lumix GX7 & GM1 guide

Even if you are a seasoned photographer, if you are new to the Lumix GX7 & Lumix GM1 you’ll get a lot out of Rob Knight’s book From Snapshots to Great Shots. I picked up some great tips for set-up of these cameras. These are more like computers with all the possibilities available. Being able to find the quickest ways to work the menus make these cameras extremely versatile. Check it out here

rob knight book imagePanasonic Lumix GX7 and GM1From Snapshots to Great Shots book by Lumix Luminary Rob Knight.

commercial project sedona integrative medical clinic part 2

This is continued coverage from yesterday’s post of a photo shoot for the Sedona Integrative Medical Clinic….

The sense of place is important to show in your marketing materials. The mood and decor are helpful in making people comfortable in coming to your establishment. I can help you tell the story you want to share with your customers… Here’s a sampling of some images from the Center and the Medi-Spa.

Natalie at the front desk working the computer.

Dom at his station in the back office.

Looking over the Jane

Patient care with Vanessa.

esteban video at sound bites grill

While capturing some images of Esteban for the Sound Bites Grill ‘Wall of Fame’ I set up the Lumix GH3 to capture some video.

TECH STUFF – Panasonic H-HS12035 LUMIX G X VARIO 1235mm/F2.8 ASPH X Series Lens set to 18mm at f3.5 1/60 sec ISO 3200. We didn’t have the capability to get sound directly from the house sound board. I mounted the shotgun mike on the camera and gave it a shot. In order to minimize wait staff traffic and too many heads in the frame the camera was high on a tripod. Instead of jumping on a chair or small ladder I turned the articulating viewfinder so I could see it from below for framing and focusing.

PROCESS Stuff – No real fancy editing here. I used ScreenFlow from Telestream (Learn more here). It’s actually a pretty versatile piece of software for the MAC OS 10.7 and higher that’s designed for capturing video and audio from your computer. It does allow you to do most video editing like add transitions, split clips, delete video sections, add captions and text and do some minor color correction and sound processing. I added video actions to gently zoom in and out to give the piece a little more professional feel. For under a hundred bucks you can’t beat this software especially if you also want to produce how-to tutorials on your computer.

Esteban with his daughter Teresa Joy on violin and percussionist Emilio Santiago
live at Sound Bites Grill in Sedona, Arizona produced with ScreenFlow

I am an affiliate of SreenFlow but I think this is a kick-a** product for the money. You can also get a trial version to see how you like it… If you have any questions give me a shout.

Yours in Photography,          Bob

successful photographer happy earth day

“It is spring again. The earth is like a child that knows poems by heart.”
― Rainer Maria Rilke

A little slice of Sedona I Thought I’d share with you. A flower I enjoyed
while on a hike this AM. Hope you like it as much as I do…
Captured with the Lumix GX7 Lumix Vario 35-100mm f2.8 lens – Exposure f/10 1/80 sec ISO 200 at 100mm

After the capture of the flower it was extracted from the background and placed in another file with an organic background I made a couple days ago. The flower was enhanced and a drop shadow added. It was then duplicated and moved numerous times until I came up with what you see here.

“Those who contemplate the beauty of the earth find reserves of strength that will endure as long as life lasts.”
― Rachel Carson, The Sense of Wonder

“And forget not that the earth delights to feel your bare feet and the winds long to play with your hair”
― Kahlil Gibran, The Prophet

Happy Earth Day to you… Yours in Photography,           Bob

blues festival

If you follow my blog and life you’ll see that I’m a music fan. Photographing live music is something that I have been devoting myself to and adding in creating art for the musicians. When something like the Old Town Center for the Arts annual Blues Fest comes along I am in hog heaven. It gives me a chance to photograph and practice new techniques.

tommy dules blues guitar musician photoTommy Dukes, Arizona Blues Hall of Fame member. Artistic Photoshop work from blues fest performance. Original capture with Lumix GX7 35-100.. 2.8 lens. Impressive Art filter. Layers and textures add to final art mix.

Did I say it gives me a chance to practice? I believe practicing is as important to photographers as it is to musicians, athletes or anyone else who needs to have the skill of working under pressure. Changing settings, working in new lighting (and often challenging) conditions is something you need to be able to work with almost without thinking so you can capture the essence of a performer. In this case I was playing with some of the presets in the camera and finding some cool looks. In order for you to access the camera pre-sets after downloading you need to capture the images as jpegs. For safety sake and to have all the info presented to the camera you can save as RAW plus jpeg.

blues guitarist Tommy Dukes photoTommy was quite animated and his shirt added to the life of the performance. Capture with Impressive Art filter then layers of texture added to foreground and background.

Then I self assign creation of CD covers, music and musician art and share the ideas with the artists and their marketing people. This has led to being hired to do the work I enjoy. Hmm. Practice. Self assignments. Sharing. Marketing. People often ask me how I get the images I do and the work I want to do. Re-read the last paragraph again and you’ve got he answer. When are you starting your next personal project?

tommy dukes imagePretty much straight out of the GX7 camera using the monochrome art setting. Pretty clean black and white!

tommy dukes blues guitar photoStraight out of camera with the Impressive Art setting on the Lumix GX7

Yours in Photography,       Bob