My first "Cat Portraits" ..... well we couldn't get him out of the room, so decided she might as well hold him

Pentax K7 - D FA 28-105mm - F9.5 - ISO 100 - 1/180th
Cactus V6II - RF60/RF60x flashes










I've been experimenting with the lights in the small space available in the living room, and have made more seperation from the black curtains with a backlight, one flash in a softbox on the floor behind. The main light is a shoot-through white umbrella.

Thanks for your views and thoughts

Very handy to get to on public transport then!

Is the matter of a childs participation not dissimilar to families who follow a religion very dogmatically, and the kids will just be lead along that path without question, as it is their norm, ... ? It seems unlikely that the activity would go well or look comfortable if there was any coercion, so surely the willingness and enjoyment is mutual ....

I like the colour one, which has the impact and power of the red. The light on the buildings behind plays nicely, looking a little 'HDR', but it adds to the surreal tone. I think it would be worthwhile to clone out the cable crossing the sky which looks attached to the big ones head .

They have a certain style and depth that is immediately apparent, I presume caused by the larger format. In particular I notice the distinction between subject and surrounds, most apparent in the first and last, that I doubt could be reproduced easily on 35mm film, (or indeed digital FF & APS-C either). They have a feel of 3D space which is really effective.

The colour balance in the last one is perhaps the best, although it would be nice if a bit more blue could be brought out from the sky. Maybe some adjustments in the scanning software would be effective.

Thanks for showing these, they demonstrate something tangible about larger format photography. All too often we see images shot on FF digital that show little that distinguishes them from aps-c (and even smaller) formats.

I notice you list an AF-540FGZ in your gear list ..... have you thought about trying shots like these with some direct on-camera High Speed Sync flash? You would potentially be able to significantly improve the dynamic range and colour depth by underexposing the backgrounds a little, while popping the subject a little .... the way you have your first two subjects posed suggests that adding a bit of exaggeration and drama this way would complement the style.

Having said that I will admit I don't know anything about the flash capabilities of your camera and whether its capable of the HSS, but I do know that the AF-540FGZ supports the film 6x7. By using HSS you wouldn't have to stop down the apertures at all, but rather could lower the background exposure a little with a shutter speed faster than the max sync.

I suppose shutter count is about a close you can get in camera terms to a cars mileage figure .... I'm just wonder whether shutter count is so closely linked to overall wear and tear such as mileage is on a car. I suppose you could use a camera for video and live view extensively but not take many actual photos, however you would be wearing out all sorts of other things as you go. Likewise, you could leave a car sitting out in the elements without driving it anywhere, and it would also deteriorate.

Check out Maplins own brand NiMH 2100mAh 4 packs ...... link

The link is to the AA/AAA packs, but I picked up 3 packs of 4 AAs for £5-00 each, plus a charger with 4 batteries for £12.00. Its not the fastest charger they do, but it takes between 2-3 hours to charge four batteries from empty. I have been using them in my AF-540FGZII and Cactus RF60/x flashes and I am very pleased with the performance .... extremely fast recycling and good endurance. I cannot of course comment on their longevity.

You might have to go into a shop to grab the 4 packs as they don't seem to be on the website.

I have also recently seen a mention on PentaxForums about the Ikea equivalent product, also low price but reportedly strong performance too .... (John got there before me with the Ikea ones).

Only if you don't want a bit of humour .... I quite like to take a laugh at myself, and ourselves, sometimes!

I wish you well in the quest for a good 'fast' aperture lens for indoor photography. I do applaud those who can get the conditions right to really achieve quality portraits and people shots with natural light indoors. I do think however it is dependant on many things, quite a few of which are often out of the control of the photographer .... quantity and quality of light being the main ones here. And we have to consider that for each difficulty there is a technical solution, however each solution brings its own particular compromise ... (eg focussing challenges, IQ decrease, DR issues, colour balance problems etc). It is probably a rare situation where it is possible to solve each of those problems at the same time without some significant compromise.

So I think the other guys here were right to point out considering looking at flash as another solution. It has the advantage of being able to solve a number of the 'difficulties' all at once with very little compromise attached.

So doing a lot of PixelShift will reduce the value of your camera more quickly!!

Yes, that's right, come on, keep it up guys .... forget natural light, its usually rubbish and your portraits will suffer with excessive contrast, blown highlights, poor depth of field, shadows half over the faces in the wrong places, one eye out of focus ..... plus you'll probably end up turning it into some attempt at an arty monochrome because the colours are all yuck!

...... here a tip : (Indoors in extreme low light) - F9.5, ISO 100, 1/180th .... that's how I get both eyes in focus!!

A glittering showcase of a spectacular place. You've caught it in all its glory with good light (the sun not too harsh), and your set conveys a tantalising taste of all the angles and vistas available. I imagine it rewards plenty more explorations as well ..... I hope you have a few more up your sleeve Philip!