[TRBG]

The time has come for us to offer the final prize from our Holiday Giveaway! Enter in this thread for a shot at winning a brand new HD Pentax-DA 55-300mm lens



How to enter:

As a reply to this thread, post a photography-related tip or suggestion for fellow users. It can focus on cameras, lenses, technique, accessories, post-processing, or other related topics you think would be helpful.

Limit your submission to no more than 5 sentences and no more than 1 image/link.

Winner selection:

The top 15 replies with the most Likes in this thread will be voted upon by forum members in a separate thread, similar to how we pick our monthly contest winners. Submissions will be accepted through January 31st, and voting will be between February 1st and 8th.

Submissions may be compiled into a reference article to serve as a community resource.

Good luck!

My photography tip is simple learn from others, but not at the expense of developing your own style. What appeals to you may not appeal to others and vise versa. Do not ignore negative feedback but don't allow it to dictate your creative demise.

[NancyK]

Be sure to keep your diopter focused. It is the little dial next to your viewfinder. Remove your lens, then look through the viewfinder at a light source.. You will see lines. Move the diopter dial until the lines are a sharp as possible. Keeping your diopter in focus for your eyesight, will help your pictures be in focus.

[excanonfd]

Here is a generic eBay macro extension tube that has been extended even further using 1 1/2 inch ABS drain pipe and straight ABS couplings. There is no way to explain the build process within the constraints of this thread (5 sentences, 1 picture) - so briefly: I made them in 2 sections so that I can use either 1 by itself or 1+2 together. 1 and 2 are held together by friction alone, the two parts need considerable strength with a twisting motion to either join together or pull apart, such that there is virtually no chance of them coming apart accidentally. 1 by itself with the FA 50/1.4, gives me about 2.5:1 magnification and 1+2 with the same lens gives me about 4:1 magnification - of course, the working distance is very minimal at those magnifications.

If there are sufficient number of PF members interested in this inexpensive, extreme macro tube, I'll make another set with more pictures when the next eBay extension tube arrive and post in the appropriate sub-forum elsewhere.

[kreuzn]

Moving house has been incredibly inspiring for me; I now have flocks of parrots, galahs, magpies & other birds visiting frequently, & stunning sunsets most evenings (I don't have any images yet that I want to share, but I'm working on it).

If moving is out of the question, why not look at where you live with fresh eyes?

Inspect places with a different eye than you've used before: look for candid street shots, architectural images, macro from a scene that's usually captured from afar, landscapes that might normally go unnoticed.

Stop & take the time to look at things differently, you'll be amazed at what's in the world around you, if you take the time to seek it out.

And remember to enjoy your photography

[Lille Ulven]

A simple but effective tip: If you are in a situation where you have to (or want to) focus manually you can still use the camera's focus-function to check if you got it sharp. Just put the camera on manual focus, select your focus point and while focusing press the shutter half the way down. Once your focus-point reaches the sharp-setting you will hear (unless sound is turned off) the classical sound of the camera indication that the photo is sharp, and you will see - possibly with some dialing force and back in the area - the green light lid too.
So you can kind of get some help from autofocus while focusing manually.

[nightowlblues]

Grab your Pentax
Open door
Walk
Breathe
Shoot

[ohaya]

Hi,

I posted this in a thread I started in the forums, but I hope that it is ok because (a) I'm pretty new here and also new to digital and (b) I just got my 1st DSLR, a used K-r, and I really need some lenses for it ! Anyway:

I was looking for a "ready" case for the K-r, but couldn't find any, so I took a chance and I just received this case from Amazon:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B014ITOQK8?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s01

This case doesn't list K-r, but and it actually fits the K-r "almost" perfectly. Actually, it is perfect, except the part for the lens is kind of long, like a long "snout". I guess it would be good if I had a long zoom lens, but with smaller lens, it is kind of wasted space.

The body fits perfectly, and the screw on the bottom matches up with the tripod mount on the bottom of the K-r.

Read more at: https://www.pentaxforums.com/forums/22-pentax-camera-field-accessories/312325...#ixzz3yjgQnOwF

[tsinik55]

1. Set your camera on a tripod, switch it to "A"perture priority mode, set your ISO and Aperture settings and compose your frame.
2. Set the built-in intervalometer to a minimum of 60 frames (120 or more is recommended) with 1-second interval between them (the smaller the interval - the smoother the final image is) and start it.
3. After the shooting, post-process the resulting stack in Lightroom, or import it into Photoshop and post-process it later.
4. In Photoshop, load all photos as layers: "File" > "Scripts" > "Load Files into Stack", and set Blending mode for each layers to "Lighten", then flatten the whole image or export it as JPG of TIFF.

p.s. The idea is not mine (I saw it on the Internets a couple of years ago), but I think it's still a very interesting thing to try and learn.

[manishved]

I used the HD 55-300 on my recent safari trip to Kenya. This lens is a must have for such trips since its light weight and has a long reach. The color rendition is incredible.

[Blueberrybob]

My suggestion isn't mine originally - but I've adapted it. It is to be curious about, and love, your subject - and that no photograph is more valuable than the welfare of what's in front of your lens.

I'm usually photographing nature, but I suspect my suggestion may apply in any area of photography. I'm no expert. Yet when I'm mindful of this idea, I "discover" the something nearer to what I'd visualized and am happier with the outcome.

Care for, and be mindful of, your photographic subject. You'll see and experience more beauty - and - be more successful.

Thank you

[bonitap]

The time has come for us to offer the final prize from our Holiday Giveaway! Enter in this thread for a shot at winning a brand new HD Pentax-DA 55-300mm lens



How to enter:

As a reply to this thread, post a photography-related tip or suggestion for fellow users. It can focus on cameras, lenses, technique, accessories, post-processing, or other related topics you think would be helpful.

Limit your submission to no more than 5 sentences and no more than 1 image/link.

Winner selection:

The top 15 replies with the most Likes in this thread will be voted upon by forum members in a separate thread, similar to how we pick our monthly contest winners. Submissions will be accepted through January 31st, and voting will be between February 1st and 8th.

Submissions may be compiled into a reference article to serve as a community resource.

Good luck!

It's "annual manual time." At the end and beginning of a year I like to dig out and re-read manuals to cameras, lenses, etc. Often I find something 'new' or to be reminded of that can help me to make better — and fuller — use of my gear. If you have a philosophical reluctance to reading these booklets that come with the good stuff, how about looking at an annual manual read as a tweak in the work-flow!

[HanSolo]

Useful suggestions should be as short as possible to be easy to remember. Not remembered tips are not useful at all.

1. Read books, read forums. Read a lot, to get knowledge.
2. Get to know your equipment, so you will be taking photos without thinking how to use it.
3. How to know when to better shoot portrait oriented? The answer is simple. Make portrait oriented photo just after landscape oriented shoot.
4. Do not photoshop your pictures. Learn to make good photos in camera, not computer.
5. Learn to see subjects. When you see whole wooden floor, photograph one board. In the forest photograph one crooked tree.

[SirTomster]

For Night Photography. Curves can be extremely powerful. Below are to images. The original with no edits and the edit where I have ONLY applied a couple of curves adjustments to the picture.
First I did a curves adjustment to the whole image. Then I selected the core of the Milky Way and did a second adjustment.
You can select different parts of the image to apply different curves.

Curves is your friend!

[giselag]

Here is my advice to the novice and the pro- Take your Pentax gear and shoot everywhere you go.

Twilight, morning, afternoon and night-Don't forget to shoot in RAW and pay attention to the light.

Read the manual, read the forum, educate yourself- Advice you learn from the forum friends is equal to great wealth.

Get out there and shoot, hope you have a great day - the next line on this post is the last thing I'll say.

Always be proud of the Pentax name-----Canon and Nikon don't have as much to claim!

[Robin CB]

So much good advice for a beginner like me!

There are many sources of information and inspiration (and a few hints in this thread to buy books), but don't forget your local library.

Borrow as many books as you can - not just technical, but artistic. If one really inspires you - go and buy it.