A topic for which I am compiling a portfolio; the costumes can be rather jarring and they are taken in different conditions so to bring some cohesiveness they are all monochrome. Here are a few from this year, the latest being today. They are all taken with the K1 + 70-200 f2.8 with the exception of no.3 for which the 150-450mm was used:

I use an Epson SCP400 A3+ size, I chose it rather than a Canon because it’s smaller size fitted into the space! I am very pleased with the quality of prints and although third party inks are tempting I have never used them. As for papers, I tend to collect sample packs when I visit the Photography Show from different manufacturers and then order full packs from those I like best. Papers do vary in tone, for instance a Permajet lustre paper has a distinct bluish tone which doesn’t suit some pictures whereas others can be a warmer white. At present I print a lot on matt papers although they can be more challenging to get bright colours and contrast; as well as bright white I have experimented with Hahnemuhle’s Rice Paper, and Natural Line which is a very warm white, and St. Cuthbert Mill’s Bockingford paper which is a well-known watercolour paper but treated for photo printing. None of these options are available at commercial printers. Some papers are more suited to certain subjects than others which is why it’s worth experimenting, as the results can be very different.

One tip: dust is your enemy and regularly use a blower into the printer feed, and I use a blower on both sides of every sheet I load. Matt papers are worst for shedding minute bits of fibre but it is worth doing on all papers as fibres from the backs of coated papers can transfer onto the rollers. There is nothing more frustrating than looking at a print and seeing tiny white specks where the dust has fallen off and taken the pigment with it, this can happen right away or days and even weeks later and is especially important if you plan to sell prints.

Finally printing for me is the completion of the photographic process and gives me far more satisfaction than a digital screen image. Good luck and enjoy!

That’s pretty damned impressive!

It needs a new landmark camera body to turn a manufacturer’s fortunes around, we have seen it with OM Systems, Nikon with their Z9, Canon with their R5 and Fujifilm making the leap into medium format. The K3.III had the potential but is APS-C which is a dwindling market and is up against the reviewers’ favourite slightly cheaper Fujifilm. (I tried one and the handling was awful - the Fuji that is).

Pentax had the lead and potential with ground breaking medium format but appears to have thrown away that opportunity by letting others muscle in, similarly the K1 was a great contender but it needs a replacement for Pentax to stay relevant.

I say that Urbanmeister because I get promo emails from SRS and Clifton Cameras about Pentax launches and special deals, but when was the last time you saw an advert by Pentax? They haven’t been at the Photography Show for a while although maybe some smaller shows; new products will feature in magazine news articles and occasionally in a review but I cannot see new buyers being persuaded to switch brands by these. The most widely viewed YouTubers appear dismissive of Pentax mainly because they aren’t mirrorless and tellingly the one guy who regularly gave positive reviews and comparisons, Cameraville, has largely switched to other brands for the simple reasons that there aren’t many new products to review and as he buys his own stuff the likes of Nikon and Sony get him more views and thus revenue.

Last week I met a photographer who is a Nikon brand ambassador and has recently been given, for free, their latest top end professional camera In return for which she gives promotional talks. I don’t know how many brand ambassadors there are but this shows the sort of money the likes of Nikon are prepared to spend and as a result return a healthy profit. Unless Pentax can raise its game and get noticed then it is doomed.

The biggest hurdle for marketing is to overcome a general conception that Pentax is finished, put about by certain YouTubers which of course silly fanboys lap up and gleefully regurgitate. No one is going to buy into a system that appears to have no future even if they would prefer a DSLR. Unfortunately the marketing of Pentax is left entirely to retailers, it is totally absent from Photography magazines and trade shows so it’s no wonder people think the brand has died out. Ominously prestigious lenses like the 70-200 f2.8 are heavily discounted now, presumably because they cannot be shifted.

Thank goodness for the help here, it was about to go in the bin!

Thanks K10D I found something similar in my cupboard, a pencil shaped ink eraser, which has done the trick.

I haven’t used my little AF201FG flash for a while and it has been kept in a drawer without batteries, but when I tried it yesterday with new batteries it was completely dead. The contacts look clean and the batteries were fine in another appliance; it was working beforehand. Any ideas?

I am jealous, I hope the sale goes through ok. I have had mine on eBay for ages without any takers.