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Forum: Monthly Photo Contests 12-16-2014, 11:26 PM  
Wrapped in his shell
Posted By wzdevito
Replies: 17
Views: 2,344
Thank you to everyone who voted for & 'liked' Mr. Snail. I love his expression (if snails have an expression?) and I'm happy to know that others like him also.


My favorite part of the experience of capturing the shot was getting to use the gear for the first time in the rain. I came in soaked to the bone, but the camera/lens were ready for more!


(sorry for the hasty cell-pic)
Forum: Monthly Photo Contests 11-16-2014, 09:24 PM  
Poll: Expired Contest Poll VOTE NOW - Photo Contest #98 Poll (Wrapped, Covered or Packaged - October 2014)
Posted By wzdevito
Replies: 57
Views: 8,546
Interesting, you guys are right. This selection is sort of all over the place as far as number of nominations. Some with 20+ are not included.
Forum: Monthly Photo Contests 11-05-2014, 12:17 PM  
Prayer
Posted By wzdevito
Replies: 8
Views: 897
This is a fantastic image and deserves many more nominations than it has. So ... nominate, nominate, nominate!
Forum: Weekly Photo Challenges 11-04-2014, 10:49 AM  
Caption Contest Nov 3-9 2014
Posted By wzdevito
Replies: 14
Views: 1,632
I told the witch I wanted a superpower to COVER dirty kids with soap suds, not TURN THEM INTO soap suds!!
Forum: Weekly Photo Challenges 11-03-2014, 11:09 AM  
Caption Contest 29th Oct - 4th November Caption Contest
Posted By wzdevito
Replies: 16
Views: 2,236
A new exercise plan starts with taking that first step...
Forum: Monthly Photo Contests 10-30-2014, 02:04 PM  
Wrapped in his shell
Posted By wzdevito
Replies: 17
Views: 2,344
Wrapped in his shell. And wrapped in glee.
Forum: Weekly Photo Challenges 10-27-2014, 02:11 PM  
Caption Contest 21 October - 28 October
Posted By wzdevito
Replies: 17
Views: 3,462
Aw hell, the kids are back already?!
Forum: Pentax SLR Lens Discussion 10-09-2014, 08:34 AM  
getting the DA 40mm XS
Posted By wzdevito
Replies: 21
Views: 3,018
Not only that, you will lose the lens itself! I have one that came with the K-01, but for the life of me I can't find the bloomin' thing. It must be tucked in some bag somewhere, but it's so small it could be anywhere. I just figure I'll stumble across it someday when I'm not looking and it will be like a new gift again. :lol:
Forum: Sold Items 10-03-2014, 05:25 AM  
For Sale - Sold: Metz 58 AF-2 Flash - Like New
Posted By wzdevito
Replies: 1
Views: 1,505
pm sent
Forum: Monthly Photo Contests 09-02-2014, 04:29 PM  
On the hunt
Posted By wzdevito
Replies: 3
Views: 784
Perfect place & time ... great moment!
Forum: Winners' Showcase 09-02-2014, 04:24 PM  
August, 2014 Winner: Aerobatics
Posted By wzdevito
Replies: 29
Views: 2,805
Beautiful!
Forum: Monthly Photo Contests 09-02-2014, 04:22 PM  
Kinetic
Posted By wzdevito
Replies: 10
Views: 1,121
The mix of the slight pan and moving legs really captures the motion. The dog's fur and expression really sell it!
Forum: Monthly Photo Contests 09-02-2014, 04:20 PM  
Passing strangeness
Posted By wzdevito
Replies: 7
Views: 1,053
I just love this. They look like they are paralleling each other, and at the same time look like one is zooming by. Great moment!
Forum: Sold Items 06-08-2013, 12:49 PM  
For Sale - Sold: sigma 120-400 APO HSM
Posted By wzdevito
Replies: 3
Views: 1,192
Does it include the hood and tripod mount?
Forum: Monthly Photo Contests 05-31-2013, 08:34 PM  
Bacon on the hoof
Posted By wzdevito
Replies: 0
Views: 735
Food? Well, soon to be ...
Forum: Mini-Challenges, Games, and Photo Stories 05-07-2013, 01:55 PM  
Thematic NO Post Processing!
Posted By wzdevito
Replies: 160
Views: 17,240
When God does all the work, all we have to do is press the button.

All of these are K-5 with DA 18-135. Cropped and sized for web.







Forum: Mini-Challenges, Games, and Photo Stories 05-07-2013, 01:38 PM  
People and their cameras!
Posted By wzdevito
Replies: 2,729
Views: 325,184
Both of these are obvious location where you can't turn around w/o seeing someone with a camera ... including me. Both K-5, Tamron 28-75.




Forum: Mini-Challenges, Games, and Photo Stories 05-03-2013, 01:31 PM  
Thematic NO Post Processing!
Posted By wzdevito
Replies: 160
Views: 17,240
Spectacular colors! CP filter?
Forum: Photographic Technique 04-19-2013, 02:50 PM  
Studio shots with no studio equipment
Posted By wzdevito
Replies: 11
Views: 2,019
Thank you all for your advice, it got me started down the path of knowing what to look for. With your suggestions, I made this...



And lit it with 4 blinding daylight CFL's. The final pictures came from the K-5 with tin foil reflecting light back on the object front instead of the paper over the K-01 flash (in pic). With editing help from this page, I ended up with something fairly respectable...




That's a long way from where I started and they look great in the document I was making. Thank you all for the direction!
Forum: Photographic Technique 03-07-2013, 02:50 PM  
Studio shots with no studio equipment
Posted By wzdevito
Replies: 11
Views: 2,019
John, brilliantly simple!

When I was putting everyone's comments together in my head, I was thinking of fashioning something that worked like that to take outside. But I'm sure I wouldn't have come up with something as tidy and simple.

Thank you to JinDesu for the lighting idea and JJJ for the picture of what I actually needed to emulate. From Newt's video I was trying to think of what I could use as a sheer diffuser.

I knew that not getting enough light, and then not having the light diffused enough was the problem. Hence my rough set-up of white reflecting papers and using the flash through a napkin. But I wasn't getting enough of either.

I think I will give the light box a go. I probably have enough stuff laying around the house to go ahead and make one. Thank you all for the input and links!

Oh, and the pix I put up were already heavily lightened with curves in Photoshop. Trying to remove the remaining shadow took too much of the tone from the metal. And I did concoct a way to hang the thing, and will do so again in the new box.

Something to look forward to this weekend!
Forum: Photographic Technique 03-07-2013, 09:43 AM  
Studio shots with no studio equipment
Posted By wzdevito
Replies: 11
Views: 2,019
I am trying to take a decent picture of a shiny metal object "floating" in a white background. You know, a typical studio product shot like this-

But, I have no studio equipment. No lighting, no remote flashes, no seamless white drapes, not even an external flash. I do have a K-5, K20, K-01, an assortment of lens good enough to get the job done, and abundant Florida sunshine. But so far the best of my redneck engineering gets only as far as this-


That came from lining a chair with white cardstock paper, tying thin wire from arm to arm to float the object above it, and using a white card angled in front of the K-01 flash to divert it to the left, where it bounced off shiny white paper onto the object. That's why you can see the light source coming from the left and not making it all the way across. I haven't bothered to 'shop out the wire since I'm not happy with the outcome to this point. And the above is after heavy lightening in Levels and Curves to get it this far. Trying to get the right half white blows out the reflective metal even worse than it is.

I'm caught in that loop of the image on the camera looking white, but it comes out grey once downloaded on the computer. I've messed with setting a custom white balance to something close to a light grey, and the whites look white on the camera, but not when downloaded. I could just paint bucket color the background to white in Photoshop, but with the close silvers in the object, I start to lose chunks of it and I don't really like the fake end look anyway. I don't know how to flood the background with enough light to make it render white, without the light hitting the metal object and making blinding glare.

Here is the best of another angle. It is standing on its own on a desk over white paper with more reflective white paper up behind it. K-01 flash was covered with a folded over paper napkin. Still more shadow and presence of background than I want. But I do like the truer "metal" look instead of the over-contrasted version above.



So, experts, how can I get the desired results without any equipment? Granted, I could practically erase around the edges pixel by pixel, but I need at least three angles of this thing and I'd rather not drive myself that crazy.
Forum: Pentax Mirrorless Cameras 12-04-2012, 01:42 PM  
Why did you buy a K-01?
Posted By wzdevito
Replies: 156
Views: 22,694
Getting the K-01 kept me from getting a K-5II ... for now.

I use my K-5 primarily and have a K-20 that comes along if I'll be somewhere where it's more handy to have a 2nd camera with a different lens than having time to stop and change lens. Usually the 28-75 is on the K-5, and 10-24 is on the K-20 (or long zoom, depending on situation). Anyway, last time I traveled with both I was completely frustrated with bringing 2 sets of extra batteries, 2 sets of chargers, etc. Add in chargers for phones and a point & shoot and we practically had a bag full support gear for the electronics. So I swore I would get another K-5 before the next big trip so they could at least share batteries/chargers. Then the K-5II came out and I was intrigued by the improved focus. Or maybe even the IIs for the resolution. But that meant spending real money again instead of the falling K-5 price.

Anyway, so when the K-01 price dropped so significantly, I thought hmmm, same battery, same sensor, uses same lenses, 1/2 price of K-5 or 1/3 price or K-5II without losing much quality ... give it a go! I lose the viewfinder, but if it gets used primarily with the wide angle lens, I tend to use it from obscure angles a lot so maybe I won't always miss it. I never did like how it looked. And after seeing it in person for the first time when it arrived yesterday, I still don't. But I think that's because I prefer functionality over aesthetics. Yes, it looks cool in a graphic design sense, but I wish using it felt more natural. But since the menus buttons are similar enough to K-5, it's not too bad. At least w/o a viewfinder you have to look at the back anyway, So it's not as awkward to hunt for the random button locations than if you were trying to do it w/o removing it from your eye.

We'll see how I like it for day to day things locally. Bringing the -5 and -20 isn't a big deal when you don't have to pack everything else. Hopefully it will eventually replace the K-20 and I can sell that one. But that will just take using it and figuring out how much I like it.

Here's my "Note to Pentax" ... include 'plug in straight to the wall' chargers instead of bulky chargers with cords! Then we don't have to go buy third party travel chargers for everything.
Forum: Sold Items 09-20-2012, 02:08 PM  
For Sale - Sold: Sigma 70-200 f/2.8 HSM Macro II
Posted By wzdevito
Replies: 7
Views: 2,086
Is this the OS version?
Forum: Pentax Price Watch 08-31-2012, 02:52 PM  
Save $400 on Photoshop CS6 through Friday, 8/31
Posted By wzdevito
Replies: 6
Views: 1,802
Just followed the link to get it and it is listed at $789. Is the rebate taken off later or did I miss it?

4:45 ET Friday
Forum: Canon, Nikon, Sony, and Other Camera Brands 06-14-2012, 09:33 AM  
Post Your Fujifilm X100/X10 Pictures
Posted By wzdevito
Replies: 4,931
Views: 495,326
... singing ...

Cellophane
Mister Cellophane
Shoulda been my name
Mister Cellophane
'Cause you can look right through me
Walk right by me
And never know I'm there...
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