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03-06-2010, 12:03 PM   #1
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Artist/Painter loves photography

Hi folks,

I am joining this forum to learn a little more about Pentax DSLR's, and lenses. I am a painter primarily, I paint realistic landscapes and portraits in oils. You can see some of my work at Matthew Lee Studio Here's pic of me yesterday...taken with Panasonic LX3.


I learned about photogaphy in college by taking several courses in black and white, doing my own developing and printing. I recently started getting interested again. Its mostly about composition for me.
I do not have a DSLR yet or Pentax other than an old K1000 my wife gave me.
Can any of you recommend a camera, I've read quite a bit about the kx and k7.....
I would primarily use it for:
landscape and street photos, artsy black and whites, still life compositions, documenting my paintings.... I would like a grid if it has live view, so I can align my paintings.....
I suppose any basic DSLR will do. When I paint landscapes I work from nature and paint from life. So the K7 might be good for its sturdiness. I like the high ISO on the kx though, so I could take shots inside without a flash.

I live in Memphis, TN, USA, home of rock n roll and blues. Memphis is at the far west end of Tennessee, next to the great Mississippi River. The dowtown is up on a bluff overlooking the river.

Have a great weekend,

Matthew


Last edited by artistinmemphis; 03-07-2010 at 10:56 AM. Reason: added info about Memphis
03-07-2010, 11:39 PM   #2
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The K7 seems fine for me.

I am not yet into painting but the K7 seems fine for me. I had the Pentax K10D before this, so it was quite smooth getting used to the similar layout of the K7. Now I am not a PRO photographer, and my point is I found the K7 'comfortable', reliable and at a darn good price compared to what you get. - Simply good value, from a novices point of view. When it comes to landscapes, I shoot up to 6 or 8 images, maybe 2 rows of 4, then I stitch them together. Might sound out of your abilities, but no, it's dead easy with the correct software. - Also, you could use your image software to overlay a grid over your image after you take the photo's. The possibilities are simply endless. - Actually, ....I am wanting to learn how to paint with oils/acrylics, I have the paints, boards & brushes, now I gotta make that first daunting step. - Oh! - I am sure you know that if you take a colour photo you can convert it to BW digitally, and again, there is even special software that will 'highlight' different colour tones to make the image even more stunning. I think this is better than taking BW photos, because once you take the BW pic, it's a bit harder to turn it into colour again.
03-08-2010, 11:22 AM   #3
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Thanks for your response and experience. There are no Pentax dealers here in Memphis, or anywhere nearby, so I am reluctant to buy without trying.
Oils are very messy for painting, sort of like painting with colored butter! Acrylics are more friendly, but dry very quickly, sometimes sooner than one would like. A good forum for learning about painting is wetcanvas.com.
I have spent soooo much time reading about cameras, that I can't see the trees for the forest, haha. Sooo many choices, and each camera has pros and cons..... I think I will just have to leap and get started somewhere.
03-08-2010, 12:33 PM   #4
Ira
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Welcome Matt.

The k-X has a grid in LiveView, but I haven't played with mine at all to see how adjustable it is. Like, I don't know whether its infinitely adjustable based on pixels, or it just has a few standard preset grids.

Send barbecue, please. We're starving down here, and my favorite is Memphis style.

As a matter of fact, if I were you, I would just shoot and paint Memphis style ribs all day.

03-08-2010, 04:53 PM   #5
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bbq

QuoteOriginally posted by Ira Quote
Welcome Matt.

The k-X has a grid in LiveView, but I haven't played with mine at all to see how adjustable it is. Like, I don't know whether its infinitely adjustable based on pixels, or it just has a few standard preset grids.

Send barbecue, please. We're starving down here, and my favorite is Memphis style.

As a matter of fact, if I were you, I would just shoot and paint Memphis style ribs all day.
That's hilarious
Given my wife is a Vegan (eats no animal anything), I could have lots of pictures of meat, but just not cook any, haha.
Memphis has a huge BBQ festival each year, with thousands of competing BBQ cookers...
Good to know kx has a grid, that will help me a lot trying to photograph artwork.

Anywho, thanks for the welcome. Y'all come on down to Memphis!
03-08-2010, 06:36 PM   #6
Ira
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QuoteOriginally posted by artistinmemphis Quote
That's hilarious
Given my wife is a Vegan (eats no animal anything), I could have lots of pictures of meat, but just not cook any, haha.
Memphis has a huge BBQ festival each year, with thousands of competing BBQ cookers...
Good to know kx has a grid, that will help me a lot trying to photograph artwork.

Anywho, thanks for the welcome. Y'all come on down to Memphis!
Hey--I was hardly joking!!!

As a matter of fact. living where I do, it seems that the most interesting thing I can easily photograph is people's garbage on collection day:

People's garbage tells a lot about them...the photo ops are wonderfully predictable (Monday and Thursday, Tuesday and Friday, etc., depending on the block)...and it's a WONDERFUL commentary on the wasteful and polluting society we all live in.

Mind you, I have no ambitions or desires to CHANGE this aspect of our society.

Only to photograph it.
03-08-2010, 10:12 PM   #7
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QuoteOriginally posted by Ira Quote
Hey--I was hardly joking!!!

As a matter of fact. living where I do, it seems that the most interesting thing I can easily photograph is people's garbage on collection day:

People's garbage tells a lot about them...the photo ops are wonderfully predictable (Monday and Thursday, Tuesday and Friday, etc., depending on the block)...and it's a WONDERFUL commentary on the wasteful and polluting society we all live in.

Mind you, I have no ambitions or desires to CHANGE this aspect of our society.

Only to photograph it.
Then you get to live out the quote: "One man's trash is another woman's treasure!" Smile. I'd like to see your pictures. Trash diving and rummaging can be certainly interesting.

So do you recommend the Kx or K7 with what you know of them? Or some other Pentax? I don't need a high end camera, but durable is helpful.
Thankyaverymuch.

I have some of my pics on flickr if you want to see my photo style as it stands.... I'm "leedeparis" on flickr, try this link:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/45603862@N02/


Last edited by artistinmemphis; 03-08-2010 at 10:21 PM. Reason: link not working
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