Had an interesting afternoon and evening. There was a seminar here today that was hosted by the PPOC Atlantic. (Pro Photogs of Canada). Very cool way to spent 9 hours. Seminars on your personal vision and style and 4 hours of portrait/studio shooting tips and techniques.

So we all have our cameras in the studio and the Pro is showing us various lighting equipment, the uses and setups. So during the open discussion half way through the session the pro discusses gear and points out my Pentax (along the lines of I don't care what you shoot as long as you understand the gear and can express your personal style with it). So anyway the Pentax is pointed out and somebody from the back of the room says:

"because he doesn't know any better"

Yeah I was the only Pentax in the room full of Nikons and Canons. The Pro ignored the wise ass and continued on. After awhile we all get a chance with the model to take 3 shots with our cameras, using the lighting setups.

So we each pick one image and the shots are handed over to the assistant to be reviewed in front of everyone for technique and style.

The Pentax guy who doesn't know any better is thinking, I don't want to mess the shot up. At least put in a respectable shot. What has Chris been teaching on all these threads...

We take a break for a bite to eat and then sit down to go over the shots. One by one they are critiqued and advice is given. I don't see my shot. Seems like they have all been done.

Then the Pro says: What does everyone think of this shot. A couple of people say it's pretty good. The Pro: This one I liked the best of all those taken tonight. I might have added a touch more rim light but the shadows are well controlled and the shooting angle is unique from the rest. A very nice image....

I tried a low angle which can be risky and make a person look fat.

The loud mouth with the D300 was very quiet after that. Don't you just love it when things go right?

K10D DA16-45 f4

[palmor]

Very nice! Great story


John

[dantuyhoa]

Peter
Great job !
I like that Pro guy already . It's great that he pays no attention to the gears !

Well done Peter and you are a far better man than I. I probably would've replied with an insult in any number of languages, most of them having to do with his mother and her assortment of male friends, and then screwed up the shot.

Sir Ericc

LOL! I would do the same thing !!!!

[mtnbearhug]

Great shot Peter and congrats on the wiin!!!. That is awesome.. I can not even begin to imagine the feelingof triumph that made you were feeling!!! You definately did Pentax proud... !!!!

I just like people to know it's ok to break rules, because there shouldn't be any rules hindering your vision.

I couldn't agree more Chris... So many times the best shots come from breaking the rules... Plus.... a person can learn so much from tweaking this and re-arranging that..

Thinking outside the box is hard and many people dont like to it, but if it wasn't for those people that like to break rules and think outside of that box.. the world would be a very dull boring place to be!!!!

Kim

[xs400]

Excellent story and portrait. Well done. Thanks for sharing.

[KrisK10D]

Great shot, Peter! I really, really like the shadows around her face. Wish she wore a different coloured top tho.

Shame about biggot! I'm ashamed to say I woulda been sorely tempted to have the last word after the pro's comments...

Photography seminar?... $200
Wide angle lens?... $500
Camera body?... $700
Being chosen best shot at the seminar after being heckled by nikanon owners for using a Pentax camera?

Priceless

[mfc]

thinkill paint out all branding on my cameras and lenses .........
when i9 was studdying and assisting i quickley worked out that working photog's here usualy used a system simply cause it felt good in there hands....once into medium and large format the onley real brand tribalists were "blad" users....
you can take a good photo with a shoe box with a hole in it

[Peter Zack]

Thanks everyone. It's not my style to comment back and was just pleased the image did the talking for me. I think the Pro had a soft spot for Pentax but when the line was slow to move into DSLR's, had to go to another brand. But there were numerous comments that the gear didn't matter nearly as much as the vision. Quite refreshing actually, when questions about f stops etc were basically shut down and moved to what do you see?

[JCSullivan]

Peter/Chris, nice stories. It's good to have you guys defend us with YOUR capabilities.
Eric, I would have done the same (including throwing a chair at him) but, left his mother out of it. She did her best, the rest was up to him.

[Ash]

Love your work Peter & Chris,
Way to go - good to see Pentax users making waves around the Canikon world...

[cardinal43]

Peter, thanks for not embarrasing me after my smart-azz comment. J/K!

We all seem to get those type comments from time to time. I belong to a small (35-40 person) camera club where I live (55+ retirement community), and I am the only Pentaxian in the club. Yea, nothing like exclusivity. When I first joined, everyone wanted to look at the Pentax (K100D), and had good comments about it. A couple of members mentioned they had "heard" about Pentax, but were afraid to try it.

Then picture is really nice. I don't know enough about portraiture to even know that taking the shot you did (angle, lights, background, etc.), is considered "out of the box". So much to learn, and so little time.

[dopeytree]

Great shot Peter

I don't have much to do with it if that Chris person is myself that you mentioned

I just like people to know it's ok to break rules, because there shouldn't be any rules hindering your vision.

I get your Nikon/Canon guy speak a lot, well, daily to be exact Last week an out of town pro (who is really really good) was talking about how he is shooting modeling stuff and showed some of his work, which was of very high caliber. He kept saying how awesome his Canon gear was, how it's the best ever, how nothing else can touch it with a ten foot pole and so I showed him some of my modeling stuff. He was impressed with the IQ and asked what Canon I shot with. I pulled a K20D off the shelf and I go, "the best one, of course!" His looked changed and decided to talk about how pro's don't shoot Pentax, etc, etc. He felt really really bad on the inside I think

Haha don't you love it when that happens, dug himself a hole!

I think students need to be more aware of pentax i mean i get fed up of my teachers recommending canon cameras mainly the lower end but still if they researched they'd find the pentaxs have the best reviews etc and you can use any pentax k mount lens!!!

[channeler]

Great image Peter and a heart warming story. Well done.

Paul

[little laker]

Haha don't you love it when that happens, dug himself a hole!

I think students need to be more aware of pentax i mean i get fed up of my teachers recommending canon cameras mainly the lower end but still if they researched they'd find the pentaxs have the best reviews etc and you can use any pentax k mount lens!!!

I may be wrong here, but I believe that they're often given a little compensation for this

[Ansbert]

@Peter
Nice story and nice showing of skills, Yeah some pipol always says that canon and nikon are the best toink!, for me it is not the gear you are using it is you...

In Filipino sayings we have this "Wala sa pana yan nasa indian" ^_^

in english means : "Its not in the arrow, It is on the shooter"

arrow means gear, machine, lense...
shooter means : The photog, The technique and the creativity ^_^

btw Im a proud Pentax user

Go! Pentax

[borno]

I don't know much about studio work, but that looks great to me
It just goes to show you, any nerd can buy any kind of camera they want and still not get it.(probably never will) great story