lumix G6

Taking a couple weeks off for vacation slows you down a bit when it comes to staying up with regular posts… I’ll add in the Holidays to take the blame but enough excuses! I’m back on the horse!

Santa dropped off a package using the local Fed Ex driver… OK it wasn’t Santa but it sure feels like a present. The Lumix G6K is in my hot little hands and I gotta tell ya things just get better and better as each camera comes out. This is a Pro-sumer camera that has all the features. Great video with a fully articulating screen. Touch screen focus. A great chip and processing engine. Almost all the features of the Pro camera Lumix GH3 plus a few more. Yep it’s got the in-camera panoramic feature that I really enjoy. (just ask my fellow Luminaries!) The only thing that keeps this out of the full on pro realm is the fact it’s not built on the magnesium frame. But wait that makes it even lighter if you want to have a camera with you all the time. With a 2.8 12-33mm lens (35-70mm 35mm equivalent) this camera weighs well under 2 pounds! It’s on Amazon for just under 500 bucks with a 14-42mm lens. Freakin’ amazing!

panasonic Lumix G6

sunday photo/art quote 12-15

Sometimes you need to step away from the photography and fine art community to look for inspiration.

I have met many photographers that are so intense (I must admit I have been one at times) that they forget to have fun. You’ll find that your best work comes forward when you study intensely then let go… Let the information you have gathered gel & process inside that wonderful electronic computer storage center we call a brain. Then have some seriously good times, get back to it and see how a relaxed attitude can allow creativity to reign.

This month’s quote comes from comedian Jerry Seinfeld.

jerry seinfeld quote image“Life is truly a ride. We’re all strapped in & no one can stop it… I think the most you can hope for at the end is that your hair’s messed, you’re out of breath, and you don’t throw up.” – Jerry Seinfeld

I’ve been on holiday for a couple weeks and ideas are starting to come fast and furiously. Yahoooooo!!! When’s the last time you cut loose? Get out there. You’ll be glad you did.

 

 

sandhill cranes

Maybe it was because I hadn’t had my morning shower yet…

The Sandhill Cranes came right up to check me out as I was photographing them…

Shows the importance of having multiple cameras with different lenses on hand even if you think you know what you will be photographing. I thought all my imaging would be of birds in the middle of the pond called Palmer Lake or flying away from said water. Had I not had the second body/lens combo I would have missed a cool opportunity.

sandhill crane photoSandhill Crane in pond Sarasota, Florida.

sandhill cranes in flightSandhill Cranes in flight and in silhouette.

Sandhill Cranes in the morning mistSandhill Cranes in the Morning mist.

On the Lumix GH3 I had the F3.5-5.6 100-300mm (200-600 35mm equiv) lens and on the Lumix GX7 had the f 2.8 35-100mm (70-200 35mm equiv).

 

sunday photo/art quote 12-8

Many photographers, especially those in the infancy of their careers, often wonder what they should photograph.

There are many, many, many ways to make money creating images with your camera. Before you make a decision to choose a specialty, or to change the type of photography you are already doing I invite you to consider the words of this wonderful photographer…

beverly walden quote imageWhat makes you heart beat faster?? – Beverly Walden

If you can take these words and weave them in with your decision of how you make your living in photography you will be on your way to a successful career.

Spend some time poking around the Walden’s web-site where you can see the love, depth of lighting and product line available. You will see what makes Beverly and Tim’s heart race. Check Beverly’s Blog. Beverly & Tim also have a photographer education web-site.

So, where are you headed with your photography?

 

the sea hagg inc

She started her life as a character in a Disney movie and now the huge face presides benovolently over the sales counter at the Sea Hagg, Inc. in Cortez, Florida. According to the information shared by the clerk behind the counter she apparently likes her new place of residence as she gets a lot more attention in her new post.

If you happen to be in the Sarasota area you might want to take a little wander by the Sea Hagg, Inc. as it’s a target rich environment for the creative photographer. All things nautical, and some not so much, inhabit the shop just off Cortex Road West. There’s a fun playful atmosphere with mermaids, witches, floatsam and jetsam scattered throughout. Ask to have the container of eyeballs jostled on the front counter and you’ll get the idea…

Sea Hagg in cotez, florida photoShe hangs in the corner presiding over her new domain after being retired from the movies. The Diva lives on.

floats at Sea Hagg in cortez Florida photo

Floats of glass and foam are everywhere waiting for the right composition.

floats at Sea Hagg in cortez Florida photoMermaids abound throughout the shop in metal, wood, bronze and brass. Illustrative Art setting on Lumix GX7. You can shoot in jpeg to get this rendition or as I do also shoot RAW at the same time for post processing options.

rusted typewriter photographI just get the feeling that this typewriter has some serious history… I wonder what was written with it? A novel? News stories for a paper? Sales invoices?

scarlett macaw art

Suddenly the wings of the Scarlett Macaw spread… which was rather bizarre because in my mind I had just said to myself, “I sure wish the bird would do something different.” (parking spaces seem to appear out of nowhere for me too) I took the RAW capture into Adobe Photoshop to see what I could see. Here are a couple versions with a twist on each.scarlett macaw fane art image

Scarlett Macaw over fan palm. Version Three.

scarlett macaw fane art imageVersion Ten.

scarlett macaw fane art imageVersion Five

Images and textures captured with the Lumix GX7 and GH3. Macaw photographed using 35-100 f2.8 Vario lens. RAW 1/1250 sec;   f/2.8;   ISO 400 @42.0 mm (in 35mm: 84.0 mm)

Worked with Adobe Photoshop blend modes and other photographic texture images for effect.