by successfulbob | graphic design, graphic design, Lumix GH3, Lumix Lounge, photography, photography education
“Do you mind if I share an idea?” said my wife. “Oh, Oh.” thought I. This means she doesn’t like what I’m working on and wants to make a suggestion… I’m not always overly receptive. But, I know she often has great ideas.
You may remember a post I was so proud of a few days ago with my original idea of illustrating a polo player striking a ball.
I had been working on and image and got stuck in the proverbial rut. She being outside could see it and was willing to deal with my stupid ego to help get me out of a bad place.
So I replied, “OK what is it?” She tiptoed around a bit and shared, “You know if instead of the row of horses you should try just one alone and bigger.” I thought about it and agreed although I was still married to the original idea I had. Five minutes later, “Can I make one more suggestion…??” “Absolutely.” I replied. “You ought to take two riders fighting for the ball and make that the subject instead of just one horse.”
“OK” I replied. Then I perused the polo images and found this…
Original capture of polo players chasing down the ball.
Here is the resulting image after applying Holly’s input. (Ain’t she great??)
I’ll leave it for you to decide… Which image is more powerful? The one above? Or, the one I was stuck on before?? Another set of eyes can help point you in the right direction. I’m fond of saying some of my best ideas come from other people…. Which means you need to be willing to listen to critique and act on it to become a better image maker.
This image was captured with the Panasonic Lumix GH3 with the f4.0-5.6 100-300mm lens at 1/640th sec f5.6 ISO 200 at 300mm (600mm at 35mm equivalent)
by successfulbob | Lumix GH3, Lumix GX7, Lumix Lounge, photography, video
I was a virgin before this project. Videographer that is…
My partner in this production, Neal of Promo Films West has been after me to do video for a large number of years. With my move to micro 4/3rds Lumix cameras I finally aquiesed. Since getting the Lumix GH3 and Lumix GX7 I’ve been experimenting with bits of video but this project for Sedona Real Inn & Suites was the first time to go into full production. These cameras capture great video and Neal was super impressed by some of the features but one in particular got him very excited, The ability to shoot at 1080 and 60P. I had no idea what a big deal this was when we started but after seeing the motion used in the clips I get it. Neal did the editing on this project and was quite creative.
Here’s the promo… Let me know what you think.
Sedona Real Inn & Suites Promo VideoLooking to get some video for your property or project? Let’s talk. Neal and Promo Films West are ready to go to work for you. Give me a shout or drop an email.
by successfulbob | Lumix GH3, Lumix Lounge, photography gear, success education, video
SOLID
That’s the way I would describe this video platform for controlling your camera. Camtrol has spent some serious time designing their camera platforms and I take a peek the Prime 22 model here. The controls are strong. Easy to use. Very sturdy yet comfortable and at a price point 1/2 that of other camera mount control systems.
When paired with the Panasonic Lumix GH3 you have a very powerful video capture system. Check out the video for more on that… and if you have lots more time then money I give you a possible alternative to hold you over until you get to the professional gear.
Video review on the Camtrol Prime 22 and pairing with the Lumix GH3
by successfulbob | Lumix GM1, Lumix Lounge, video
Gotta tell ya’ this is some pretty freakin’ amazing technology. LUMIX GM1 I wasn’t working but happened to have this camera in my pocket just to make sure I had one with me and thought I’d give the video a go just for kicks. Got it home and was amazed. Put it into Adobe Photoshop’s CC timeline for a quick edit and here it is. You don’t need a lot of gear and editing programs to get some good stuff. After seeing this and some other images I would not hesitate to keep the GM1 camera on hand as a back-up to my other Lumix cameras for video or still capture!
Miller, Martin and Ki Live at Sound Bites Grill In Sedona, Arizona. Video captured live with Lumix GM1
If I was doing this for a paid job I’d obviously have a recorder from the sound board getting quality sound without the crowd noise but I was happy with this.
The musicians were Robin Miller on lead guitar and vocals, Susannah Martin on percussion and Patrick Ki on guitar. AKA Miller, Martin & Ki. Sound Bites Grill in Sedona, Arizona was the venue.
by successfulbob | graphic design, Lumix GX7, Lumix Lounge, photography, photography education
Thundering hooves passing by as the riders chase a small white ball with long sticks…
My first live polo match enhanced by the tailgating party before-hand. Holly and I were on our way to the airport and our friends *Skip & Sheila Cohen hooked us up with this experience at the Polo Club in Lakewood, Florida.
*Skip is founder of Skip Cohen University – definitely worth a look if you have interest in marketing your photography business!
But, I digress… I ended up shooting the match with the 100-300mm f3.5 to 5.6 lens on the Lumix GX7. There was plenty of light so there was enough shutter speed to handhold with an ISO of 800. I always enjoy photographing new subject matter whether I have a specific reason or not… Then I’ll sometimes do a self assignment to see if there is a way to sell the images.
The possibility here is for art images to sell to polo players or as decor. But, I wanted to be even more specific. I saw they had produced a really high end magazine supporting the matches with lots of graphic artwork. So how about a couple cover possibilities??
What can you do to push your skills? What’s your latest personal project that you did for the heck of it? And then turned into money? I working on that part now. I’ve already contacted the Sarasota Polo Magazine to see what I can work out with them…
by successfulbob | Lumix GX7, Lumix Lounge, photography
Man the meal was awesome!
Got the recipe from my fellow photographer Jim Lersch near Branson, Missouri. (He does some top notch commercial work and a different way of photographing seniors… Don’t hesitate to see him speak or buy his educational materials) Man it was wonderful but I gotta tell ya Mushroom Risotto is not the dish to have as a side unless you cook it in advance. 25 minutes of stirring in the goodies will leave you with a cramp in your arm… The Pollo al Vin Cotta?? Freakin’ amazing!
Now how does photography fit in this post?? Well you know me and panoramas! Grabbed the Lumix GX7 and pano’d the all the food ready to go after the prep.
Panorama shot of the spread before the food was all combined.
My wife grabbed the camera and caught me at the stove in my apron. ( I think she kinda liked that….)
Don’t forget that memories pass in the blink of an eye. Make sure that you don’t forget to capture your own as well as your clients. Cheers!
