by successfulbob | Lumix FZ 1000, Lumix Lounge, photography, photography gear, wildlife photography
It can make you crazy!
Trying to photograph these wondrous creatures.
Butterflies! Even the name kind of pushes you to run back to childhood. Especially when you walk in and the first thing that happens is a butterfly flutters around your head… and then lands on your nose! Really!
I decided to take the Lumix FZ 1000 because of the long reach, 4K video and fast glass to see what I could see…
This moth caught my eye. The warm tones and patterns with the cool colors toward the center really worked for me.
The long zoom allowed for some really nice bokeh.
A more traditional butterfly capture of a monarch on a flower.
I told you the butterfly came to visit up close and personal. Thanks to fellow visitor Phyllis Pardoll for capturing
the fleeting moment and sending me the quick snap before my visitor departed.
OK you know me and even though nature is beautiful in her own right I had to play to see what I could do to push the patterns of the moth to new places. Let me know what you think!
This is still a work in progress. Experimentation rules!
Yours in Creative Photography, Bob
by successfulbob | fine art photography, Lumix GH4, Lumix Lounge, photography, photography gear, photography lighting resources
Had the opportunity to test out the Fiilex LED light kit model FLX302 which includes three P360EX lights, stands and barn doors in a watertight rolling case. I used this kit on a real estate shoot a couple weeks ago You can see some of those results here.
I thought I’d give these bad boys a workout in the studio with a still life project. Again the ability to see the lighting exactly as it will appear in camera allows me to get a bunch of different looks in a very short period of time. Having the ability to change brightness and the white balance of the lights from the golden tungsten color temp of xxx to the brighter blue of xxxx adds to the creativity.
Here’s a quick animated GIF to show many different looks using just the three lights, a shoot through umbrella and a piece white of foam core as a reflector.
Many different lighting versions using the Fiilex LED’s
Once I have the initial image captured in studio it’s time to put Photoshop to work. Using multiple images of tectures, layer masks and blend modes I take the image to my artistic place. Here are a few versions…
From the initial image captures above it’s time to experiment with various textures and color palettes.
I’ve found many people like warm golden tones.
As they say variety is the spice of life. So more colors! More texture. Play! Experiment!
Images were photographed with the Lumix GH4 and the 35-100 f2.8 Lumix Vario Lens ISO 200 1/6 sec @ f4.5
Yours in Creative Photography, Bob
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by successfulbob | architectural photography, black & white, Lumix GX7, Lumix Lounge, photography, photography education, photography gear
For some reason I found myself enamored with this railroad draw-bridge in Tampa, Florida. It’s just outside the museum I was hanging in and I liked the graphic lines and shapes that ran through the scene. I thought i’d run the camera through some of it’s pre-sets to explore different ‘looks’. Never used to be a preset guy but I’m liking the fact I can have a pretty well processed image straight out of the camera. Here’s a few…
Four different preset images from the Panasonic Lumix GX7 camera pretty much straight out of the camera.
Totally different feel with all of them. Having fun seeing what the camera can do.
Please be aware of a couple things. You must have the camera set to save jpegs. Shooting in RAW only will allow you to see the processing on the camera but when you download the RAW images and open them on the computer you will see the processed file for about 2 seconds and it will disappear leaving you with the RAW information only.
Now a wonderful thing is available here. You can get the best of both worlds by shooting RAW + jpeg. Then you have a finished processed jpeg and still have access to the RAW file if you want to process the image in a different way. My friend Kevin Ames of Ames Photographic in Atlanta says, “Friends don’t let friends shoot jpeg!” He is a big advocate of shooting in RAW because if you shoot jpeg only you are allowing the camera processor to throw away a lot of information from the file. If you shoot in RAW it has the most information and will allow your file to be even better in the future as more and better software is designed for processing images. I agree. But, I like the idea of working with and tweaking some of the setting the camera has available for immediate use hence I now do both.
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 GX7, Lumix Lounge, photography, photography education, photography gear
Since I moved to the micro 4/3rds format I’ve been looking high and low for the right bag for my gear and finally found it in the form of a Think Tank Photo Bag. The one I choose is called the Mirrorless Mover 20 and is pretty close to perfect for my needs. It has a strong build with solid material and stitching. I even like the handle on the top for when the bag is not attached to my belt.
So here’s my kit these days for most outings. Lumix GX7 camera with Lumix Vario lenses of 7-14mm f4.0, 12-35mm f2.8, 35-70mm f2.8 and either a 25mm f1.4 or 45mm macro. The camera goes on my shoulder and the three other lenses and assorted gear go into the Think Tank bag on my belt. (the bag comes with a shoulder strap too if you prefer) If I’m changing lenses a lot a nice feature is the magnetic closure on the flap. When you need to really secure everything it’s time to use the zipper to close the compartment.
The bag will hold three lenses, extra SD cards, spare battery, battery charger, card reader, small flashlight and a tripod. (“A tripod you say??” Yes I do. See the ‘splainin’ at the bottom of the post) The bag also comes with its own raincoat rolled up inside in case you get caught in inclement weather conditions.
Never have I traveled so light with this range of lenses. Gotta tell you I’m one happy camper!
This is my travel kit. All gear is on the camera or in the Think Tank Photo bag.
Note the little tripod. It may not look like much but this tripod has helped to hold the camera steady in cathedrals in Europe and the woods in America. You can set this on the floor. Hold it against a wall. Put it on a chair or table. Once you think about it a bit you see it’s a great way to get support for your camera when you are traveling and need to go light sans big tripod or mono-pod.
