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 Pup's BIGNATION: The Father's ShoesIn Jackson, Mississippi, a few hours north of New Orleans, Fat Tuesday's carnival spills over into the culture at this time of year. It's a little odd, as most of Mississippi is very Protestant and not much given to feast days outside of the 4th of July; but there you have it - proximity to a good party begets a good party. I've been talking to my boys (five and six) about the prequel to Easter: fasting during Lent as real  and symbolic self-denial, Christ's self-imposed time in physical (and emotional) wildlands, and then Resurrection Sunday and that big ham I remember on my mother's table. The oldest wants to give up peanut butter and yellow cheese, two things he despises, and the youngest has decided he'd like to keep his mask and beads, be a court jester when he grows up. Neither has had to wrestle much yet with their father's (or their Father's) expectations.I remember wearing dad's shoes, part of the measuring that comes before the wrasslin', I believe. Part of learning the measure of the one who, you'll admit later, gave you the strength to take him on when the time came. They were his white shoes, the ones he wore for barbershop quartet when I was five and he was in his mid-thirties. I wore one of his old white shirts as a smock, too, when we did our kindergarten and first grade paintings on that impossibly huge easel. The shirt, the shoes, the brush for painting, all impossibly huge, huge like love, huge like  the walk between home and the corner where the wildlands began, the corner where I turned and lost home to sight, walking to school.Anticipation of time in the desert, the needed time of measuring and wrestling one's father and one's Father, is what originally gave Mardi Gras (and Carnival around the world) its verve. That's the emotional truth that animates "A Boy Named Sue," keeps it fresh after all these years: "...we crashed through the wall and into the street, kicking and a' gouging in the mud and the blood and the beer..." Sounds about like New Orleans in February, at least to a Mississippi Protestant. But remember how it ends? "I called him my pa, and he called me his son, And I came away with a different point of view..." So whatever your spiritual tradition enjoy Tuesday's feast, remember the fast that is always just around the corner, and pray take from it the strength and insight that only time in the desert can offer. Randall model #14 mini UPDATE!  "I received a mailing from Randall regarding a new miniature. I sent in a fifty dollar deposit. Do you think I'll actually be able to get one or will they all go to dealers? Best" - Robert A., LA, CA After getting a number of similar e-mails and calls I asked Capt. Chris Standaback for an update and got this thoughtful and detailed response: "The word on ordering the new Randall miniature, as reported by Captain Chris Stanaback (largest "authorized" Randall knife dealer in the South)... Here is the latest information, as of the close of business on Friday, Feb.20,2004, from the Randall shop. 1st preference: email at: grandall@randallknives.com/ for the most effective and fastest way to get through. ( I'm not quite sure about the / at the end of the email, but that is how it was given to me) Billy, Tell your folks that there is a limit of 2 miniatures per household, and each must be held with a $50.00 deposit. AlsO In your correspondence, ask for, or refer your order to Michael Randall. Notes on Lighting Knives for Digital Photography - Billy 'pup' Cochrane  I am often asked how I make (and light) knife images. Over time I've tried a number of approaches such as my improvised light box (right); evidence of this exists in the range of "looks" to the images in the Vintageknives.com catalog. This article (which assumes you have a grasp of the basics of shooting in some format) addresses in detail one technique I am now using based on a mix of daylight and flash. As I gain experience in this area (called "tabletop" or catalog photography in how-to books) and as digital camera technology changes my methods will doubtless evolve, but this is where I am today. Like most of my customers I am not at the point where I want to invest in 400 watt-second power packs and umbrella stands - I need to be able to shoot on a budget and without disrupting the flow of traffic in my home. I have found that the key to well-lit close-up pictures when using consumer-level gear is to take advantage of a little-used feature on many cameras that allows you to fire a full-size, bracket-mounted flash unit. When selecting a camera make sure it has provision for what is called a PC cable - a small port on one side that allows you to connect (and thus automatically synchronize) a full-size flash. The other key consideration in choosing a camera is that it have a very good close-up capability. I currently use a Casio model QV 4000 (one of the top-rated consumer-level digital cameras about two years ago) which as both a PC port and excellent close-up capability. There are several other things I like about the Casio which I will mention as I go through my basic lighting setup.  I mount the Casio on an L-shaped bracket (made by Sunpak) which holds the camera on the short side and the flash up on the long end of the "L". My flash unit, a Vivitar 285 HV, has a tilting head that allows me to bounce light off white, yellow or silver reflectors and then down onto the knife, avoiding harsh shadows and distracting "hot spots". I dial the 285 (an old flash photography workhorse) down to 1/16 power. That splash of fill-flash, fired along with the camera's on-board flash, is how I get my "look". (Note that I replaced the Casio with a Nikon in these demo setup pictures so I could make the demo images with the Casio).
There are many options for reflectors that use hook and loop closures and connect to the flash head, as well as elaborate off-camera systems. I find an assortment of scrap paper in various shades of beige and a rubber band are just as effective. And there is a model of Vivitar flash under the 285 (the 283) but I would spring for the 285 as it has the manual power settings and tilt head. Used 285's are very common on e-Bay. Of course there are other brands with similar features - again, the main ones to look for are: - a tilt head (but not necessarily left-right rotating - an up-and-down range of motion is enough) Several aftermarket suppliers make much longer off-flash cords than the one I am using here, by the way, and it's worth getting one just so you don't pull the PC cable out of the camera when adjusting the bracket position. A very positive aspect of the Casio QV4000 is that it allows you to set the camera on "aperature priority" meaning you can set the aperature yourself between f2.3 and f8. This allows you to "open up" a bit and let ambient daylight "burn in" - what I mean to say is that the One trick in particular that I use is bouncing light from the Vivitar onto window glass in daylight. What happens is most of the flash light goes out, but some bounces back mixed with the outdoor daylight. I look for a slightly overcast day, put the knife near a window on a neutral or lightly colored background, set the camera at f2.8, point the flash at the window... and wow! The most even, color balanced light you can imagine.
"Billy, I read with great interest your comments concerning the demographics study (being a trained political scientist myself):
I FULLY agree with your assessment of just how homogeneous we truly are! I've been fortunate (?) to have lived and worked in a number of countries... a lot of which are NOT, shall we say, as free as ours. WE are Americans...and that's how the world views us... NOT as Democrats or Republicans or Independents, or anything else. I just wish ALL Americans had the opportunity, as I have had, to experience that. 
One of my best friends, and fellow warriors in AF Special Operations was a guy by the name of Jess (he's still on active duty, so I won't give his last name). Now I am a rather conservative Republican. Jess is a semi-liberal Democrat. We both served the same country, in the same conflicts, and with the same fervor for duty...and we became fast friends...probably as close as brothers. We shared the same bad food, the same tents, had the same enemies shooting at us...gives you a much different perspective on things. The bottom line is this: Both Jess and I are AMERICANS...nothing else truly matters. Just my $0.02 worth, pup." - Ron C., Giddings, TX "Dear Sir, I am not sure whether to take umbrage, laugh out loud or be RHETORICALLY perplexed by the article's skewed demographics that you have quoted from the Washington Times. I suppose that I and some of my CLOSEST friends and colleagues don't fit either the Red or Blue Consensus. You see, I guess that I could be categorized as someone of the Secular Hebraic Persuasion with Papal Leanings. In fact, I'm a NRA Life Member, former School Teacher with a Bachelor and Masters Degree from two relatively liberal universities. I live in the most southern State in the Union (Florida) and I'm a registered Democrat who has never voted in the party line but voted my conscience and I'm a former union member! Oh yes, I'm a retired Air Force and former Army Officer who was never in a Service Support unit, but direct Combat and Combat Support Units and Air Force Reserve Rescue Squadron who was a former Infantry (Paratrooper), Military Intelligence and Special Forces Officer. Therefore, I've never ducked on risk or took the easy way out. "Pup: I enjoyed the gator article tremendously, though I have to confess to feeling vaguely sick to my stomach while reading the article. But at least now I know which knife to take along the next time my synagogue goes out on a gator hunt (never!). - Robert A., LA, CA
Quote of the Week:
Auction of the Week: Fossil Sled Dog Teeth "This auction is for five (5) fossil sled dog teeth. They are very dark brown to black in color. They may be drilled for use in necklaces, or to sew onto clothing as decoration. In ancient times, Eskimo women drilled holes in these teeth and attached them to the bottom hem of their
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1/16 fill flash from a bounced unit is one important aspect of what I do, but then I also allow some daylight in for color balance by shooting fairly wide open (typically f2.8-f4). This has its drawbacks - it limits depth of field - but it can produce very handsome results. 
The image here was made with the technique I described above - the knife is on the floor just under a window, moderately overcast day, flash tilted up into the window with a piece of yellow-ish paper rubberbanded to it. Notice the spots of color in the lighting hotspots? There's one on the blade just under the tang stamp and one on the handle right in the center. That's where you can see a bit of the effect of the yellow paper I had on the flash to warm things up. Ideally of course it should not be very evident, but you can't avoid little clues like this (most folks won't notice). Having seen the setup you should be able to look at this picture and see how the flash and daylight are working together. Hope it helps! Questions welcome, send 'em on!
Reader Response:
"I have attached a picture of me last summer... one of the many reasons I like knives, do you fish? I will stand in a river for hours , with or without a bite, but a 54 pounder does tend to make it all worthwhile, even when your elbows and shoulders are killing you. I had Keith Baker in Nebraska, make me an Ulu that I just love, 2 years ago, and I bought a great fillet knife from him last fall. It is longer than the standard fillet knife and will actually work on a big king salmon without bending like the flimsey ones they sell in the sporting goods stores. I can't wait to use it this year. Don't know for sure why I attached the picture, except that I assume it is your picture in the newsletter (grinning of course) and I like to put a face to those I correspond with, and reciprocate. I like this picture the best, it makes me forget that I have 6 grandchildren (seven in 3 weeks) and will be 48 in June. I'll spent that birthday at the river as well. 
Kuspiks, or Parkas, so that they acted like bells, and made a jingle, jangle sound when they walked or danced. Many ancient sled dog and seal teeth are dug up each year, some are plain like the teeth offered here, and some have artifact holes in them from long ago. May be of interest to "black powder" groups for adorning clothing of the era they are re-creating when they go to a Rondez-vous. I have even seen "Quilters" use these teeth in quilt squares when they have created a bear, the fossil teeth look like bear claws when sewn into place on the quilt blocks."