should) identify with that statement (including me) :D
Post by: Aloha on October 19, 2017, 06:55:50 AM
Thanks for all the info about taking the shot, I enjoyed reading about it :tu:
And I had a quiet chuckle to myself when I read "(if you're going to be OCD, be OCD)". I think there are a few people on MTo who can (or should) identify with that statement (including me) :D
I also enjoyed you sharing how these terrific pictures were taken.
Post by: supershaji on October 19, 2017, 07:58:31 AM
I can imagine how satisfying the end result must have been - the collection of this scale deserves a tribute in deed.
Kudos.
Posting a picture I took last month of a part of my young collection, a moment of pride (until now)
(https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20171019/6b3cf939b36b17b3068db0aa06c3f2ac.jpg)
Hope it doesn't give you a complex
Post by: VICMAN on October 19, 2017, 12:45:26 PM
A couple people were asking how I got the shot. Here's probably more info than you want to know.
When I started this project, I didn’t really understand how much of a pain it would be. I am an amateur photographer to say the least – I really know embarrassingly little about photography. Fortunately, my sister is a professional photographer and she helped figure a lot of things out.
Starting off, my goal was to get as many knives in the shot as possible. The goal was 300+ (final number was 472, so better than I hoped for). To maximize the number of knives in the shot, I figured I’d lay them out in an area the same dimensions as the image sensor in the camera. I took this shot with a Nikon D610 full frame DSLR which has a 36x24mm sensor. Since 6x4 was my target ratio, the easiest thing to do was grab a full sheet of plywood (4 ft x 8 ft), use the full width and 6 of 8 ft of length, and use that as the base:
(https://sakinfo.com/shot/post01.jpg)
I covered the plywood in white Kraft paper (that conveniently comes in 4 ft wide rolls). I knew lining up the knives without any guide would be a challenge, so I measured off and marked 1” increments along the side of the plywood and stuck thumbtacks in each line – 244 thumbtacks total.
(https://sakinfo.com/shot/post02.jpg)
Then I took some white polyester thread and strung it between all the tacks making a grid:
(https://sakinfo.com/shot/post03.jpg)
Then I tackled the layout. Started with the logo in the center and just build out from around that. I had a few goals in mind:
1. Create an interesting pattern that didn’t have too much repetition in knife direction and style
2. Show a lot of the different tools
3. Represent all the different scale types and have a decent variation in color
4. Include very important and historic models
5. Show the basic evolution of the officer’s knife from 1890 – present. This is the purpose of the row of at the top.
This took longer than I thought it was going to. Like A LOT longer. Like an amount of time I’m embarrassed to quantify so I just say “a lot”.
(https://sakinfo.com/shot/post04.jpg)
With the layout mostly finished, I moved the plywood to the floor on top of a couple furniture dollies. This allowed me to roll the entire layout around to adjust it in frame, set up lights, fix the camera, etc.
(https://sakinfo.com/shot/post05.jpg)
Now time for the first test shots. At first I tried to use the 50mm prime lens I usually keep on my Nikon for general photography. To completely frame a 6 ft x 4 ft area with a 50mm lens I need about 10 ft of distance between the camera and subject. Lucky for me the ceiling in my garage is 10.5 ft high, and there is a hole in it to allow access to the attic space above. So, I mounted the camera in the attic access hole (red arrow in the pictures above and below).
(https://sakinfo.com/shot/post06.jpg)
I took some test shots. That’s when I ran into my first problem – distortion:
(https://sakinfo.com/shot/post07.jpg)
The focal length on the 50mm lens is too short to shoot something this big without distorting it. You can see here how the edges of the shot aren’t even remotely square and are being bent in via barrel distortion. It most obvious on the long edges and in the corners:
(https://sakinfo.com/shot/post08.png)
I called my sister and she said a longer focal length lens would help lessen the distortion. After debating several options, I decided to try an 85mm prime lens. For the same size subject this would allow me to move the camera back further, get the same area in frame but with a lot less distortion. I could have used a zoom lens (e.g. 70-200) but I was really concerned with preserving as much fine detail in the full res shot as possible. To get that sort of sharpness with a zoom lens would mean buying/renting a $2000+ professional quality lens. Not really in the budget. A pro quality prime lens, however, can be had for a little less than a consumer quality zoom, so that’s the route I went. With the 85mm lens I needed 14 ft of distance between camera and subject, so I set up my tripod in the attic:
(https://sakinfo.com/shot/post09.jpg)
One of the most important factors to getting this shot to work is shown here: the remote tethering setup. I can power the camera from A/C power instead of a battery (blue arrow) and connect the camera to my PC via USB (red arrow). So the camera can stay on for hours while I set up the shot, and I can control the camera completely from software called CameraRC on my laptop:
(https://sakinfo.com/shot/post10.jpg)
Live preview, shutter speed, aperture settings, ISO, focus point, and shutter release can all be remotely controlled from the software. I can take a shot, download from the camera that's 14 ft up in the attic, open the shot in Photoshop and check my settings and alignment. Straighten some knives out, tweak a few things in the layout (rearrange things that look odd, tighten up some spacing, etc), adjust the lighting, and do it again. Lather, rinse, repeat until I’m satisfied with the shot.
Speaking of lights, this was the other fun part of the shoot – lighting over 450 shiny metal and plastic objects and taking a photo of them without pro levels of lighting gear is a challenge. A friend of mine has a photography business and suggested I get a lot of LED work lights and point them all up, bouncing the light off the ceiling and wall to light the shot indirectly. So that’s what I did:
(https://sakinfo.com/shot/post11.jpg)
And that worked great. There could have been more light, but with the camera on a tripod it wasn’t a huge deal – just slow the shutter speed down. I was able to get the shot fairly evenly lit with not a lot of heavy shadows on the knives. It left the background paper a bit greyish, which turns out I liked – it made the tools and the lighter knives stand out more. At the end it just needed a little color correction and clean up work in Photoshop - taking out dust specs, stray eyelashes, stuff like that. And done!
Really the key to all this was my garage layout. I just got extremely lucky here. The height of the ceiling was perfect. Setting up the camera in the attic and shooting through the access hole worked perfectly. The fact that I painted my garage bright white (mainly to reflect as much light as possible when working on cars) worked out perfectly when lighting the shot.
You did an amazing job and the pictures are very impressive.
Thanks for sharing the process involved .
:like: :tu: :tu: :salute:
Post by: Huntsman on October 19, 2017, 03:41:36 PM
That's two whole screen-fulls on my computer - and probably about 10 on a smart phone
Post by: Ron Who on October 19, 2017, 05:14:23 PM
@Vicman - Why oh why quote and duplicate the whole post :twak: You're filling up the threads for no reason
That's two whole screen-fulls on my computer - and probably about 10 on a smart phone
OTOH now I could reread your post without scrolling up. :D
Seriously though, I also think most of the quoting is unneccesary.
Post by: El Corkscrew on October 19, 2017, 05:17:00 PM
@Vicman - Why oh why quote and duplicate the whole post :twak: You're filling up the threads for no reason
That's two whole screen-fulls on my computer - and probably about 10 on a smart phone
Seems like more of a system/layout problem than a Vicman problem.
Post by: pfrsantos on October 19, 2017, 05:29:30 PM
This is truly fantastic! What an amazingly diverse collection. How long have you been collecting? Any inherited as well?
I can imagine how satisfying the end result must have been - the collection of this scale deserves a tribute in deed.
Kudos.
Posting a picture I took last month of a part of my young collection, a moment of pride (until now)
(https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20171019/6b3cf939b36b17b3068db0aa06c3f2ac.jpg)
Hope it doesn't give you a complex
Not a bad start, super! Welcome to the forum!
:cheers: :tu:
Post by: Huntsman on October 19, 2017, 10:56:15 PM
I was just thinking of hitting reply, rather than quote when he - errrrm .... replied.
It's usually clear what a reply is about - And certainly was in this case. - So no need to quote
Then you get a 2 line post rather than a 100+ line post
Or you do a partial quote like this:
Seems like more of a system/layout problem than a Vicman problem.Although I understand that is not possible, or difficult ,on some devices
Post by: El Corkscrew on October 19, 2017, 11:30:51 PM
Post by: AimlessWanderer on October 20, 2017, 12:39:13 AM
Thanks for giving us the technical insights Jazz :salute:
Post by: VICMAN on October 20, 2017, 01:39:25 AM
@Vicman - Why oh why quote and duplicate the whole post :twak: You're filling up the threads for no reason
That's two whole screen-fulls on my computer - and probably about 10 on a smart phone
Sorry I offended you Huntsman.
I don't have a smart phone so I did not realize that it was such a problem.
The reason I quoted it was because I was referring to the post that explained how the pictures were taken ...not to the original post.
Post by: Huntsman on October 20, 2017, 02:13:07 AM
Was I offended? - Not sure ??? :D ..... I just thought it was a waste of space :( - As any readers would know to what you were referring ..... I think :think:
And/or if not you could just say something like - "Thanks for the explanation on the photo process" - like 50', Detron, Greg, FuzzB etc did
- As opposed to a 100 line quote !!
Anyway I had better shut up now :twak: as this conversation I have started is also taking up lots of (unwanted) space in this thread :pok:
Sorry JB and team (It's just one of my hot buttons !)
Post by: Syncop8r on October 20, 2017, 02:42:35 AM
A couple people were asking how I got the shot. Here's probably more info than you want to know...
Thanks for the explanation - it helped me appreciate how much effort went into the shots.
@Huntsman: Like my abbreviated quote? ;)
Post by: strmliner on October 20, 2017, 06:57:53 AM
This pic should at least be in the 2018 calendar... The process in taking this pic alone carries “a lot” of merits... :cheers:
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Agreed...sounds like this should be the October picture, no? :like:
Great work JB and also a great explanation on your process setting up the shots. Thanks! :cheers:
Post by: Don Pablo on October 24, 2017, 04:33:16 PM
That is all I have.
Post by: jazzbass on November 28, 2017, 09:43:23 PM
(http://sakinfo.com/puzzle.jpg)
Post by: Mechanickal on November 28, 2017, 09:45:39 PM
My wife had the logo version of the final image made into a puzzle. It is challenging to say the least!What an awesome idea!! :clap:
(http://sakinfo.com/puzzle.jpg)
Post by: zoidberg on November 28, 2017, 09:52:03 PM
Post by: Ron Who on November 28, 2017, 09:56:15 PM
Post by: Don Pablo on November 28, 2017, 10:08:46 PM
:like: :gimme:I think that says it all. :o
Post by: Huntsman on November 28, 2017, 10:10:28 PM
Looks like you got the non-red SAKs done :tu:
Now you gotta do the red ones !!!!! :o :rofl:
Post by: Syncop8r on November 30, 2017, 12:02:39 AM
My wife had the logo version of the final image made into a puzzle. It is challenging to say the least!Where can we buy one? :pok:
(http://sakinfo.com/puzzle.jpg)
Post by: FolderBeholder on November 30, 2017, 12:14:39 AM
My wife had the logo version of the final image made into a puzzle. It is challenging to say the least!Where can we buy one? :pok:
(http://sakinfo.com/puzzle.jpg)
Agreed! :gimme: or rather sell me one! :like: :drool: :like:
Well on second thought....I think the one with the box border would be the bees knees!
Post by: Reinier on February 03, 2018, 10:42:41 PM
I had not seen this thread before. Great photos!
Post by: Gareth on February 03, 2018, 11:10:19 PM
Post by: Wspeed on February 03, 2018, 11:19:29 PM
Second I love the puzzle what a good idea :like: :like: :like:
Post by: alexTOOL on February 03, 2018, 11:36:35 PM
Post by: Thunderpants on February 03, 2018, 11:44:11 PM
What was the result of that competition, by the way?
If Jazz has one thing against him, it's that his picture looks too professional. Whoever filters the lousy photos from the contenders may wrongly assume that this couldn't possibly be the work of some dude who collects penknives, and that he's trying to pass off some corporate advertising shot as his own. In which case the picture could be disqualified - which would of course be a huge injustice.
Next time any of us buys a house with a garage, we'll look up and wonder if there's a neat little hole in the ceiling...
Post by: El Corkscrew on February 04, 2018, 12:16:34 AM
https://youtu.be/Boiq7y413XI
Post by: Thunderpants on February 04, 2018, 12:51:44 AM
Can't say I was too impressed by Victorinox's choices, however. In Hobie's case they were obviously impressed by the focus of his collection - vintage Saks, but most of the others look like they won cos they owned the most display cabinets. And clearly they weren't interested in aesthetics, just quantity.
Post by: Huntsman on February 04, 2018, 05:09:15 AM
Where did the they post the winners and the winning shots/kollections/interviews etc ???
I had a wee look for this on the Vic website recently (including the competition page where you could see the initial entries) and could not find anything
Maybe I'm being dumb or looking in the wrong place :O
But I'd love to properly check out all the winners - I did see a page about the Chinese guy!
Thanks
PS. Thanks for the link to the Hobie vid El C.
Still bummed about JB not winning :(
Post by: El Corkscrew on February 04, 2018, 05:13:41 AM
Hey SAK Kollectors
Where did the they post the winners and the winning shots/kollections/interviews etc ???
I had a wee look for this on the Vic website recently (including the competition page where you could see the initial entries) and could not find anything
Maybe I'm being dumb or looking in the wrong place :O
But I'd love to properly check out all the winners - I did see a page about the Chinese guy!
Thanks
PS. Thanks for the link to the Hobie vid El C.
Still bummed about JB not winning :(
I'm not sure about that info, I'm a hobie subscriber so it was in my YT notifications.
Don't worry, we awl know JB is probably the most legit collector on earth.
:cheers:
Post by: zoidberg on February 04, 2018, 05:30:17 AM
Post by: Reinier on February 04, 2018, 05:57:19 AM
Funny: I can spot 2 or 3 of the actual knives that jazzbass outbid me on.
Post by: El Corkscrew on February 04, 2018, 06:18:13 AM
Post by: Reinier on February 04, 2018, 07:23:41 AM
I wonder if TES, Sneider, or Chako entered... I've seen some very drool worthy stuff from those guys...
I did recognize some other members, like LeaF.
Post by: jaya_man on February 04, 2018, 07:48:05 AM
I wonder if TES, Sneider, or Chako entered... I've seen some very drool worthy stuff from those guys...I know TES and Chako did
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Post by: jaya_man on February 04, 2018, 07:49:26 AM
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Post by: Mechanickal on February 04, 2018, 07:53:52 AM
I got a "Smurf you then" feeling and moved on.
Post by: Reinier on February 04, 2018, 08:15:05 AM
(https://brightkit-contests-live.s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com/ugc/contest-44912/entry/large/img_2567small_zps5g71uhpr_59c31f60e4136_large.jpg)
Post by: El Corkscrew on February 04, 2018, 03:42:06 PM
Chako's entry:
(https://brightkit-contests-live.s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com/ugc/contest-44912/entry/large/img_2567small_zps5g71uhpr_59c31f60e4136_large.jpg)
:like:
And that's just the tip of the tip!
Post by: VICMAN on February 04, 2018, 04:45:16 PM
Chako's entry: :like: :tu: :tu:
Post by: Thunderpants on February 04, 2018, 04:55:54 PM
Post by: Reinier on February 04, 2018, 05:38:21 PM
In Chako's case they probably said, "this guy doesn't need ANY MORE SAKS!"
Have you seen the other entries? ;)
Post by: Wspeed on February 04, 2018, 05:46:28 PM
Chako's entry:Loving your collection :drool:
(https://brightkit-contests-live.s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com/ugc/contest-44912/entry/large/img_2567small_zps5g71uhpr_59c31f60e4136_large.jpg)
Like that it's taking up a whole tool drawer :2tu:
Post by: Thunderpants on February 04, 2018, 05:48:37 PM
Post by: Reinier on February 04, 2018, 05:59:26 PM
Chako's entry:Loving your collection :drool:
(https://brightkit-contests-live.s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com/ugc/contest-44912/entry/large/img_2567small_zps5g71uhpr_59c31f60e4136_large.jpg)
Like that it's taking up a whole tool drawer :2tu:
Not mine!
Post by: Wspeed on February 04, 2018, 06:39:41 PM
:oops:Chako's entry:Loving your collection :drool:
(https://brightkit-contests-live.s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com/ugc/contest-44912/entry/large/img_2567small_zps5g71uhpr_59c31f60e4136_large.jpg)
Like that it's taking up a whole tool drawer :2tu:
Not mine!
Post by: jazzbass on February 07, 2018, 09:29:05 PM
If Jazz has one thing against him, it's that his picture looks too professional. Whoever filters the lousy photos from the contenders may wrongly assume that this couldn't possibly be the work of some dude who collects penknives, and that he's trying to pass off some corporate advertising shot as his own. In which case the picture could be disqualified - which would of course be a huge injustice.
Thanks for the nice comments, guys. I think I had two things go against me. First and most importantly, my picture really only grabs you at high resolutions when you can see all the detail in it. For the context they shrank the images down to (IIRC) something like 600px wide. The original image is 6000px wide and the version I posted here was 2000px, which is the minimum I think you need to get the full effect. Basically they were looking at an images that was about 10% of the size of the the one I posted here and 1% of the original size.
The second issue was the multiple submissions with the boxes and no boxes. I should heave just submitted the no boxes image once and that was it. But with all the confusion of "did it or did it not get posted" I submitted twice, which I think hurt the effort.
In the end it was a fun project for me and I got a great picture out of it. Even got a 36" x 24" print made up that I'm going to frame and hang in my office.
Post by: jaydar on February 09, 2018, 12:21:23 AM
Thanks for the nice comments, guys. I think I had two things go against me. First and most importantly, my picture really only grabs you at high resolutions when you can see all the detail in it. For the context they shrank the images down to (IIRC) something like 600px wide. The original image is 6000px wide and the version I posted here was 2000px, which is the minimum I think you need to get the full effect. Basically they were looking at an images that was about 10% of the size of the the one I posted here and 1% of the original size.
The second issue was the multiple submissions with the boxes and no boxes. I should heave just submitted the no boxes image once and that was it. But with all the confusion of "did it or did it not get posted" I submitted twice, which I think hurt the effort.
In the end it was a fun project for me and I got a great picture out of it. Even got a 36" x 24" print made up that I'm going to frame and hang in my office.
Also I cant be the only person who has the pic as their desktop .... what can I say it relaxes me :)
Post by: pfrsantos on February 09, 2018, 05:50:17 PM
My wife had the logo version of the final image made into a puzzle. It is challenging to say the least!What an awesome idea!! :clap:
(http://sakinfo.com/puzzle.jpg)
+1!
:tu: :tu:
How many pieces? Have you finnished it yet?
:pok: :pok:
Post by: gustophersmob on February 09, 2018, 07:54:27 PM
Just looking at the pic makes me feel happy :cheers:
Post by: Zanza on September 18, 2020, 09:58:32 AM
I assume that all pictures were residing on http://sakinfo.com/ which is not anymore...
Thanks to Archive.org, we are still able to have look at, but it's so small and clearly not the 6000 px wide version sadly :facepalm:
(https://web.archive.org/web/20180216102904if_/http://sakinfo.com/final-no-boxes-small.jpg)
(https://web.archive.org/web/20180216102903if_/http://sakinfo.com/final-boxes-small.jpg)
Post by: Reinier on September 18, 2020, 10:57:47 AM
Post by: Huntsman on September 18, 2020, 01:04:26 PM
The photo(s) were just amazing - His collection is incredible - And the knowledge he shares with the SAK community is priceless
Post by: Aloha on September 18, 2020, 02:59:28 PM
I cannot agree enough. I was also upset for him.
Post by: Rizio Il Ghiro on September 18, 2020, 03:07:45 PM
Post by: Zanza on September 18, 2020, 03:09:13 PM
Post by: Zanza on September 18, 2020, 03:17:51 PM
There is a slightly larger version on his Dorkiphus forum somewhere.
You're right, even if we are still far of a 6000 px res
Here it is...
(https://i.imgur.com/nXpiDf8.jpg)
Post by: Myron on September 18, 2020, 03:45:01 PM
And speaking of JazzBass, I'm still waiting for his definitive book on the subject of SAKs, large and unwieldy a topic though it is...
Post by: Rizio Il Ghiro on September 18, 2020, 03:59:23 PM
Post by: Chako on September 18, 2020, 06:29:13 PM
Post by: Storm on September 20, 2020, 04:39:49 AM
Just now seeing this. What an amazing picture, and the effort to get it was most impressive as well!You and me both chap
Just looking at the pic makes me feel happy :cheers:
Post by: old Lefty on September 20, 2020, 05:40:20 PM
Lähetetty minun SM-T515 laitteesta Tapatalkilla
Post by: munsonhsr on September 20, 2020, 05:53:21 PM