Am trying to learn to take acceptable landscape shots but am not doing very well and not sure where I am going wrong. During this pub crawl of Spalding I took several pubs and shots of the river, although they are fine for the family album they are not really what I thought I took.

Please offer any help or suggestion that comes to mind, I don’t mind what you say I like to learn as quick as possible comments on composition as well as technique would be welcome please.

1/ K20 – Lens 12-24 @ 19mm– taken F10 @1/32 –ISO 200 tripod used hand fired.

White Horse taken from the main town bridge – the bridge wall obscures the bottom right but I could not get any higher to get the wall in – the whole thing does not look sharp to me and I am not sure if I should have removed the top of the steeple from the roof line.

[IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v173/Thordell/Landscape/WhiteHorse.jpg[/IMG]

2/ K20 – lens 12-24 @ 24mm – taken F10 @ 1/400 – ISO 200 tripod used hand fired.

The Lincoln Arms is opposite the White Horse on the other side of the river and this shot is taken almost from the same place as the above shot. A good deal of trouble with the sky because I have, as yet, no filter. Pleased with the balance between sky and the white building which wanted to take over but again it does not seem sharp to me and I am not sure if my looking for the different angle stopped me taking a better full on shot

[IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v173/Thordell/Landscape/LincolnArms.jpg[/IMG]

3/ K20 – lens 12-24 @ 16mm – taken F10 @ 1/200 – ISO 200 – hand held.

Again not pleased with it, not sure why again had difficulty with sky and the white building. Car a pain and only arrived just as I wished to take the shot.

[IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v173/Thordell/Landscape/theriveratSpalding.jpg[/IMG]

Thank you for looking I hope you can help.

I have an ology in being wrong, well according to my OH I have.

Think I was thinking of real beginners who are new to a camera, my problems are usually to do with trying to expand my subjects or getting used to new equipment - don't mean my work is perfect more that a C & C will help as will people telling me if they just don't like it as long as they say why. But if you are really new then you often have no idea you are going wrong let alone how to ask for specific help - when I look back of shots I thought were really good last year I am embarrassed you have to learn to be self critical as well as how to correct the problems.

Think you are right Mike problem being I know the shot is not good but I don't know why so it is difficult ask the right question. I may think it is a matter of exposure where as it is that I have the camera set up incorrectly and to make matters worse I am focusing on infinity when it should I believe be about one third of the viewable distance - but you see I am not sure at all.

I own a Pentax 100-300mm but it is no way near as fast as 2.8 not sure what it is as for some reason it is not marked but I can stick it on a body and find out for you. Saying this as it will soon be for sale.

Edit to say I have found it the f rating is 4.5 -5.6 - think you may have a problem finding a 2.8

May be if we could upload an image and rather than ask for C&C we could ask for mentoring that way instead of being told that it was under-exposed more detail could be offered, settings suggested and explained, problems analysed.

I have just recently started taking landscape and I am finding it hard to get right so this detailed sort of help with follow up work would really be of help.

Thanks you Cosmo, flash arrived in A1 condition the whole process painless thanks to you.

I've done much the same thing Lemmy and bought the 12-24mm, 60-250mm and the Bigma, not worked out how much I would have to pay now but it would be well over £3000 so I feel comfortable that if and when they have to be sold they should fetch more or less what I paid for them.

Have a couple of acquaintances who moved from 300 to 700 and they both after about 6 months moved back, I asked why but only got waffle can anyone say why, knowing them I doubt it was cash.

Welcome to the forum, Pentax and the K7. I love mine more every time I pick it up, I purchased the 18 - 55mm WR lens and have to say it is a nice light easy to use lens which would slip into the pocket on a stormy days walk and leave me confident that neither body nor lens will come to any harm.

Sorry goggalee I did not see the joke, I must be taking my photography to seriously because I have always prided myself that the only thing that has survived the ageing process is my sense of humour