Any image which purports to be a description such as a landscape should never ever have sky replacements. I once pasted a deer into a rural scene, two images from the same location taken a while apart; it worked, no one could tell it was fake, but I binned it as I knew it was fake. Model and product shoots are another matter. As a photographer would you be truly satisfied with fakery just to win some crummy contest? In competitions that matter you would be disqualified. Anyhow with fake skies the lighting on the ground rarely matches the new sky, shadows, light direction and colour temperature are all wrong. Work with what you have, fine, but photoshop trickery is no longer photography.

I like the original no. 5 with the long perspective making an interesting composition. The trackside stuff on a couple of the earlier ones spoil those for me, but a great idea worth pursuing.

I just spent an interesting day at TPS, the show discounts just about recouping the obscene car parking charge of £16.95. For those interested in vintage bodies there was a selection of film Pentax bodies in varying condition on the Disabled Photographers stand. Along with Pentax/Ricoh there were also missing Panasonic and Leica as camera manufacturers. I don’t think being invisible at such events is a sensible strategy whatever the economic case, it just reinforces the oft-expressed view that Pentax is effectively dead. For me being able to handle different bodies is vital when considering a choice and I was happy to order my K1 after doing the rounds six years ago but that wouldn’t be an option now. My impression was that there was vacant stand space although the usual brands and outlets were present.

Yesterday I went with Mrs RobL for her COVID booster, and they said they might as well do me at the same time. Result: we both feel like s**t today after a sleepless night, so neither can nurse the other which was bad planning. And having bought a ticket for The Photography Show the only day I have free to go now is Sunday, so just 48 hours to feel tickety-boo. Next door’s endless building works doesn’t help my headache either with a JCB dropping huge lumps of concrete into a lorry from 7.15 this morning. So as you might gather I am feeling thoroughly miserable and sorry for myself.

Sometimes I wonder whether it is only Pentax that can produce this kind of magic:

You can get plastic filter wrenches which I have used a couple of times, they are very cheap so worth keeping in your bag.

Currently £69.14 at Amazon (ironically) which considering its size and amount of content is excellent value. You will need a strong bookshelf!

I was fortunate to receive a copy of this extraordinary book by Salgado recently; it documents six years of travel and exploration into the most remote regions of the Amazon, photographing landscapes and tribes some of which have never before been in contact with the outside world. Everything is in black and white and as well as this being Salgado's preference the monochrome ensures that there is consistency from film to digital images. However for me that only works with the tribe portraits, extraordinary depictions of people living in harmony with their surroundings. We miss though the vivid colours of the body art and feather headdresses but I suppose there were the very difficult lighting conditions in the depths of the forest und under heavy rain clouds. The landscapes I would much have preferred to have been in colour, I can only imagine the rich greens covering the land as far as the eye can see from an aircraft, draping over the huge cliffs and waterfalls. If you ever get a chance to borrow or buy one, don't hesitate, it is simply stunning.

They probably are, you just haven’t discovered it yet!

I would tell the company who commissioned the work that you have not agreed to your photo’s use and they are in breach of copyright. Tell them you have spoken with the painter and given his attitude you are not minded to give permission and the only acceptable solution would be for the painting to be whitewashed. I personally wouldn’t get involved in any joint venture to save his face, you are letting him get away with it and diminishing the significance of rights theft. I guess the painter is being paid so why should he benefit from your work?