It's in the Bag, Baby Photo Edition

Heading out soon to photograph my friends' precocious little one year old. This is what I'm bringing:

Pentax K-5 with grip
K-01
DA21mm F3.2 Limited
DA70mm F2.4 Limited
FA31mm F1.8 Limited
FA43mm F1.9 Limited

That's it. I was going to bring the DA* zooms but then I looked at the photos I'd taken six months ago and the DA70 and DA21 got the most keepers. I'm bringing the FAs for a little workout. My wife will be shooting the K-01 (currently with the FA31) and I'll start with the K-5 with the FA43.

For lighting, I've got a Metz 58 AF-1 in the bag, but we'll probably use the CFL softbox more. It's an 85watt bulb that puts out as much light as a 400 watt tungsten without the heat.

Pentax cameras (K-5, K-01, and Q) used for RoadRUNNER Story

A bit of shameless self promotion here...actually it's as much about Pentax cameras as it is about me, because Pentax has a lineup of cameras that fits my needs to a T. The Feb 2013 issue of RoadRUNNER Magazine is out, and the cover features a photo that I took with a Pentax K-5 with the DA70mm F2.4 Limited lens.

Deadlines

There's nothing like a deadline to focus the mind. I've got one looming, so I better step away from the blog. But before I go, some picture for an upcoming story - a motorcycle trip from Las Vegas to Sturgis SD. These are from Rocky Mountain National Park in Colorado:

Pentax K-01 with DA 10-17 Fisheye Zoom

Pentax K-5 with DA 70mm F2.4 Limited

Family Candids with the Pentax K-01, Focus Peaking, and Manual Focus

In some ways, capturing candids of family members is really hard. The low light of most houses forces you to push the ISO and open up apertures, which slices down the depth of field which in turn taxes AF systems. And the truth is, some family members can get downright ornery when you point a camera at them*, especially when you blind them with the AF assist light or, worse yet, flash. Fast-moving toddlers makes things even harder. On the other hand, capturing candids of family can be really easy. I've been bringing a camera of some sort or other to family for twenty years now, so most family members are more or less desensitized to my photographic presence. But the low light, moving subject issues still remain, and some cameras are better at it than others.

Sturgis

Winter is the time to hole up inside, go through the 35,000+ photos taken in the last 12 months, and find the ones worth salvaging... This one is in Sturgis SD during their big summer rally. Bikers come from all across the country to celebrate the biker lifestyle. We were a couple hundred miles away in Fort Collins CO when we started seeing bikes making their way to Sturgis. It's quite a spectacle. Not for sportbikes, that's for sure.

Shot with the Pentax K-5 paired with the DA70mm F2.4. Almost directly into the sun - just look at the long shador of the first bike. The camera and lens handled this perfectly. No flare, no loss of contrast, sharp focus. It's shots like this that make me happy that I chose Pentax and make me think that I don't need full-frame after all. Then of course I come across another shot that makes me think otherwise and sends me scurrying off into the Internet for more time-wasting "gear research" but that's another story altogether...

untitled, for now

From the American Photo Model Shoot in NYC - www.americanphotomag.com/modelshoot/photo_contest/65/abou...

Read about the day - whatblogisthis.blogspot.com/2012/11/photographing-models-...

Photographing models with the Pentax K-01

Followers of this blog (both of you) might surmise that I went to the American Photo Model Shoot in NYC, courtesy of friend and fellow photographer Stephen Harris. Fellow photog Don Hoffler joined as well, and after a light breakfast, we got to shooting in a cool, spacious former warehouse space in SOHO. Hardwood floors, brick walls, tall ceilings, very 19th century industrial and very cool. American Photo, Sigma, and Unique Photo were all there, along with pro photographers Kevin Ames and Lindsay Adler who spent the day generally being really cordial and helpful, walking the floor, manning the Sigma SD1 station, and giving informative and inspiring speeches. I always enjoy hearing other photogs talk about their process and how they arrive at photos. There's always something to learn.

dionusia patricia

alexandra elizabeth parker

From the American Photo Model Shoot in NYC - www.americanphotomag.com/modelshoot/photo_contest/65/abou...

Still going through lots of photos. Watch this space.

dionusia patricia

Pentax K-01 with DA70mm F2.4 Limited.

From the American Photo Model Shoot in NYC - www.americanphotomag.com/modelshoot/photo_contest/65/abou...

Still going through lots of photos. Watch this space.

untitled, for now

From the American Photo Model Shoot in NYC - www.americanphotomag.com/modelshoot/photo_contest/65/abou...

Shot with the Pentax K-01 with the DA70mm F2.4 Limited.

Still going through lots of photos. Watch this space.

The New Firmware's Here! The New Firmware's Here! (aka The Continuing Adventures of the Pentax K-01)

Hey Pentax, I've got a new advertising campaign for the K-01...

"Pentax K-01 - the Pontiac Aztec of Cameras"

Funny, huh? I crack myself up sometimes.

Now I've gotta admit that the K-01 is almost universally derided by the online camera commentscenti. Most of them have never held one in their hands and are ignoring the simple fact that in the right hands it's capable of taking high quality photographs. And I do quite like the look of it. In other words, they're judging a book by its cover, but since nobody reads books anymore, let me try a new metaphor - judging a camera by its thumbnails.

On top of Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado

On top of Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado, a photo by john m flores on Flickr.

That's a 2012 Victory Cory Ness Cross Country Tour. That color is "Gold Digger Pearl." No joke. And that's a 5 frame HDR. The side of the bike facing the camera was in shadow - as you can see by the shadow on the ground - and it took a lot of pixel pushing to get it here. Prior attempts looked really plastic, so I had to try try again. I'm not 100% happy about this one either, so I may try once again. The bike and the park deserve it.

The railroad, some grazing cattle, and a clear blue sky over RapidCity, South Dakota

The railroad, some grazing cattle, and a clear blue sky over Rapid City, South Dakota, a photo by john m flores on Flickr.

This, for reasons unknown, may be my favorite photo of the year so far. It makes me want to go back out to South Dakota and neighboring Nebraska and take more photos.

It's in the Bag, Maine Lobster Edition

Recenty rode up to Maine with fellow rider/photographer Sandy Noble. This is what we brought. A Canon G11 is missing from the shot because it was used to take the photo, but there's a space for it in the lower right hand corner of the iPad. So here's what we got:

Pentax K-5 with DA* 16-50 F2.8 and DA70mm f/2.4

Nikon 1 with 10mm f/2.8 and 10-30mm/30-110mm variable aperture zooms.

Pentax Q with 01 Prime (47mm f/1.9 eq) and 03 Fish Eye

Fuji X-Pro 1 with three primes (18mm f/2.0, 35mm f/1.4, 60mm f/2.4) and flash

CamOne POV video camera

As you can see, the cup runneth over, or at least runneth the iPad. On prior trips I managed to squeeze it all on the iPad, but now we have two photogs plus the big Pentax zoom in the picture. That's ok, since we have two motorcycles to carry the gear, and my bike for the trip - a BMW R 1200 RT - had a humongous topcase that swallowed my LowePro Stealth Reporter 400 with ease.

What surprised me most of all (but on reflection should not have) is the fact that the Fuji X-Pro1 and Pentax K-5 are remarkably close in size. The only things that make the K-5 bigger are the grip and the pentaprism; the bodies are otherwise the same size.

In any case, we had a lot of fun with this kit and took plenty of photos. Get ready for a deluge of shots from the journey...

[NOTE: I'm testing Google's Affiliate Ads, thus the photo and link of the Pentax K-5 below.]

Pentax K-5 16.3 MP Black Digital SLR Body Only 14748 (Google Affiliate Ad)

L'Uccello Arrabbiato in Vermont as the sun prepares to set

L'Uccello Arrabbiato in Vermont as the sun prepares to set, a photo by john m flores on Flickr.

Another deadline fast approaching. Gotta wrap up one story before I head out for the next....

Glen Canyon National Recreational Area, UT

Taken with the Pentax K-5 with the DA 70mm F2.4 Limited @ 1/350s, f/8.0, ISO80.

Capital Reef National Park

Curiosity didn't have to fly all the way to Mars, Southern Utah would have been far enough.

It's in the Bag, Northeast Kingdom Edition.

Heading up to Vermont for my next story, this time with a trio of Pentaxes (K-5 with DA70mm F2.4, K-01 with DA21mm F3.2, Q with 01 Prime and 03 Fish Eye) as well as a couple of POV video cameras (Contour ROAM and the new CamOne.) And you thought the Q was the smallest camera - just take a look at the CamOne! This should all fit nicely in my Timbuktu Snoop Messenger (Medium IIRC).

Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument

Where's moto?