Knife Photography

One of the best ways to get knives in front of buyers is professional photography - ideally by a specialist.

Weyer of Toledo

One such professional - and in my humble opinion the world's best - is Weyer of Toledo: Jim and Louise Weyer, who served the knifemaking community for many years. Quite a few makers can look to the Weyers, as well as their own talents, for the level of success they reached.

Weyer photos not only got printed in the top knife magazines, but if you were fortunate, one of your knives might appear in Weyer's Points of Interest books. There were different packages based on your ability to pay: the least expensive was black-and-white, with Jim and Louise sending the photography to the magazines. I preferred the color package - my knives were shot in both color and black-and-white.

Weyer would also shoot your knife as an illustration shot - very eye-appealing photographs that let Jim use his creativity to the fullest, and the photos he sorted through when compiling the Points of Interest books. Some of those photographs became almost household names after publication. Along with attaining my Mastersmith rating, having a knife featured in a Weyer Points of Interest book was one of my knifemaking goals.

I used the Weyers to shoot my knives for the Blade Magazine calendar two years running - the response was overwhelming. All because I spent the extra dollars to have my knives professionally photographed by the best in the business.

Choosing a photographer

There are many photographers offering services to the knifemaking fraternity, and price is not always the best deciding factor. Use your best judgment: check the knife magazines and see whose photos are being used. Which photos catch your eye?

Some photographers set up at knife shows, but in my experience you are better off having your knife shot in the studio - they have more time and can reshoot. The added cost of shipping and insurance should not override your search for quality.

Fittingly, the photographs in this site's gallery came from magazine photography of Dave's own work.