POW, Sunday, July 12 2009

[markus maurer]

<p>Hi Pentaxians<br>

Last week, my Pentax K10D & Pentax DA 16-45mm F4 and the SMC Takumar 85mm F1.8 helped me to discover and document, that there is life on the sunny side of the mars, that dragons never sleep at night and how peacocks learn to fly :-)</p><div></div>

[markus maurer]

<p>Pentax K10D & DA 16-45mm</p><div></div>

[markus maurer]

<p>Pentax K10D & SMC Takumar 85mm F1.8</p><div></div>

[c_wyatt]

<p>With K10D:</p>

[c_wyatt]

<p>Second try</p>

[c_wyatt]

<p>and third...</p><div></div>

[c_wyatt]

<p>Second photo...</p><div></div>

[johnw436]

<p>Camus, did you shoot that in monochrome or convert it in pp? GREAT tones!</p>

[bob-c]

<p>Some great stuff so far. Quite the moonshot, Ben. I also like Markus's dragons and both of Camus's. Here are two, both taken with K10D.</p><div></div>

[bob-c]

<p>and lastly</p><div></div>

[michael_elenko]

<p>A few SW Oregon Siskiyou Mountain Shots,<br>

We got back from a week in the wild and scenic Siskiyou mountain area in SW Oregon, about 30 miles north of the California border and 50 miles inland from the lovely coast. We camped in tents on the grounds of the Siskiyou Field Institute, a research center. There were numerous scientists there conducting research on the recovery after the devastating <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biscuit_Fire">Biscuit Creek fire</a> of 2002 that burned about half a million acres.</p>

<p>The big tourist draws here are the Oregon Caves (marble, >3000 acres) and the Illinois and Rogue rivers. These are among the roughest rivers in the US and draw rafting parties from everywhere. They are designated Wild and Scenic and are unhindered and amazingly clear. There is a 50 foot high suspension bridge over the Illinois that crazy kids jump off of.</p>

<p>I have not yet sorted through many shots, but will post a longer assortment later. Here are three from the last few days that caught my fancy.</p>

<p>There are many unique wildflowers here. Pitcher plant or <em>darlingtonia</em> grows in fens (bogs with water running through it) is especially rare. We camped in a field below a few fens. Since this was a family vacation any of my personal artsy photography was at my own risk. So I had to arise at dawn to scamper up to the fen alone and get some shots.</p>

<p><strong><em>Darlingtonia</em> Fen</strong><br>

<img src="http://www.smugmug.com/photos/588645813_NaGFr-L.jpg" alt="" width="398" height="600" /></p>

<p>K 20D, DA Ltd. 35mm Macro, f 6.7 @ 1/90, ISO 200</p>

<p>The Siskiyou Indian Paintbrush is very rare and indigenous to the area. I slipped my family at dusk for a handful of shots. The light hit this paintbrush just right.</p>

<p><strong>Siskiyou Indian Paintbrush</strong></p>

<p><img src="http://www.smugmug.com/photos/588645825_L7mMY-L.jpg" alt="" /></p>

<p>K20D, Voigtlander 125mm, f 4 @ 1/20 (monopod), ISO 400</p>

<p>In the charming village of Kirbyville there is a remarkable woodworking and arts enterprise called It's a Burl. Just as it says, there are numerous artifacts and furniture items made from burls. But they also have wondrous treehouses that kids and adults can climb high into. Better than an amusement park and free.</p>

<p><strong>Kids in Treehouse</strong></p>

<p><strong><img src="http://www.smugmug.com/photos/588645858_mc95i-L.jpg" alt="" /> <br /> </strong><br>

K20D, DA 12-24 @ 24mm, f 8 @ 1/90, ISO 400<br>

I'll post comments on all the week's photos after more are uploaded.</p>

<p>ME</p>

<p> </p>

[c_wyatt]

<p>Hi John, the photo was taken in colour on a K10D (which only supports colour photos). Converted in photoshop. The strong light helps contrast.</p>

[beerbrain_ronny_perry]

<p>Just got back from a trip visiting my folks, my Dad is seriously ill so while there I photographed him with all of myself, he got me started in Photography (&Beer)..back in the 1960's with a Argus C3..then he bought me in about 1970 a Pentax spotamatic..brand new with 3 lens..I left home and Pentax for 36 years, but have made it back full circle, shot with Pentax ist D. Chinon 35mm f2.8</p><div></div>

[beerbrain_ronny_perry]

<p>My Dad with photo of the ship he was on in WWII the DD844 destroyer</p><div></div>

[bob-c]

<p>Ron, very nice shots of your dad. I hope things work out well for him. I lost my dad, also a WWII vet, Navy, a few years ago, before I got back into photography. I wish I had done what you did. Nice work and best of luck.</p>

[pbarnes]

<p>I have visited this area a few times already this winter, the only time the hills are green and the sun is north enough to light up the cliffs as it sets. This is the best so far, but I reckon I can improve on the composition, and of course the light might be so much better tomorrow night...</p><div></div>

[dorus]

<p>the dragonfly, the moon, and the rose...... (need I say more?)<br>

...<br>

<br /><img src="http://iloapp.leasefoto.nl/data/_gallery/public/6/1247401401_resized.jpg" alt="" width="700" height="495" /><br /><strong>prosperity ?</strong><br />Lens Focal Length: 21,00 mm ()<br />Shutter Speed: 1/750 sec<br />F-Number: F8,0<br />ISO: 100</p>

<p><img src="http://iloapp.leasefoto.nl/data/_gallery/public/6/1247401414_resized.jpg" alt="" width="700" height="404" /><br /><strong>brave new world nr#</strong><br />Lens Focal Length: 125,00 mm ()<br />Shutter Speed: 1/350 sec<br />F-Number: F8,0<br />ISO: 100<br />and some tonemapping</p>

[john_behrends]

<p>Great shots so far this week, two from me this week taken friday at around sunset.</p><div></div>

[john_behrends]

<p>Number two...</p><div></div>

[pbarnes]

<p>Dorus, the brave new world photo, that building on the left - a modern Dutch architecture creation I assume, but is it really built so far off the vertical? I like how you have the real and reflected clouds blending with each other.</p>

<p>And Robert, I love your white rose!</p>

[ahanna]

<p>On our recent Alaska vacation, we saw tons of bears nearly everywhere we went. While fishing on the Russian river I looked up from tying on my fly and saw a black bear about 10 meters from one of the folks I was fishing with. She was also busy with her tackle and after I yelled "hey bear get out of here" she looked up with a jolt.<br>

The bear was very bold and didn't give an inch when we hollered and waved our arms. I grabbed my backpack (with the food in it) and headed upstream with my fishing partner. The bear went over to inspect my tackle and fishing equipment before finally shuffling up the hill. I had my pepper spray out and ready to go, a couple of times when he started to advance I almost pulled the trigger.<br>

I didn't have my camera along for this encounter (I don't think I would have gotten it out actually) but we did see a lot of bears on the drive up through Canada.</p><div></div>

[ahanna]

<p>Here she is again with her cub.</p><div></div>

[ahanna]

<p>On the way back we ran into another moma bear with this years twin cubs. It would have been perfect, the cubs were really cute and were actually wrestling with each other. But the light was fading and we were a little far from them. The first two shots were not cropped, this one is about 50%.</p><div></div>

[sigmar_dau]

<p>We just got back from a family camping trip to Algonquin Park (Ontario, Canada). These are from the logging museum there. The first (an HDR, I confess) is the inside of a "Camboose Shanty", a log house where 50 to 60 men would spend the winter while felling trees.</p><div></div>

[sigmar_dau]

<p>This is my second, a log chute. Luckily it was a dismal rainy day, allowing for a long exposure.</p><div></div>