Gransfors Bruk Small Forest Axe

The Gransfors Bruk Small Forest Axe is considered by many to best one of the finest bushcrafting axes available. I enjoy camping and the outdoors and so I decided to buy one of these beautiful axes.

Small Forest Axe 420

My interest in photography has crossed with my interest in axes. And so I’ve taken several photos of the Gransfors Small Forest Axe that I wanted to share here.

Gransfors Bruk Small Forest Axe

I spend a lot of time in front of computers and it is nice to own something that is hand forged out of simple materials. Leather, wood, steel. These axes are forged by hand in Sweden by the smiths at Gransfors Bruks AB. An axe is something that is real and they’ve been used by humans for thousands of years as tools.

You don’t have to reboot your axe or worry about it running out of batteries.

Small Forest Axe

The Gransfors Bruks Small Forest axe has a 19″ handle, so it is portable but can still be used two handed. It can be thought of as a cross between a hatchet and an axe.

These Small Forest Axes come sharp, and so for protection they include a sheath of vegetable tanned leather. It is a nice touch.

The “MB” stamped on the axe are the initials of the smith who forged it: Mathias Blixt.

The quality of these axes is hard to describe. If you’re accustomed to using a dull axe from the big box stores, the experience is night and day. An axe like this will slice through wood with ease.

Sometimes the old ways are the best. While a saw or a chainsaw might work better in some cases, there is a lot to be said for swinging sharpened steel with your own two hands.

These aren’t HDR photos, however, I did play around with the raw photos to boots some of the contrast and clarity. It is definitely a different kind of photography as compared to landscapes.

All rights reserved on these photos!

Free Adobe Lightroom Presets

It’s been long time since I’ve posted here and I want to share a new project to which I’ve been a contributor. A website that gives away free Adobe Lightroom presets.

You can check it out over at PresetLove.com.

PresetLove.com provides high quality free Adobe Lightroom Presets. I’ve recently created a preset called Prohibition that I’m very proud of. It evokes what I think is a 1920s style vintage photo that is reminiscent of Downton Abbey, the Great Gatsby and bootleggers. It drops the color without become a pure black and white and adds some grain that in my opinion really takes photos to a different level.

I’ll also be working on a pseudo-HDR type preset at some point in the future although of course there is no substitute for taking 3 photos with 3 different exposures but this isn’t always possible if an area doesn’t allow tripods or you don’t have one with you.

I’ve also created a free Lightroom preset that works well for portraits called Portraiture I. It highlights detail, makes shadows rise and bestows extra punch upon images. It is greats for portraits and works with a variety of camera brands and lighting situations. I really like how it turned out.

free lightroom preset

I think the photo on the right has a lot more character, the beard looks more detailed and the eye color is more vibrant in a subtle yet powerful way. Of course it helps when you start off with a great photo to begin with!

If you like great photos or you’re a photographer I highly suggest checking out PresetLove.com. Adobe Lightroom is a great way to enhance your photos and presets allows you to quickly switch between different looks. Of course not every preset works great with every photo, so these free presets are fully adjustable.

Pontiac Trans Am

Pontiac Trans AmPontiac Trans Am

I did a Pontiac Trans Am Photo shoot that I wanted to share. Not all of them are HDR, but many are. The Pontiac belongs to a friend of mine. This car looks fast standing still.

The shoot was at the now decommissioned Chanute Airforce base. A lot of the buildings have been torn down but this hangar is still there.