Folding Knife Photography

folding knife photography

By Jon Warren. Last updated:

In order to become a true Soldster, you must master the art of product photography. The importance of this cannot be over-stated. The old cliche 'A picture is worth a thousand words' is never more true than when selling something. However, as all Soldster's know, we are trying to make money. We are attempting to get as many items completed per hour as possible. To reach that goal, we must be SWIFT. We can't lollygag around. That means, in folding knife photography, we should have no more than six minutes PER KNIFE invested in taking photos. REPEAT: From the time we take the knife out of its inventory bag, to the time we put it back in, no more than six minutes should elapse. If we can maintain this pace, we should be able to complete product photography for TEN (10) items in ONE hour.

This means we have no time for cropping images, so we must frame the shot properly from the beginning. We have no time to go back and edit or rotate images in photoshop. We must shoot and repeat, as quickly as possible.

How many photos should we include per listing?

For Folding Knives, there must be a minimum of 7 photos, and no more than 12 photos. Take 12 for a multiple-knife set. Take only 7 photos for a typical MINT IN BOX or loose folding knife.

THE SHOTS

Shot #1 : MAIN SHOT - The box and all

shot 1

1. Arrange the shoot so the image includes the box, the knife, and any paperwork. If it is possible to balance the open knife on top of the box, do it.
2. The KNIFE shoot be shot from FRONT side, with SHIELD showing.

Shot #2 : FRONT/SIDE VIEW with all blades out

shot 2

Take a shot of just the knife, all blades out, with the SHIELD side facing.

Shot #3 : FRONT TANG SHOT

shot 3

Zoom in, to 5x or higher, and shoot the front tang and top of front bolster

Shot #4 : REAR TANG SHOT (if applicable)

shot 4

Zoom in, to 5x or higher, and shoot the REAR tang and top of rear bolster. NOTE: This is especially important for Case knives, so always take a shot of the rear tang or Pattern Number on all Case knives.

Shot #5 : BACK/SIDE VIEW

shot 5

Take a shot similar to SHOT #2 but of the BACK side of the whole knife, with blades extended.

Shot #6 : TOP FRONT VIEW CLOSED

shot 6

This is an overhead view looking down into the liner of the knife, with the blades CLOSED.

shot 7

Shot #7 : TOP BACK VIEW CLOSED

This is an overhead view looking down at the back spring of the knife.

shot 8

Shot 8 through 12 : ONLY IF A MULTI-KNIFE SET OR SPECIAL EDITION

Take other photos as needed for special cases. If you have a set with several boxes, paperwork, knives, arrange them into SHOT 1

NEVER TAKE MORE THAN 12 PHOTOS!

Now move on to the next knife.

Try to get into a groove, and move on to the next item in the shoot as quickly as possible.