Rocky Nesta Media

02/05/2024

Bon anniversaire brother. Your legacy will live on beyond anything you could ever have expected.

23/10/2023

11/06/2021

Shooting metal objects such as fi****ms and knives can be challenging. Often people use too many lights and create more issues than you already have. Positioning the highlights properly to do justice to the shapes, edges, sharp and smooth curves is critical to do it justice.

Today I am posting a picture of the "original OG survival knife"... the Buckmaster 184 knife made by Buck. I bought this knife new in 1985, and it is honestly in unworn, near mint condition with the original sales receipt, box and papers that came with it. The wear on the blade is from removing it from the scabbard over the years, but this is just a sexy piece of knife history.

The Buckmaster 184 was originally made at the request of the US Navy SEALs. The knife has 7.5" long classic Bowie shaped blade forged from 425mod steel. The grappling hooks were made to support a load of 600 lbs. It is generally accepted that using the knife as a grappling hook could be very hazardous! The sheath is of black rigid fiberglass-reinforced plastic. Attached to the front of the sheath are two removable black nylon pouches; the smaller one contains a full-size Silva Type 12 compass with a red cord lanyard. The back of the sheath has an inlaid sharpening stone.

The knife was first developed in 1981 by an R&D company Qual-A-Tec which was looking to create products for various special operations units at the time. The knife went into formal production in 1984 and 2600 units were made. In 1985, Buck applied for a patent and the blade was marked with the PAT PEND stamp. In 1986 the 184 was changed to read 184< and the knife stayed in production until 1997.

I bought this knife new when I was 10 years old from a local Army/ Navy surplus store without my parents permission! When they found out, I was not allowed to play with it, and it sat in the box for a number of years. By the time I was old enough to handle a knife on my own, I had already bought a few more and this one just stayed untouched until I found it in my footlocker, still in the original packaging a few years ago. These are highly sought after by collectors and while I will most likely never use it, it is fun to have this iconic piece of knife history in my collection!

I won’t lie though… the adult me really wants to try out the grappling hook just to see what happens!

31/05/2021

27/04/2021

Two edits of the same shot.
Ayers Guitar Co.

08/04/2021

This should be pinned in every single photogtapher group :P The myth of the Megapixel never dies...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E8Sej2TEes4

CANVA (45 DAYS for FREE): http://partner.canva.com/ChrisHauIn this video, we put 12 megapixels right beside 102 megapixels and see if you can really spot the...

26/02/2021

Resonant frequencies characterize a guitar’s tone, and resonance begins with an instrument’s size and shape.

21/02/2021

Some shots published in Premier Guitars a while back for Bryan Galloup's School-Guitar
https://www.premierguitar.com/articles/28362-acoustic-soundboard-the-shape-of-things

Resonant frequencies characterize a guitar’s tone, and resonance begins with an instrument’s size and shape.

25/01/2021

Two interviews in the current issue of Guitar Connoisseur Magazine by yours truly.
Page 146 Tausch Electric Guitars and Page 70 Benjamin Paldacci Guitars .
https://www.guitarconnoisseurmagazine.com/current-issue/

13/01/2021

Shot on A7RIII Manual focus 85mm F1.2

10/09/2020

We really enjoyed shooting with Ky ! Thank you for the kind words.

06/09/2020

#007

05/09/2020

Having some fun with the local produce from .

24/08/2020

Appropriately named BEST Dispensary, Hwang’s brand has been called “the Louis Vuitton of cannabis."

13/08/2020

We had the pleasure to "shoot" a fantastic collection of Fi****ms from www.legacyarms.com.
Quality content, highly knowledgeable, truly passionate about fi****ms, check their instagram and FB !

25/06/2020

22/06/2020

My guitar stand is cooler than yours .
replica.

15/06/2020

Some of the finest vintage correct parts for your Jr or Les Paul or any other Wrap around - stop tailpiece ABR-1 guitar for that matter !



music

13/06/2020

10/06/2020

Art challenges your senses, emotions and photographer skills :P

27/05/2020

Doing textures, and volumes justice can be challenging in product photography. Shooting for Legacy Arms International was a great opportunity to do so many fine blades in one session. Spartan Blades attention to details and craftsmanship but also the way those curves flow is very impressive.
Shot with 90mm Macro F2.8 and simple two lights set up.







www.legacyarmsintl.com
https://spartanbladesusa.com/

19/05/2020

Family shots are not always easy to pull off but Legacy Arms International came up with a great simple concept that works for this one.




Spartan Blades

Many people view a knife as “just a tool”, but for those of us that have had to rely on a knife for protection or survival, how it is made… and who it is made by… carries valuable weight. I have learned over the years that the best tools are those made by others that have had to carry them, and rely on them, for the same purpose, allowing them to bring years of experience and understanding into the equation that surpasses just manufacturing something to meet demand. Mark and Curtis of Spartan Blades fall into this category.

Bringing decades of military experience within the special operations community and an intimate knowledge and understanding of knife making to the equation means that each blade made by these two, as well as the rest of the team at Spartan Blades, is one that you can count on… not just to look nice, but to do exactly what you need it to do… when you need it to…every single time.

This is my personal collection of Spartan blades. I honestly cannot say enough about the quality and beauty of these blades. The lines are elegant to the point that you just want to look at them for hours, and yet, if the time comes that they need to be used, they are more than capable for any task. Each one of these blades represents the values and craftsmanship of the founders Mark Carey and Curtis Iovito, as well as fellow knife makers Lannie Harper and Jake Nelson and Customer Service rep Kimberly Harper. Never a company to be complacent, Spartan Blades also has a history of bringing together knowledge and experience from within the communities it supports by partnering with other master knife makers such as William “Bill” Harsey, Jr and Les George, as well as respected special operations veteran and tactical trainer Tu Lam of Ronin Tactics.

I am honored to be one of the fortunate few to own a Spartan knife, and to be able to support a fellow veteran-owned business that cares deeply about the veteran and first responder community. I will continue to spread the word about these knives, and their makers, to those that need to hear it the most and look forward to adding many more of these exceptional knives to my collection in the future.

15/05/2020

 Twenty years ago, former president Jimmy Carter planted a grove of Paulownia trees on his Plains, Georgia property. Wood from those trees was recently harvested and, thanks to World Tree and FJ contributor/luthier Todd Lunneborg, some of that wood harvest is currently being turned in...

14/05/2020

Fi****ms are challenging because of reflections and textures. It was a blast "shooting" so many for our friends at www.legacyarmsintl.com ! Thank you for the opportunity to work with so many unique and exclusive pieces.

NIGHTHAWK CUSTOM FI****MS thank you for the kind words !

07/04/2020

My friend Dave Ayers was inspired by a player 51 Tele that came through the Shop. This is by no means a replica but rather an interpretation of that black guard. It's a very personal twist on a vintage Tele .
Equipped with the brilliant Schroeder Bridge. (https://www.schroederguitarhardware.com/)
This guitar is available for sale :)

27/03/2020

Another interview teaser from the gifted Tyler Wells at NAMM 2020 for Galloup School of Guitar Building and Repair