DA* 50-135mm Family Portraits

Here are some more test shots using the DA* 50-135mm lens with the K10D. All photos were shot in RAW mode at ISO 200 at f/5.6. Other than converting to JPEG with PhotoLab (SilkyPix), no post-processing was applied to any of the images.

Cabo Surf Hotel

Since taking photos has always been such an integral part of my vacations, I thought I'd share a few snapshots of the great little hotel we're staying at in Mexico. The Cabo Surf Hotel is located on Playa Acapulquito (Costa Azul) just outside of San Jose del Cabo. It's a small hotel with about 24 rooms that is located right on one of the areas best surfing breaks.

The hotel has great food with a dining room that's perched right over the beach and offers spectacular views of the Sea of Cortez. You can see the city of San Jose del Cabo to your left and the very exclusive resort, Palmila, to your right. Except for kids of all ages that are taking surfing lessons, the 300 yard long beach is protected at both ends by cliffs, which are only passable at low tide. The ambience here is extremely relaxed and the hotel staff is very friendly and accomodating. The hotel has become very popular for small, destination wedding parties, and I've included two photos at the end of this post so you get a sense of how these weddings look. All photos, except the two wedding shots, taken with the K10D and the 21mm "pancake" lens. Exposure in AV mode with EV compensation as needed.

This is our third time staying at Cabo Surf Hotel, and I can highly recommend it to anyone wanting a small, private and relaxing vacation if you're planing to a trip to Cabo San Lucas.

Bizen Pottery & Printing Type

Here are a few sample images taken with the Pentax 100mm f/2.8 Macro lens and K10D. All photos shot in RAW, AV mode at f/11. The "objects" for this test were some of our smaller Bizen pottery and a set of 64pt Cloister Initials metal printing type. All objects were shot outside on our patio table, and placed on a sheet of white foamcore or cotton sheet under a makeshift tent using a sheet to diffuse the direct sunlight overhead.

BIZEN POTTERY
The areas around Bizen (Imbe, Japan) next to the Inland Sea in the Okayama prefecture have been producing some of the most beautiful traditional ceramics since the 12th century. Bizen ceramic wares are prized for their warm reddish brown colors and restrained understated beauty. Bizen ceramics are typically fired at high temperature, over 1200C/2300F, and often have distinctive red or black fire marks. Each piece of Bizen pottery has a unique personality.

Small Bizen bowl, approximately 1.75" tall by 2" wide






8" Bizen plate showing pattern created by firing plate with sake cups placed on top with stalks of rice soaked in salt water.



5" Bizen vase showing rough texture near top created from ashes in the kiln. The next photo shows the other side of the same vase, where another piece of pottery was placed right next to it during the firing process creating an almost metalic tone.






PRINTING TYPE
Back in the 70's and early 80's, I owned an old letterpress printing press manufactured in 1890. I printed limited edition books, posters and design keepsakes...which combined my print work and calligraphy. I recently uncovered one of my business cards from this period, as well as a set of some of the metal type I used. The 100mm macro lens worked out nicely as I was able to get in fairly close to show the details of the type and parts of the 150 year old wooden cases I stored the metal typefaces in.

"UPstrap" camera strap

I've always preferred "minimalist" camera straps. I heard good things about the "non-slip" camera and bag straps from UPstrap, a small company in Tallahassee, FL. I've been using the RF (small size) UPstrap with the K10D for the past few weeks. It's a nice strap, well-made, and the grippy, rubber pad definitely stays on your shoulder...even if you're wearing a nylon type parka. I have no connection with UPstrap and therefore am only sharing my initial observations using this strap...as a happy customer :-)

Here's the link to their website, if you want more info.
UPstrap "non-slip" straps

Which One Takes Better Photo?