I'm afraid that Win 10 cannot really be made to appear just like XP. There is a 'Start' button and menu area though that can be customized, and I think it is a big improvement on what was possible on Win8. But you are stuck with the new Win10 interface, which includes the pointless (IMO) lock screen.

The file explorer interface and system is excellent, it's all very fast and slick. It's probably a good time to move onwards and upwards with your programmed though, and get better, newer 64bit versions. I use a free copy of PhotoShop CS2, which is over 10 years old, runs very well on Win10.

In this age of the selfie, we 'serious' family portrait photographers surely risk leaving ourselves out ... literally out of the photos, making our family archive look like we were never there

I'm actually fortunate that my wife rather likes to grab the K7 (rather roughly at times), and will fire off a few of me once everything is set up. I was very pleased with her efforts on a recent garden shoot, in fact her photos were better than mine (but of course the success was all built on the careful set-up and finely tuned settings :wink.

The set-up used 2 Pentax AF-540FGZ flashes, one off-camera in my softbox to the right of the subjects, and the other on the camera in 'Wireless Master' mode acting as a direct fill. The flash mode was P-TTL with a 1/3 - 2/3 ratio split between the two flashes. There was strong sunlight and a high ambient light level, brought under control with ISO140, F8 and 1/180th sec. The positioning placed the faces in deep shadow with those settings, so the flashes provided the lighting for the faces almost exclusively. The only issue with this particulular frame was the very bright sunlit rim-light on the left side of the faces, but I didn't mind it too much as it seems to add some sparkle ....(?)

Anyway, just wanted to show you that we shouldn't forget to let the camera be turned onto ourselves .... it might just catch something that we will value for a long time

Pentax K7, D FA 28-105, ISO140, F8, 1/180th sec, AF-540FGZ (I & II), P-TTL mode Photo Courtesy of Ms McGregni




Thanks for your views

I agree totally Stub! I still see comments from time to time from people who think that the latest DSLRs and their superb high ISO performance mean that flash is no longer needed ....

No, it's not like that at all! I think that digital technology has revitalised the use of flash, and more sophisticated use of flash as well, by helping us all to see the effects quickly and experiment. Also higher ISOs just mean we can get more power and performance from our flashes without losing the dynamic range and limiting noise for our flash images.

So the better performing cameras actually enhance and go alongside the greater use of flash .... The two are interconnected. Having a new, high performing DSLR is the best excuse for starting out with flash!

Yes, it's the 'Powersnoot', a shiny plastic dome with honeycomb grid. It is not transparent, so all the light is funnelled and concentrated forwards, increasing the power and limiting the spread of coverage. I think here it has given the harder, contrasty look, with the softbox in a secondary fill role.

Yes, a Guide, that's a great idea! I must get straight to work on it .....

And perhaps I should include a special section on the fine and delicate aspects of perfectly supporting your subjects for the photography .... This shoot was originally going to be of the baby ....I was just about to place her carefully balanced on the table, when suddenly my wife noticed and there followed a long burst of shouting (not reproducible here unfortunately) ....well, anyway, at that point I decided to get the flowers and photograph them instead!

I like the rim light! Its rather glamorous actually It may be perhaps 1/2 a stop too bright (?), but the play of light and shadow over the subject is very good I think. Good to see your explorations continuing in such a positive way.

A Bunch of flowers of course! I was just messing around in the garden with the flashes, looking to isolate the flowers by removing all the ambient light. Here's the set-up ....





Its not soft, but fairly forensic lighting, but it was perfect for revealing the quality of this zoom, which is my go-to lens for so many things now. The flash on the left is the radio controlled Cactus RF60 (fired by the V6 trigger), and on the softbox is the Pentax AF-540FGZ set to SL2 (Optical Slave 2) mode, firing in response to the Cactus flash. Both flashes are using Manual exposure mode. Camera in M also ....

Pentax K7, D FA 28-105, ISO 200, F13, 1/125th

























Of course, the cool thing about working with the flashes is that even with these sorts of settings, shooting at ISO200 / F13 in dim light, I can handhold the camera and walk around and zoom in and out at will, framing different parts of the bunch, without a care at all about steadiness!

Ah yes, Hyper Sonic Screwdriver!

Peter, I'm sure that will divide opinion ....i prefer the tighter frame around the face, but I can also see the strength in the longer shape. I think if that original one was to work even better, it would need the paws included.

Your lighting again has produced great depth, tones and contrast across the dogs coat (sorry, is that the right term? I'm not a doggy person!). The background brightness seems fine ...personally I still prefer the black background as in your earlier ones, which really sets off the deep tones on the subject.

It's a good angle with the nose at front, giving a sense of presence and dimension . I think you need a smaller aperture, perhaps 1.5 stops smaller, to pull the eyes fully into focus like the nose.

I'd like to see a crop, without the body, a square crop cut off just below the ears and the top brought down also ...I wonder if that would pack a bit more punch? If you leave it as it is then I think there's a bit too much space at the top.

It's good to see your project still developing!