2015 is just fine I think. It's interesting and there certainly is a point regarding aperture rings where we consider prime lenses and DOF markings. So many lenses don't have those these days either. But I personally very, very rarely had a use for them. Eventually we learn to judge and it ends up accurate enough.

IMHO it's certainly more use than trying to judge DOF on the tiny focusing screen.

I'm really sorry velimir, but your entry has had to be removed anyway. In the monthly competitions the images must be taken during that month. So for the current competition images must be shot in January 2015. Unfortunately your was dated 2009.

Comment was duplicated, so I've removed the duplicate for you.

There are model websites and this works well for many. There's advertising, even in the local newsagents, but you might get some strange responses. You could ask friends and relatives. You could even ask on Facebook, but perhaps on a suitable page that covers portraiture.

Why are camera clubs such a no? You could meet people who already know suitable models that you can hire. You don't have to get involved in group shoots if you don't want to.

Some studios offer model registers and I'm sure there must be such studios in your area.

You asked the question anymat, and people gave you what they hoped were helpful answers. Nobody was suggesting anything beyond that.

You need to make your entry here:

https://www.pentaxuser.com/competitions/monthly-challenge--31---still-life-on-a-...

Hope that helps!

I thought the aperture ring on the lens was better at first, but once I had got used to my *istDS I realised it doesn't really make any difference. It might as well be on the camera body and the wheels do have click stops of their own anyway.

The prohibition on Pentax User is for commercial traders - as per the section heading. Ads have to be Pentax and photo related and private sales.

I think Gwyn is right that you would need to be mindful of copyright/patent violations as people do get pretty stroppy about their designs being used without agreement.

Concentrate on the photography, keep it simple. All the other technology is fine if well rehearsed, but otherwise you might spend too much time fiddling with it and that won't look good.

I would go from table to table and shoot images in situ, but that's a preference for you to decide obviously. Flash on camera bracket, diffuser to soften it a little, and nothing over elaborate to get in the way.

Maybe some available light shots later if you're feeling more adventurous.

I can see some confusion here. A negative film will go black when exposed to light, thus printing light when reversed in the printing stage. Hence the term "negative" - bright light sources are black, dark shadows are clear.

If your film is totally black when developed it has been totally fogged by light. Are the film rebates clear or are they black as well? The rebates are where the frame numbers are shown, along the edge where the perforations are.

To be absolutely sure of what is happening here it would be good to see the negatives, and ideally the camera as well. Your local camera club may well have someone who can give a proper assessment of what's happening.