The Making of "Racing against the Sunset"

Winner of the January, 2017 "Sunrise/Sunset" photo contest

By candid in Photo Contests on Mar 4, 2017

"Racing against the Sunset"

First of all, my sincere thanks to everyone who nominated and voted for my photo in January 2017's "Sunrise/Sunset" contest.

Now on to how I took and processed this picture:

Most of my photos are taken while on vacation and I have never travelled with the specific purpose of taking photos. I just travel to different places and take pictures of things that I find interesting and inspiring.

This image was taken on 22 January 2013 in Bagan, Myanmar. It is home to the largest and densest concentration in the world of Buddhist temples, pagodas, stupas, and ruins with many dating from the 11th and 12th centuries.

"Sunrise/Sunset" Photo Contest Winners

Announcing the winners of our January, 2017 contest

By PF Staff in Photo Contests on Mar 2, 2017

"Racing against the Sunset" by candid

Voting has ended for our January, 2017 "Sunrise/Sunset" photo contest. This contest was very popular with almost 350 excellent photos submitted. The result of the voting is as follows:

In first place was forum member candid from Germany who captured "Racing against the Sunset" (pictured above). This photo was shot with a Pentax K-5 and an smc Pentax-DA 70mm F2.4 Limited lens.

Our runners-up were forum member Dan R from USA in second place with "Day is Done" and slowpez from USA in third place with "Mesa Arch Sunrise". Click on either thumbnail for a larger version.

"Day is Done" by Dan R	"Mesa Arch Sunrise" by slowpez

We'd like to congratulate the winners and also thank everyone who participated or voted! Also, be sure not to miss our current photo contest. Read all about it in the monthly contest forum.

Best of 2016 Photo Nominations

Browse the stunning photo gallery!

By PF Staff in Photo Contests on Feb 6, 2017

Our members' "Best of 2016" photo gallery is now live and ready for viewing!

The photo that receives the most comments from the community will be named the overall winner, and the photographer will get to pick a prize, including a Pentax lens or flash.

So, please take a moment to stroll through the gallery and say a few nice words about your favorite photo(s).  We'd like to wish the best of luck to the participants!

Browse the gallery | view on the forum

The Making of "Gaze"

Winner of the December, 2016 "Portrait of a Stranger" photo contest

By geomez in Photo Contests on Feb 5, 2017

"Gaze"

First I’d like to thank everyone who nominated and voted for my picture on the forum. It is a terrific honor and I’m grateful.

I try to take a camera with me to every event I go. I usually opt for an inconspicuous one but for a while I was taking my yellow brick K-01 and a small prime around with me, in part for its uniqueness but also to try to accommodate the awkward little thing into my style of photography. I figured a 1st grader’s birthday party at Peter Piper Pizza (Arizona’s local Chuck E. Cheese equivalent with beer) would be a good place to get some portraits of my kids, and to attempt some street-style photography.

I’ve always been drawn to the beauty, humanity, and realism of street photography, and often fantasized about successfully telling visceral human stories with my favorite visual medium. I took my fantasy so far that I even purchased a Ricoh GR, because if I was going to do it, I wanted to do it “right”. As it turns out successful street photography takes a lot of bravery and social skills, two things I generally lack around strangers. It didn’t take long for me to realize that street just isn’t for me, but I haven’t given up all hope. I always have a camera with me in public, hoping that a perfect street moment will present itself without forcing me beyond my self-imposed social boundaries.

"Portrait of a Stranger" Photo Contest Winners

Announcing the winners of our December, 2016 contest

By PF Staff in Photo Contests on Jan 29, 2017

"Gaze" by geomez

It is our pleasure to announce the winners of our December, 2016 "Portrait of a Stranger" photo contest! In first place was forum member geomez from USA who captured "Gaze" (pictured above). This photo was shot with a Pentax K-01 and an smc Pentax-F 50mm F1.7 lens.

Our runners-up were forum member jochenmaas from Switzerland in second place with "Nepalese Family House" and pande from Norway in third place with "The Man with the Hats". Click on either thumbnail for a larger version.

"Nepalese Family House" by jochenmaas	"The Man with the Hats" by pande

We'd like to congratulate the winners and also thank everyone who participated or voted! Also, be sure not to miss our current photo contest. Read all about it in the monthly contest forum.