Thanks everyone for the responses.
I was looking at images using this particular lens on the actual forum. Here's an example of one of the closeups I see...
https://www.pentaxforums.com/forums/130-lens-sample-photo-archive/153059-pent...samples-2.html
...it's the black cat with the focus on the eyes..although i'm not picturing my cat- I'm trying to take a picture of my daughter's eyes. It's also not that sharp like a lot of these other photos I see (sigh)
I didn't, however, know about the extension tube or the reverse mounting. I'm sure I can do a search on this website and find that information so I can continue playing with it and learning?
I have a k-r camera and the lens is the smc pentax-m 50mm f/1.7. I have been shooting in Manual mode as well.
Thanks everyone for the quick reply! I'm a total newbie at this and have been wanting to capture awesome pictures of my baby and family. Besides this lens, do you recommend any other lens to take action shots that are within budget (not anything over $700)? I would use them more for daily pictures- No landscapes (however we do go on vacation often).