For Week 25 we will compose our shots using a special lighting technique to create Sun Stars. Basically, we will be including the sun as part of our composition using a high f/stop.

See the following examples on the technique:

Lens Tests: Fisheye - Sun Stars - Stefan Rohloff Photography

Shutterbug: 9 Easy Special Effects

How to keep from going blind using this technique:

Seeing Stars: How to Create Sunbursts

(Pictures for the week xx competition are to be taken and posted between 20091227 and 20100103).

NOTE: We have two Seasonal competitions planned for the last two weeks of year two. You may take pictures for these anytime between 20090705 and the posting dates of 20100704 or 20100711. This way you can include your favorite holiday or season whenever it occurs during the year.

Rules:
1. Anyone and everyone who is interested in eligible. The goal continues to be
have fun and share comments, concepts, insights, and techniques with fellow
Pentaxians.
2. Each week will feature a Theme and Sub-concept for you to explore.
3. Post your single picture in Project 52-2 thread for the week. Explain what
motivated you to take the picture and/or how you feel it represents the weekly
theme.
4. Some post-processing is OK (adjusting white balance, exposure, color
saturation), but let's try to stay away from heavily PP'ed images here. Try to
keep the creativity to photographic techniques and the captures themselves.
5. Since this project is about technique, and not camera, shots taken by nonPentax
cameras are allowed. Cameras can be SLRs, DSLRs, Point & Shoot and Medium Format.
6. There is one “Theme Concept” labeled “black and white,” but feel free to post
black and white, sepia, monotone, etc., for any of the other themes.
7. The picture you post should be taken during the week in which the theme is
active to be eligible for judging.
8. Any picture taken from 20090705 to listed closing date is acceptable for the
two “Seasonal” competitions – Projects 52-2-51 & 52.

Additional Information: Project 52-2

[Rense]

Good to see the entries coming in, I will give it about 24 hours longer before closing and judging.

Thanks Bruce!

[PFH]

One from today. K-7 and Sigma 18-200

[Tamia]

Oops! Sorry, I missed that. I removed the second photo from my post.

[dragonfly]

This is from Xmas. I wasn't studying sun stars, but the image is appropriate:

K-x, Kit lens

[Iris]

I wasn't sure if I was able to shoot a sun-star at all, so I did some tests on Monday.
I was planning to try it again later this week....but I did not see the sun until today (lucky Rense ).
But because I woke up with a headache, I will stick to a shot I took on Monday.

[Rense]

After much of complaints, we had a bright sunny day today. So, I took the car to the river Waal nearby and shot some winterlandscapes wit sun stars. I ended up with 184 more or less acceptable shots. I think I overdid, because it was very hard to choose between all these shots !

Here's my entry. Shot with the RMC Tokina 17mm 1:3.5.

[Rense]

I just wanted to say I love this P52! It makes me do things I did never before, so it develops my skills! Thank you all, but especially Rob and Dave!

[Iris]

I just wanted to say I love this P52! It makes me do things I did never before, so it develops my skills! Thank you all, but especially Rob and Dave!

I very much agree with Rense... besides trying something new and developing skills, it also give me a goal during the week

[xs400]

Got this shot today using the K20 + Vivitar S1 105mm macro - shot @ 1:1 macro hand held.

[Bramela]

My apologies guys, I calculated the time difference USA/Aust wrongly.
There is still about 12 hours left to run.........SO, I wont judge till this time tomorrow which is 9am Tues (EDS Aussie time)/ just after 2am Calif. time (I think)

Entries welcome until then

[Rense]

Made this mistake myself once before too
Therefore I won't judge this one ever again
before it is Tuesday local time

[jheu02]

Here's my entry. We finally had some sun this weekend. I liked the way the reflections off the car windows backed up the primary star, so I left them in. Like mithrandir, I also liked the lens flare for this topic, so I didn't use a shade or crop it out. This was ISO 100, 1/400", F22 on a Promaster 28-200mm Asph.

Anyone else notice a lens-dependency for the star effect? I tried with the kit 18-55 ALII and also a "K" 135 F2.5 @ F32 and the star wasn't as pronounced, though it was a bit hazier each of those days, so maybe that had a large effect on the outcome.

[mithrandir]

Oh ye photographers of little faith. See that, the sun did come out. LOL.

[Bramela]

Yes it sure has, and what is more, made my job of judging, all that more difficult.

A great line up of entries, I will have to spend some time on this one

[DanLoc78]

I just wanted to say I love this P52! It makes me do things I did never before, so it develops my skills! Thank you all, but especially Rob and Dave!

I also agree with this. The P52 allows us to go out and shoot with a specific theme/technique in mind. It has helped my own photography immensely in the past few years. I especially enjoy how Rob set up this year with all the different techniques, I really like this format.

Upon making the transition to Canon, i felt very lost. I had a brand new system to learn and am still quite overwhelmed, and the thought of losing the ability to continue on in the P52 in this forum was not sitting well with me. Thanks very much for letting me continue. unfortunately my camera had to be sent back to the manufacturer...so no sun stars for me this week. I hope to have it back in time for next week's theme though!

great stuff in here again this week. Keep them coming!