This is going to be one of my entries for our next camera club merit competition (no subject).

Suggestions for improvement gratefully received, as I've followed PU users advice in the past and I've done well.

Thanks.

Love that shadow and bystander.

One word - mono.

I think you meant this. (missing left bracket).

I calibrate mine in natural light, at a focus distance of about 2-3 metres, as thats the distance I am from a model in a studio, where you do need critical sharpness on the eyes.
It doesn't bother me if the focus is slightly out at longer distances as I am unlikely to be shooting wide open.

James

The image needs cropping, and then I will turn it through around, and hopefully it will look weird and disorient the viewer.

The pictures were taken in a friends home studio, and he uses Paterson Interfit flat panel studio strobes - now discontinued, they are very similar to the Sunpak digitFLASH strobes, and they are flat (like a Plasma/LCD TV) but need no softbox as they are already soft, so they are great for using in smaller studios.

James

Original on Flickr here (4.6Mb) WARNING - TASTEFUL NUDITY
Do not click on the link if a very out of focus nipple would offend you

And yes, I have just spotted the dust spot - time for a sensor clean tommorow.

I've just downloaded my images from a studio shoot today, and was looking at some portraits taken with my Pentax 50-135, its SO sharp I nearly cut myself on the pictures, here's a 100% unprocessed crop from the RAW file.

My Canon and Nikon buddies with me are very jealous of this lens.

To anybody thinking of going, most of the seals live on a sandbank which is coming on for 1 mile from the shore, which is quite a walk, so watch the tides and very warm clothing is needed.

Also from Monday to Friday the beach between the shore and sandbank is an RAF BOMBING RANGE - yes real planes dropping things (maybe not real bombs) - so you can only walk out to the seals over the weekend.

January is also very good time to go as the pups are a little larger - but still cute - and as they are more inquisitive then and away from their parents you can often get closer to them without disturbing them.

Thanks for your comments.

Gareth you are right about the softness of the faces.

The sharper ones were taken with a GX-20, the softer ones with a K-7 - all focussed on the pups eyes.

However I have done a lens AF adjustment on the GX-20, but not got around to it on the K-7 yet as I have only just had it. I'll do it before I do any more shoots though.