still a bargain, compared to buying hardcover books that aren't Pentax specific... or going to college.... buying a flashmeter... etc....

get yourself a 50mm 1.4 before anything else, and yes the photo of your family is very good.

also think of your tripod as a lighting accessory....
slow shutter speeds work almost as well as powerful strobes...
people used to sit for thirty sec exposures way back when...of course you might try going as slow as 1/8 of a sec but with many subjects, they can sit still for a portrait (kids being the usual exception)

even the best and most expensive studio equipment is designed to do only one thing... mimic the light you can find outside the studio, in the studio.

So you can learn portrait photography by using the lighting you'll find outside the studio.

Reflectors, window light, natural light etc...

Get your posing and metering perfected....

Then decide what type of lighting you need or can afford, for inside the studio.....

start with a decent 50mm lens, kodak greycard, then try cheap clamp styles lamps with hot or cf lights, then try flash and umbrellas....then studio flash units or hot lights and lightmeters.. you can practice with cheap stuff, then rent the expensive stuff to keep costs under control.

I swapped out a bent sigma mount on my 400mm for a good one and don't recommend unless you're really handy, and good at working with tiny parts. Doable if you have the skills and patience and tools.

Sure it's big...but what good is it if it's soft?


(lol got the same one)...

Try getting her to turn her hip away fom the camera, and extend the front leg a bit for the full length shots....

on your low key shots, you seem to be getting some light spill onto your background....

if you can put some distance between the model and background, you should be able to get richer blacks.

WOOO-HOOOOO!!!!!
it got up to -1 today...
Went riding!!!!

I think they're going in this direction with the lenses....
leaf shutter type lenses, (similar in function to the 645 leaf lenses?), active aperture, and a new advanced flash system.
the Camera to use that most certianly will have video capability....and the ability to focus, change aperture, and zoom while recording video!!!!

could always mount a solar charger under the lcd, so when the camera is off, it trickle charges the batteries....