Libertyfest 2012

[Ira Bryant]

My dad is always a part of the Choctaw (a Native American tribe) float for the 
July 4th Libertyfest parade in Edmond, OK. This year, he drove the pickup truck 
that pulled the float. I grabbed a photo of the bed of the truck:



I find it very rare that when I take a picture that everyone in it has an 
interesting expression. I think I got lucky this time.  However, I would like 
some input on the American flag in the center of the picture. My wife (who is 
not American) thought that the flag dominated too much and was a large 
distraction. I think it is par for the course for a 4th of July parade and it 
doesn't bother me at all. Please let me know what you think (whether you are 
American or not :) ).

Best Regards,

Ira

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Re: Hope our Oklahoman's are ok

[Ira Bryant]

I'm okay. There was one headed to the north of us, and one headed to the south 
of us. I live right next to a river, and I think it affects their path. I don't 
think it damaged the house of anyone I know, but I have been out of the office 
this week.

Ira



- Original Message 
> From: Ann Sanfedele 
> To: Pentax-Discuss Mail List 
> Sent: Wed, May 25, 2011 12:35:06 PM
> Subject: Hope our Oklahoman's are ok
> 
> There are a couple of  "us" that live in an area struck pretty hard by  
>tornado's yesteryday...
> Hope they will check in to reassure they are fine  -  
> ann
> 
> 
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Re: Chicago

[Ira Bryant]

Reading this thread, and then today's "The Abominable Charles Christopher" made 
me laugh.



Ira



- Original Message 
> From: Miserere 
> To: Pentax-Discuss Mail List 
> Sent: Wed, May 12, 2010 11:11:54 AM
> Subject: Re: Chicago
> 


Doug, I actually wrote an article describing what makes a 
> "Great
Photograph". I titled it... "What Makes a Great Photograph" (see 
> how
my mind works?). You might enjoy it--at the very least there are 
> no
emoticons and Eggleston gets a 
> mention:

http://enticingthelight.com/2010/02/21/what-makes-a-great-photograph/

Let 
> me know what you think.

Cheers,


  --M.

-- 
> 

    \/\/o/\/\ --> http://WorldOfMiserere.com

  
>   http://EnticingTheLight.com
    A Quest for Photographic 
> Enlightenment

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Re: GESO - Hirshhorn Juncture

[Ira Bryant]

- Original Message 
> From: Tom C 
> To: Pentax-Discuss Mail List 
> Sent: Tue, January 19, 2010 6:41:32 PM
> Subject: Re: GESO - Hirshhorn Juncture
> 
> Thanks... that effect has fascinated me since grade school.  I hadn't
> seen it in the image until you mentioned it and I let my eyes relax a
> few seconds.
> 
> Tom
> 
 You can rest assured that you aren't schizophrenic, then.
<http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2009/04/schizoillusion/>

Ira
--
Ira Bryant
irabry...@sbcglobal.net


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Re: PESO - Two Towers

[Ira Bryant]

- Original Message 
> From: frank theriault 
> To: Pentax-Discuss Mail List 
> Sent: Thu, December 24, 2009 2:38:02 PM
> Subject: Re: PESO - Two Towers
> 

> 
> Both are very good photos.  Can't really choose a fave, since they're
> so different.  I like the perspective of the first one, how it gives
> the impression of great height.
> 
> As for the second, I like the choice to go monochrome.  I also like
> the composition, with all those curves, arcs and swirls, juxtaposed
> against that bold geometric pattern .  Very dynamic!
> 
> Well done.
> 
> cheers,
> frank
> 
> -- 
> "Sharpness is a bourgeois concept."  -Henri Cartier-Bresson
> 

Thanks, Frank.

Ira


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Re: GESO: On Low Light

[Ira Bryant]

- Original Message 
> From: frank theriault 
> To: Pentax-Discuss Mail List 
> Sent: Thu, December 24, 2009 9:17:28 PM
> Subject: Re: GESO: On Low Light

> 
> Here's a related question (which maybe deserves its own SL and thread):
> 
> If the GF1 has a Lumix 20mm f1.7 pancake lens, why is the Pentax 21mm
> Limited so slow?  There are several for sale on this list, and I have
> to be honest I'm sooo interested, but I hesitate putting out that much
> money for such a slow lens.
> 
> It's a perfect focal length for my street shooting, but as many of you
> know I shoot a lot of night shots.  Right now my A50mm f1.7 is good,
> but I want something wider.  The 21mm Limited is just too damned slow!
> If Panasonic can do it, why can't Pentax?
> 
> cheers,
> frank

I don't think you are being fair.  It is true that the DA21 is about the same 
size as the Lumix 20mm, but the Pentax lens is for a larger sensor. Two lenses, 
both the same size at about the same focal lengrh should have the same speed. 
However, if one lens has to cover a larger area, there is something that has to 
give. Pentax chose that something to be speed. They could have chosen a larger 
physical size keeping the same focal length and speed, or a longer focal length 
keeping the same size and speed.  But they did not.  They chose the same 
physical size and focal length with a slower speed.

I understand that some people prefer a larger lens to a faster lens.  That's 
why some people buy the DA14 rather than the DA15. There is not really a 
"correct" choice.

The answer to your question is that Pentax could have chosen to make a larger 
lens, but they didn't want to.  As someone who has lived in Japan, I can attest 
that the Japanese have an obsession with making things smaller, rivaling 
America's obsession with making things larger.

As I stated not too long ago, I love the DA21.  On paper it looks like a 
terrible lens.  I can understand why someone calls into question purchasing a 
prime lens with more barrel distortion greater than the kit lens.  After 
actually owning it, I can say that the colors that it produces are worth way 
more than the time I spend correcting barrel distortion in Photoshop, if I even 
bother.

I own a K100D Super, though.  I don't really see a reason for someone who owns 
a K10D or a K20D to want a pancake lens. Those bodies seem like mistakes, or at 
the very least "best we could do" bodies for Pentax. With the K-m, K-x, and K-7 
though, Pentax at least has a consistent strategy with their body and lens 
lineup. With these bodies, the DA21 shines.

If Pentax can keep things small and incrementally add weather resistance to all 
of the lenses in their lineup, at the very least they will dominate the home 
market, which is all they really need to do. (To be honest, how many Japanese 
stocks do you personally own?)

Best Regards,

Ira

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Re: From the Peak

[Ira Bryant]

- Original Message 
> From: Christine Aguila 
> 
> Hi Ira:  I think it's better, but I wonder if you cropped too much.  I only 
> had 
> in mind to crop out the building on the right and leave everything else as 
> is.  
> Still, I like it.  Big cheers, Christine
> 
> 

For me, the resulting empty space on the right in that crop makes me feel 
uncomfortable.

Thanks Christine, Christian, Joseph, Marnie, Ann, and everyone else who replied.

Ira


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Re: From the Peak

[Ira Bryant]

- Original Message 
> From: "eactiv...@aol.com" 
ak
> 
> In a message dated 2/22/2009 6:33:24 P.M.  Pacific Standard Time, 
> irabry...@sbcglobal.net  writes:
> http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3407/3301630857_5398fc81d3_o.jpg
> 
> Ira
> 
> ==
> Right  idea, wrong crop. Just go for a square crop. Hey, we're digital now 
> and we don't  have to do "standard" sized photos unless we want to.
> 
> Marnie  :-)
> 

Umm, that is a square.

Ira


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Re: PESO: From the Peak

[Ira Bryant]

- Original Message 
> From: Joseph McAllister 
   
> Last time I was there no buildings came anywhere close to the height of the 
> peak.
> 
> Of course, that was in 1965, so...   I guess they've been busy since.;-)
> 

They probably didn't have a Bubba Gump Shrimp Company at the top of  the peak, 
either. :)

Ira

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Re: From the Peak

[Ira Bryant]

> From: Christine Aguila 
> 
> Hi Ira:  Wow, I love the 2nd one.  I think it's lovely.  I do have a 
> suggestion, 
> but if you think I'm way off base, go ahead and ignore:  Maybe crop out the 
> building on the right.  I really love the building on the left; it's very 
> pretty 
> & all the other little buildings accent the big building wonderfully, but 
> that 
> building on the right distracts to my eye.  Now that will give a squarish 
> crop, 
> but I like square crops, but you might not. Anyway, lovely 2nd shot.  Again, 
> just ignore if the suggestion doesn't suit you.  Big cheers, Christine
> 

Thanks for looking Christine. I do agree the building on the right is ugly. I 
just thought that the picture needed to have something there to balance the 
building and slope on the left. I tried it with a square crop, trying to 
minimize the effect of the slope. I'm not sure if it is better, or if I am just 
trading one distraction for another.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3407/3301630857_5398fc81d3_o.jpg

Ira


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PESO: From the Peak

[Ira Bryant]

Last Christmas I traveled with my wife to Hong Kong, mainland China, and Macau. 
It was her first time home in three years, and the first time I had ever been 
there. I also met my in-laws for the first time.

Most of my photography time since then has been spent working on a Blurb book 
of the trip. This has turned out to be a bigger project than I thought.  The 
pictures are all done, but the text and captions are taking a long time. I 
haven't really shared the pictures I took with anyone, yet, except for the two 
I submitted for the PDML book.  I thought I would stop and share a couple more.

The first place any tourist goes in Hong Kong is usually to the top of Victoria 
Peak. It is situated in the middle of Hong Kong, and has a beautiful view of 
the city. I managed to get there right at sunset, and got a decent spot. I 
didn't have a tripod, though, and my pictures suffered for it. The place is 
elbow-to-elbow photographers. I guess it is the worst kind of tourism to do, 
but it was only a few hours of a two week trip. And the view was very lovely, 
and nothing I can see back in Oklahoma.

So here are a couple of photos:

With maximum cliche - 
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3600/3300800173_10e5149080_o.jpg

  Taken with the K100D Super and DA21

With slightly less cliche - 
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3385/3300800617_b1b2758e13_o.jpg

   Taken with a Sears 80-200 f/4. I bought a Pentax M150 f/3.5 toward the 
end of the trip 
   to replace it, but it is what I had at the time. I had the SR set wrong, 
that is why the EXIF 
   data says I am using a 50mm lens. Photography is hard.

Any comments on the photos, especially post-production tips, would be 
appeciated.

Ira

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Re: Flickr Photo Download: 900x600-_IGP83622863 (light)

[Ira Bryant]

Well seen.  I think I might like it more if the camera had been closer to the 
ground, bringing the reflection closer to the viewer.  Thanks for sharing.

Ira



- Original Message 
> From: Roman Melihhov 
> To: pdml@pdml.net
> Sent: Thursday, January 22, 2009 3:51:06 PM
> Subject: Flickr Photo Download: 900x600-_IGP83622863 (light)
> 
> http://www.flickr.com/photos/romancos/3148626458/sizes/o/
> ^^^ Light. Comments appreciated.
> 
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