All Forum Comments
Comment by Pentaxophile posted on K5 Sensor Issues... at 13/05/2011 - 13:38
Gwyn wrote:
Take the guide dog along, I'm sure she fall for him if not for you .
gartmore wrote:
My friends have always insisted that it is a remarkably good likeness
'Tis true. He wears a fine Tam O'Shanter! My friends have always insisted that it is a remarkably good likeness
Take the guide dog along, I'm sure she fall for him if not for you .
Well if Nicole ditches Lewis for Ken, I think the guide dog may be just what she needs
Sorry Ken, couldn't resist!
Comment by Pentaxophile posted on An unexpected touch of glamour at 12/05/2011 - 23:12
Nice set Smegs, looks like it was shot in Rednecksville, Alabama! I think no. 9 is my particular favourite.
Comment by Pentaxophile posted on Truckfest 2011 at 12/05/2011 - 14:40
I am extremely glad that the competition got you out taking pictures, especially as it resulted in such a great shot!
Comment by Pentaxophile posted on Entries for Fortnightly Competition #67 The Sacred at 12/05/2011 - 10:57
John is exactly right - you need to understand the rules before you can break them effectively!
Smeggy makes a good point about avoiding the photography mags though. Too much preponderance on a formulaic 'painting by numbers' approach to photography, and too much emphasis on PP quick fixes. I get the National Geographic and study the photographs for inspiration and insight. For photography basics you could get one of the classic John Hedgecoe guides from Oxfam for a fraction of the cost of a single magazine.
Smeggy makes a good point about avoiding the photography mags though. Too much preponderance on a formulaic 'painting by numbers' approach to photography, and too much emphasis on PP quick fixes. I get the National Geographic and study the photographs for inspiration and insight. For photography basics you could get one of the classic John Hedgecoe guides from Oxfam for a fraction of the cost of a single magazine.
Comment by Pentaxophile posted on Advice would be appreciated at 12/05/2011 - 09:57
Thanks to all who entered... I enjoyed keeping an eye on the entries arriving over the two weeks, and there are some great shots in there!
Without further ado, the judging - I hope you'll forgive me for being fairly concise with my remarks... work's getting in the way of my Pentax User time, unfortunately!
Sandanista - Tissington Church Interior
This is a well exposed record of an interesting church interior. I like the different styles of carving around the arches - presumably the one on the right predates the others? The frieze (if that's the right word) with the relief carvings is interesting too, however for me it's a bit too centrally placed in the composition. I think a little more care to the composition of the shot, especially wrt some of the objects at the edges, would have improved it a lot, and perhaps focussing in on one part of the scene might have resulted in a more satsfying image.
Karl - Temple Works
Amazing building, I love the carvings on those pillars. Composition wise, I feel this is a bit awkward though, and lacks a focal point to hold my attention.
Cardiff Gareth - Everlasting Scared Love
Excellent wedding picture, lovely tones and composition. Minor annoyance - the lighter are visible behind the groom and above the cross, and it would also have been nice to include the whole cross given the competition theme (if that was your intention)... but I am guessing you didn't take this specifically for the competition!
Karma Mechanic - Sunlit Saint
This is just 'divine' (pardon the pun) - wonderful lighting and a beautifully framed composition. The detail of the carvings, and the background, make a great setting for the attractively backlit subject.
Davidtrout - Let there be light
Great how you've lined this up with Jesus almost looking as if he is holding the lamp. The balance between flash and the window light is spot on. However the large shadow and the way the lamp is lit from beneath spoil the image for me slightly.
Techno-terminator- St Andrew's Cathedral
Similar to Sandanista's church interior, there's quite a going on in the shot and I struggle to find a focal point - again there are objects at the edges which I think more careful framing would have included in their entirety, making them a part of the composition, or excluded from the shot altogether. I do like the figure included in the shot, although I think shooting from the other side of the glass would have been good (if perhaps a little rude if they're praying?!)
Frogherder - Standing the test of time
Great little detail, well spotted. I like seeing these older pre-christian deities incorporated into churches. The shot looks a little overexposed though, with a burned out highlight to the top right of the arch, and shadows that look a bit washed out.
Mecrox - King Stone
I really like the simplicity of this. The antiquity of the stone, and the erection of the little fence around it, highlight that this was (is?) a site of sacred significance. Nice soft side lighting picking out the stone's texture well, and nice subtle post processing.
Geordie01 - The Last Supper
A cute scene, nice simple symmetrical composition. Definitely gets my vote for Knitted Character of the Week!
bforbes - Memory
A modern but sacred symbol of remembrance. This is very nice and a great idea, but I think I would have preferred to either go in even closer and fill the shot with the poppies, of pull back and show more context.
alexfilipov - Holy Man
A stunning portrait of a man with character etched into the lines of his face. His dignified posture and expression are excellent. Bright reflected light from outside is softly illuminating his face, which is great, but the sunlit area in the upper right hand side of the shot is slightly distracting - it would have been worth changing your position to avoid including it.
JudithAnn - Hofmann's Head of Christ
A difficult one to judge as this is effectively a faithful record shot of a painting. It looks a very well executed photographic reproduction, though, and it's a very nice, very human, portrayal of Jesus.
Utopia Poppy - A Sacred Bond
Ahhh, very sweet shot of the 'sacred bond' between mother and child (chick). A very nice shot to end on - my only criticism being the noise and artefacts that are very visible in the image. Perhaps heavy cropping is to blame for this, or boosting the levels in PP?
___________________________________________________________________
In first place:
Karma Mechanic - Sunlit Saint
Second place:
Mecrox - King Stone
Joint Third Place:
Alec Filipov - Holy Man
Cardiff Gareth - Everlasting Sacred Love
Well done Karma Mechanic! Over to you for the next competition subject
Without further ado, the judging - I hope you'll forgive me for being fairly concise with my remarks... work's getting in the way of my Pentax User time, unfortunately!
Sandanista - Tissington Church Interior
This is a well exposed record of an interesting church interior. I like the different styles of carving around the arches - presumably the one on the right predates the others? The frieze (if that's the right word) with the relief carvings is interesting too, however for me it's a bit too centrally placed in the composition. I think a little more care to the composition of the shot, especially wrt some of the objects at the edges, would have improved it a lot, and perhaps focussing in on one part of the scene might have resulted in a more satsfying image.
Karl - Temple Works
Amazing building, I love the carvings on those pillars. Composition wise, I feel this is a bit awkward though, and lacks a focal point to hold my attention.
Cardiff Gareth - Everlasting Scared Love
Excellent wedding picture, lovely tones and composition. Minor annoyance - the lighter are visible behind the groom and above the cross, and it would also have been nice to include the whole cross given the competition theme (if that was your intention)... but I am guessing you didn't take this specifically for the competition!
Karma Mechanic - Sunlit Saint
This is just 'divine' (pardon the pun) - wonderful lighting and a beautifully framed composition. The detail of the carvings, and the background, make a great setting for the attractively backlit subject.
Davidtrout - Let there be light
Great how you've lined this up with Jesus almost looking as if he is holding the lamp. The balance between flash and the window light is spot on. However the large shadow and the way the lamp is lit from beneath spoil the image for me slightly.
Techno-terminator- St Andrew's Cathedral
Similar to Sandanista's church interior, there's quite a going on in the shot and I struggle to find a focal point - again there are objects at the edges which I think more careful framing would have included in their entirety, making them a part of the composition, or excluded from the shot altogether. I do like the figure included in the shot, although I think shooting from the other side of the glass would have been good (if perhaps a little rude if they're praying?!)
Frogherder - Standing the test of time
Great little detail, well spotted. I like seeing these older pre-christian deities incorporated into churches. The shot looks a little overexposed though, with a burned out highlight to the top right of the arch, and shadows that look a bit washed out.
Mecrox - King Stone
I really like the simplicity of this. The antiquity of the stone, and the erection of the little fence around it, highlight that this was (is?) a site of sacred significance. Nice soft side lighting picking out the stone's texture well, and nice subtle post processing.
Geordie01 - The Last Supper
A cute scene, nice simple symmetrical composition. Definitely gets my vote for Knitted Character of the Week!
bforbes - Memory
A modern but sacred symbol of remembrance. This is very nice and a great idea, but I think I would have preferred to either go in even closer and fill the shot with the poppies, of pull back and show more context.
alexfilipov - Holy Man
A stunning portrait of a man with character etched into the lines of his face. His dignified posture and expression are excellent. Bright reflected light from outside is softly illuminating his face, which is great, but the sunlit area in the upper right hand side of the shot is slightly distracting - it would have been worth changing your position to avoid including it.
JudithAnn - Hofmann's Head of Christ
A difficult one to judge as this is effectively a faithful record shot of a painting. It looks a very well executed photographic reproduction, though, and it's a very nice, very human, portrayal of Jesus.
Utopia Poppy - A Sacred Bond
Ahhh, very sweet shot of the 'sacred bond' between mother and child (chick). A very nice shot to end on - my only criticism being the noise and artefacts that are very visible in the image. Perhaps heavy cropping is to blame for this, or boosting the levels in PP?
___________________________________________________________________
In first place:
Karma Mechanic - Sunlit Saint
Second place:
Mecrox - King Stone
Joint Third Place:
Alec Filipov - Holy Man
Cardiff Gareth - Everlasting Sacred Love
Well done Karma Mechanic! Over to you for the next competition subject
Comment by Pentaxophile posted on Entries for Fortnightly Competition #67 The Sacred at 11/05/2011 - 23:53
If it's going to be extremely rainy, the 18-55mm... otherwise plump for the 16-45mm... wide enough to let you leave the 10-20mm back at the hotel unless you specifically need 10-15mm. You could make do with just the 16-45mm for general cityscape shooting.
Comment by Pentaxophile posted on Which would you take? at 10/05/2011 - 23:16
Interesting for video too http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b925lV7v5G0
Comment by Pentaxophile posted on Curiously Swirly Helios at 10/05/2011 - 23:12
I agree with you Mark. My first question on the other site was met with stony silence. Here, on the other hand, I was practically drowned with friendly advice! I see lots of newcomers getting the same treatment, and many of them become regular forum posters too.
However I love the lens review section, and the lens clubs on the other site! And recently I've been engaged in the Political/Religious Discussion threads.... great fun chatting to 'birthers,' fundies and tea party supporters!
However I love the lens review section, and the lens clubs on the other site! And recently I've been engaged in the Political/Religious Discussion threads.... great fun chatting to 'birthers,' fundies and tea party supporters!
Comment by Pentaxophile posted on It just isn't true! at 10/05/2011 - 22:29
I've suddenly lost my appetite....
Comment by Pentaxophile posted on My new studio at 10/05/2011 - 18:13
I was informed that it was likely to have been a bonding issue of the protective screen to the sensor.