Image Composition Guide: Subject Isolation

Using Selective Focus to Define Subjects

By K David in Articles and Tips on May 5, 2017

In our ongoing series providing tutorials on photographic techniques, this article examines how to use your gear to achieve subject isolation. This article defines what it is, examines why it occurs, and presents creative examples that exhibit subject isolation in use.

Tell us About Your Photo, Lauri Koivuluoma

Ephemeral Finnish Landscape

By K David in Columns on Jan 18, 2017

Each month we pick a forum photographer with a stand-apart image in a non-contest thread. This article will allow the photographer to tell us a bit about their photo and themselves, providing a larger context to the image.

Stickl posted the first K-1 photo we've selected for this series, a fantastic shot capturing soft, morning light and fog moving through an evergreen forest in the thread Post your K-1 pictures. Thank you, Lauri, for taking part in this ongoing series and for this fantastic example of Pentaxian nature and landscape.

Ephemeral Finnish Landscape (click to enlarge) | Stickl

Astrophotography Part 5 of 6: Working in Post

The Time-consuming Part

By K David in Articles and Tips on Nov 2, 2016

This article looks at some basic software and editing approaches related to astrophotography, including discussions about and samples of specific photos I've shared over the course of this series. Toward the end you will also find resource links for a number of excellent sources on capture and processing techniques.  Note that this article is not an in-depth exploration of niche astrophotography editing techniques. Many other resources, both here on Pentax Forums and elsewhere, cover that well. Also, the niche editing techniques are not generally intended for DSLR users.

Don't miss parts 1-4 of our astrophotography series before reading on!

Tell us About Your Photo, Michi Joel

Low-light scene shot with the Pentax Q7

By K David in Columns on Jun 27, 2016

Each month we pick a forum photographer with a stand-apart image in a non-contest thread. This article will allow the photographer to tell us a bit about their photo and himself, providing a larger context to the image.

Michi Joel posted a stunning night-time photo taken with his Pentax Q7 in the thread Let's Share Shots with Q! Thank you, Joel, for taking part in this ongoing series and for this fantastic example of Pentaxian overnight and small-sensor photography.

Cala Banys desde la Punta d'en Rosaris, de nit (click to enlarge) | Michi Joel

Smooth Trans Focus: The Ultimate Guide

Testing the Sony 135mm STF, and mimicing the effect on film and digital

By K David in Articles and Tips on Apr 14, 2016

You've probably heard the term "Bokeh", but have you ever heard of "Smooth Trans Focus"? Through one of our most comprehensive investigations, we describe what Smooth Trans Focus is, test a lens that delivers this effect, and most interestingly, show how this effect can be simulated without a dedicated lens.

Sony 135mm Smooth Trans Focus Lens

Two SLR lenses engineered specifically to be Smooth Trans Focus (STF) offerings currently exist on the market: the Sony (nee Minolta) 135mm f/2.8 [T/4.5] STF and the Laowa 105mm f/2 [T/3.2] STF.  For this article, we tested the Sony lens on film.  The Laowa has very recently been launched in the Pentax K-mount for those interested in the STF effect.

This article examines what makes an STF lens special and includes several sample photos and technical examples. We'll also look at how to capture and post-process digital files to simulate an STF lens. The Minolta Maxxum 7 film SLR shows that it's possible to simulate STF lens effects with a non-STF lens on a film frame, though no technical details were provided on how it's done. Through extensive testing, we found an approach that simulates STF images on film and detail how to achieve the result.