EXCITING WORKSHOP PHOTOGRAPHY using SLOW SHUTTER SPEEDS

[David Darom]

Relatively low lighting inside workshops allows using
SLOW SHUTTER SPEEDS to document exciting action and
movement in various stages of the knifemaking process.

A TRIPOD and shutter speeds of 1/2 second or slower
will capture the flowing motion while everything else
is rendered nice and sharp.

Here are two examples from the book I did on Van Barnett and Dellana.

First a 1/2 second exposure documenting Van Barnett reaching
the final blade thickness while moving the magnetic table top surface
back and forth under the rotating precision stone wheel.
The wheel is lowered slowly until the bar reaches an exact final thickness.

This was the best of about 40 pictures shot during this process and
was chosen because it was the only one where the rotating movement
of the hand is recognizable as such (see the fingers).
A great amount of sparks registers in an exposure of 1/2 a second,
adding drama to the scene.



The second picture was taken while Dellana was forging the billet
that would eventually become the blade. We called this picture “Magic Happens”
as it is an amazing photo showing the flux being applied to a partially heated billet,
flowing down from its container and also flowing upwards with the hot air rising
from the red hot steel....



PLEASE TRY THIS AT HOME!! The results will often be surprisingly pleasing!!

All the best,
David Darom (ddd)

[Allen Newberry]

I really like that flux shot. Thanks for the tip!

[David Darom]

Originally Posted by Allen Newberry

I really like that flux shot. Thanks for the tip!

Experimenting, Allen, will for sure produce one or two
amazing pictures.

All the best,
David Darom (ddd)

[David Darom]

Here is another example of using SLOW SHUTTER SPEED
photography. In this case it was used to capture movement in
the process of creating the Twist Damascus for the spacers
in Tim Hancock's Dogbone Dagger.

First, using a tripod, I take a test shot to check the
composition as well as the position of the camera relative
to what is going to happen.




When satisfied that I will be able to capture the process correctly,
I begin to shoot while Tim is "Twisting". Now I am using a relatively
slow shutter speed (adjusting the aperture as needed - beforehand).

All this has to be done quickly as I prefer to photograph the WIP
as it is happening - sometimes not really knowing what exactly to expect.
I have to trust my instincts of over 40 years as a professional photographer
and always like the challenge of properly documenting the unexpected
while it unfolds in front of my eyes...



All the best,
David Darom (ddd)

[David Darom]

Here is one more picture photographed using the SLOW SHUTTER SPEED
for my book "The Art Knives of Van Barnett & Dellana" (2011).

Although the picture speaks for itself, here is its description from the book:

"Cutting the Pearl Scales"
Dellana is using a jeweler's saw with a fine blade (note the size of the blade
in relation to her fingernails), to cut out a rough profile of the gorgeous
Mother-of-Pearl slab chosen for the scales of the handle. This is done carefully or
the pearl will chip or break, not a desirable thing.
Also, notice the speed of the sawing being done. The pearl is held down by her
left hand and the jeweler's saw is used with her right hand.
Many years of using this hand tool have made Dellana adept at not breaking
these tiny blades.

The picture was photographed by my son, Nir.

All the best,
David Darom (ddd)

[David Darom]

The relatively low lighting available in an average workshop
usually demands longer exposures, so using a tripod is a must.
Wide apertures can help control the shutter speed but will
generally blur background and foreground sections in the picture.

SO, why not take advantage of this fact and plan a shooting angle
that will include a totally out-of-focus subject of interest in the picture?

The picture below tell the story of Van Barnett and Dellana sharing
the same workshop. Focussing close up on Van blurs Dellana's image
in the background even more - but nevertheless tell the whole story...

Planing the angle and checking the subject relative to the foreground
AND the background can produce more interesting pictures...

All the best,
David Darom (ddd)

[David Darom]

It is not often that a large part of the foreground in a
photograph is blurred out of focus and yet greatly
adds to the basic concept of a picture.

The picture below, photographed by my son Nir, focusses
on me while I was waiting for the right moment to capture
Dellana at work.

It was meant as a portrait of me at work and is ever so much
more dramatic because Dellana, in the foreground, is deliberately
completely blurred out of focus.
I eventually chose to use this shot as a full page illustration for
the Epilogue in the book.

Experience and carefully planing the selective focus can from
time to time come up with extraordinary pictures. Many times,
though, the result may be a disaster....

All the best,
David Darom (ddd)

[Allen Newberry]

Cool effect!

[David Darom]

Originally Posted by Allen Newberry

Cool effect!

Thanks, Allen!

Here are some additional workshop picture ideas for maximum impact:

Enlarged close-up views reveal details not immediately obvious when
looking at a finished knife.

Enlargements are usually "wow" pictures but with a little thought
they can become truly exciting.

One way is to capture reflections of the tiny objects or feature
the objects and their reflections.

Here is one such example: Two tiny gold screws made by Van Barnett,
and created to hold the pearl slabs in the handle of one of his folders.
Their reflections add depth and interest to this shot taken last year
in Van and Dellana's new workshop... I liked the result so much
that I decided - for its dramatic effect - to display it on a full page,
showing the tiny screws many, many times their actual size...

All the best,
David Darom (ddd)

[David Darom]

Moving in very close to enlarge relatively small sections
in a finished knife can sometimes reveal amazing details.

Here is an extreme close-up picture of a finished and etched Finial that
secures the handle in place and is internally threaded to the tang extension.
It belongs to the Dogbone Dagger that Tim Hancock made for his book
and was photographed in his workshop during my visit in 2008.

Knife people will immediately recognize it for what it is, but can
you imagine the semi-abstract display such a picture will create
when enlarged to a poster size of 1 meter or more?




For those wondering what it looks like in a "life size" view, here is
a "normal" view of the finished handle of Tim Hancock's Dogbone Dagger,
with the "tiny" Finial at its end...




All the best,
David Darom (ddd)