Khukuri Photo | TrekEarth

Photographer’s Note

The curved knife of the Gurkhas, the daily tool for many tasks and a famed and feared weapon of war. For years the Gurkhas were one of the strong arms of the British Army.

Among the Gurkhas is a tradition that if one's khukuri is drawn in battle it is not returned to scabbard until it has been bloodied. One of the noted skills of the Gurkhas was to sneak silently into a fox hole that contained two enemy. In the morning's light one soldier would then discover his comrade beheaded.

Just the news that a regiment of Gurkhas was joining the battle has been enough to bring surrender and desertions.

(Hey, it's a good boy-story.)

quegardens, Luko, Porteplume, Josh69, kikidi, Curioso, digi-mom, thaprem has marked this note useful

Critiques | Translate

gobloque (111) 2004-03-06 2:27

Ahh...a kind of picture that I like, with almost black bakground to make the subject stand out. Have to learn this technique myself. :) I guess if the left hand side whitish thing was not shown, it will make the shot better. Nice shadow. Btw, the story is interesting and remind me of a same belief in several ethnic groups in Malaysia and Indonesia as well.

Edwin (2039) 2004-03-06 3:52

Hmm... A frightening boy-story Bob! ;)
Thanks for sharing both the picture and the history behind its subject. Nice capture, well framed. Absolutely an interesting subject.

joso (1786) 2004-03-06 7:53

I like how you put it in scene, the harsh light, the red and black, matching well the note... Calm, but dangerous and sharp if one needs
Well seen and done, Bob.

JacquesLanctot (501) 2004-03-06 14:38

Very nice, well done, I like the story behind the knife and it's owner. Contrast and light is good and color to.

Darren (6819) 2004-03-06 23:09

I really like your comments Bob, they add a lot to the shot. I think the bark on the tree looks very good and I like the diagonal created by the knife. My only thoughts are that I find the background, as well as the flat edge of the knife to be a little dark for my tastes. Not sure how to combat that, as the light colored area of wood is close to blowing out as it is, so I think your exposure is good.

You are right, it is a good boy-story.

torben (3084) 2004-03-08 14:34

The light is good with the blade mostly in shadow, almost black with just a few highlights and the black background.
I find the texture of the bark a bit dominating, and I'm especially troubled by the two pieces of wood behind the knife. I think the image would be much better if the dark blade was shown on a dark background and with only a thin highlight to draw the shape.
I made a workshop with a crude mockup of my idea.

[workshop] [compare]

quegardens (1469) 2004-03-14 22:02

A fine play of light and shadow with a convincing look of authenticity of the khukuri`s fearful legend. Wonderful craftsmanship displayed on the handle.

Porteplume (3257) 2004-04-10 9:37

From the thumbnail, I was almost sure it was yours...
Sharpness and DOF are excellent, I most like the low sun lighting on the details of the knife and the brown/redish bark. Very attractive work Bob.

Hanssie (9133) 2004-04-25 13:32

Very nice detailed picture

philip_coggan (11) 2004-05-04 23:54

Thanks to this marvellous ad-matching service that hooks up to TrekEarth, when I open this photo of a kukri I get ads for, yes, Himalayan Imports Khukris, Swiss army knives, and gas masks. I'm sure your story abt the Gukhas is true. In George McDonald Fraser's autobiography of his time fighting in Burma during WWII there's a story of an Indian officer who insulted a Gurkha in some way. The Gurkha didn't say a word, just got up and left the table. And the British officers of the Gurkhas got the Indian out of there as fast as they could, because they knew the Gurkha had gone to get his kukhri... Boys' story...:-).

cdewet (0) 2004-05-30 9:00

Bob
Thanks for the reminder from our childhood! This is a good PJ shot, like the darkness (black) that mat be seen as hinting towirds the history of this knife. It is well worn, as is the block it is chopped into. As a small nit. the bright white line on the edge of the wood can be toned down some. I think the poin dissapearing into the dark is anothe subtle touch hinting on the use of the knife.
Take care Callie

danbachmann (1684) 2007-03-29 17:12

I deliberatly picked one of your images that I hope I can offer a contructive critique. The lighting here is very harsh here and the blade is a bit dark. Perhaps photographing it from the other side would give more details and have the blade glowing more.

The details on the knife handle are excellent here. Perhaps a tight image just on some details of the handle with the blade running out of the focal range would be another approach.

Something else that works here is the black background. It gives a sense of mystery.

And to redeem the harsh light here - TE really is about learning about the world through photography - your note/story is important here and puts things into contect.