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Forum: Pentax K-3 Photo Contest
05-15-2014, 03:56 AM
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I really have thought a lot about cropping the photo. My wife and I have gone back and forth on this topic, because the one thing that bothers me is the deadfall hanging off the bridge in the upper left corner. Ultimately, we decided not to crop because doing so would take away from the space in front of her and lessen the impact of the size of the stream. I think the deadfall works in the photo in this sense: it is a natural element that any person can find in any stream, creek, or river in the world, especially around bridges. While it has the potential to be distracting, viewed from this perspective it might perhaps enhance the photograph.
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Forum: Pentax K-3 Photo Contest
05-14-2014, 07:36 PM
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Thanks, 6BQ5! I grew up in a family of boys and I presently have a wife and two girls. So the boy in me wants to jump in the stream....but the little girl in the pic just wants to throw sticks in it!
I was able to capture this expression by using the continuous drive on the K-5. It worked great for this sequence - it kept 5 out of 6 pics in focus and captured this expression. : )
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Forum: Pentax K-3 Photo Contest
05-14-2014, 07:05 AM
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Picture of a little girl throwing a stick into a stream...
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Forum: Photo Critique
04-29-2014, 07:06 PM
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Thanks, K McCall!
I hear what you are saying about how it is hard for some people to critique other people's kids. But both for the good and the bad, my two girls are my most-often chosen subjects. Figuring out creative ways to take their picture can be a challenge and it is one of the reasons that I posted this particular picture. It wasn't, in my opinion, my favorite or the best that I took of her that night - but it was "different!" (At least different than the way that I am used to seeing her.)
As for the green post - yeah, I noticed that and should do some kind of PP to remove it. My photography is much better than my PP, and I like taking pictures a lot more than I like processing. I definitely need to work on my processing skills! I could also crop the photo a bit more to remove a couple of the distracting edge elements. These were some very helpful suggestions.
Finally, as to the story of the photo - if I had to say, I think it would be "curious." The photo itself doesn't really tell that story, but I can tell it because I watched the entire scene unfold from behind the lens. Although, as you pointed out in your second edit in LR, it could be "mysterious" if I changed the background to grayscale, added some mild vignetting, and left her in color.
I really appreciate the feedback; receiving constructive criticism is tough from people who aren't into "photography." They know a good picture or a so-so picture, but they can't always tell you how to take a good picture and improve it.
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Forum: Photo Critique
04-27-2014, 06:00 PM
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Thanks, pjm1! Appreciate the feedback.
I agree that the background could use more bokeh to smooth it out. I should have been shooting with my A-50/1.7, but it is so stinking hard to manual focus on kids with that lens! I am really thinking about the DA 35/2.4 for family shots - a situation like this could have used better bokeh and this lens would have delivered.
I think it's interesting you commented on the light - I actually did shoot this shot in the later evening, after 6:30pm. The sunlight was coming in at a strong angle and casting some shadows, so I used the camera's built-in flash set at -.7 (I think) to eliminate some of the shadows. Unfortunately, that also took away some of the softness of the evening sun. Since this shot, I have been using the flash set at -1 or -1.3 and have had more natural results, without the shadows.
Thanks to for showing me your rendition - I like the shift of colors, but I don't think I would go quite so far. A bit of vignetting might help attract one's attention away from the corners. The blur effect that you added did rather the same, I think.
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Forum: Photo Critique
04-18-2014, 06:54 PM
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Thanks for the suggestion. Funny thing is, I liked this particular picture because it didn't show her face! Wow, how tastes vary! Of course, I do see her face everyday, so I might have a different perspective than someone who has never seen her before.
My only critique as the photographer is that her dress is a little overexposed - I can probably fix this in post-processing if I learn how. But I made the choice to over-expose her dress slightly in order to get better shadow detail in the surroundings.
Appreciate any other comments too!
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Forum: Photo Critique
04-17-2014, 04:04 AM
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Here is a photo I took of my daughter on a recent walk that our family took. I used fill flash set to -.7 stops to brighten the shadows. So far, I haven't done any post processing. I have some thoughts on what would make the image better, but was interested in what you all had to say. Thanks!
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Forum: Monthly Photo Contests
03-23-2014, 06:22 PM
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My nearly three year-old daughter exploring the prism that her grandma sent to her!
I captured this photograph using the K-5's built-in flash as a fill flash. I have my the flash programmed at -.7EV, so it doesn't provide a full-power burst. The reflections of her arm are due to the single pane windows in our old home. The first reflection is from the inside window, the second is from the storm window.
In post-processing, I added some dynamic contrast to the scene. This helped to boost the background, make the "gunk" on the window clearer, and it boosted the reflections of her arm.
The whole scene took place in less than 5 minutes on a sunny Saturday afternoon in mid-March of 2014.
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Forum: Pentax K-5 & K-5 II
02-05-2014, 11:57 AM
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I was wondering if there are any dedicated JPG shooters out there, if they wouldn't mind sharing what in-camera settings you like to use for JPGs.
I like the user bank settings of the K-5 - and currently have two different user banks set up - one for landscapes/outdoors, the other for people/indoors. I am always looking for other suggestions, input, and ways of doing things, so if anyone would like to share, I'd love to hear it.
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Forum: Pentax K-5 & K-5 II
01-13-2014, 04:46 PM
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Here is a snapshot I took last night of a friend opening a birthday present. I think that the image is in the vein of what you are trying to capture with the K-5's pop-up flash.
With this image, I set the flash exposure to -.7. I also set the white balance to "cloudy," as this seems to enhance some of the warm colors that are often lost with indoor flash photography. I used a kit lens - 18-55mm WR. Exposure settings were f5.6, 1/100s, and ISO 800. The only thing that you have with this image that you wouldn't with a multi-flash type setup is some minor reflections in the background behind her head. (However, it is a mirror above her head, so how much of that can you really control?)
Hope that helps you out! I'd be happy to take any further suggestions from others - I only started in digital photography a couple months ago. But previously, I shot everything manually with a Canon AE-1 Program.
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Forum: Welcomes and Introductions
12-28-2013, 06:55 AM
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Hello, Everyone.
I began taking pictures when I was 13 years old with a Canon AE-1 Program that I purchased at a pawn shop for $150.00. It came with a Canon FD 50 1:1.8 and a 70-210 Quantaray zoom. I never really used the zoom; I put that prime lens on and shot away!
in the early 2000s, I was a poor college student and couldn't afford to pay for college and photography. I left the Canon in its case except for special occasions and kept an eye on the progress of digital. I wasn't convinced that it was going to be better than film, but I knew this: the increasing price of film made it difficult to shoot a lot.
I got married in 2007 and went to seminary. My wife and I set about paying off student loans and she worked while I went to school. We paid off our loans in 2011 and also had our first child, a daughter. I graduated in 2012 and our little girl began walking - and moving too fast for our point and shoot!
This year, we had another child and we certainly couldn't keep up with a toddler and an infant with our point and shoot. We decided to make the move to a digital SLR. Since I had an extensive history with a film SLR, I wanted something that would give me a lot of control over my picture taking and my wife wanted "green mode!"
After a lot of research, I decided on a Pentax. I liked the fact that they are weather-resistant, since we do a lot of camping, hiking, etc. and I do a lot of hunting. I found a K-5 in like-new condition with the 18-55 WR kit lens for about $650.00 and thought that it was a good deal. I was torn between the K-5 and K-5II, but wasn't sure whether the price of the K-5II would come down. I went ahead and bought the K-5 because I thought the deal was incredible. Though the K-5II's improved autofocus sounded tempting, with my experience with manual focusing I didn't think i would miss it if I needed to manual focus in darker light.
I'm looking forward to continuing to learn my camera and equipment, and, like many of you, buying the lenses that we all lust after!
~ Mr Jed
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