I had lunch today with Rick Gerrity. Rick and Rob Knight are two of Panasonic's Luminaries and they're doing some incredible workshops. I know this is short notice, but they've got a couple of spots open in their upcoming Colorado workshop in two weeks. Their workshops are becoming legendary and I want to help them get the word out. 

This is an amazing combination of talent. I love the way they shoot and even better the way they teach. Plus, every workshop they've done together gets terrific reviews and has a non-stop level of fun. Remember "fun" ? It's a word that too often gets lost in the day-in day-out barrage of business and stress we all deal with.

On the Digital Photo Adventures site is the following statement:

You attend a photo workshop because you want to improve your photography skill set, right? Our instructors are talented photographers and Adobe Certified Experts, but they’re also professional educators. We’ve been teaching folks how to make better pictures for years. We love to share our knowledge and experience to help you help you explore your photographic vision and go beyond the postcard shots.

Just click the banner above to visit Digital Photo Adventures. I can promise you trips loaded with great images and outrageously great instructors with two goals - to help you raise the bar on the quality of your images and have fun doing it.

I don't normally think of sunsets in a vertical format, but this one had an incredible height to it. Then, when a mother with her two kids walked down the beach, it gave me something more to capture.

I was out playing with the LUMIX FZ1000.  Because of the focal length, 25-400mm it gave me incredible flexibility. Sunsets, a macro flower and a couple of palm trees - what a kick it was just out playing with camera gear. 

This time of year in Florida on the Gulf coast is pretty amazing. We've been getting these amazing thunderstorms almost every day, typically between 2-4:00 pm.  Along with them come some amazing clouds and skies. Then, the weather just magically clears up. The sun comes out, and you're left with an amazing sunset almost every day.

I realize there's not a huge skill set taking great shots of sunsets, but when they're this beautiful you need to shoot more than just neuro chromes!

We were in Naples, Florida staying with friends in a house right on the beach. These were all handheld just a few feet from the back patio.I don't normally think of sunsets in a vertical format, but this one had incredible height to it. Then, when a mother with her two kids walked down the beach, it gave me something more to work with. 

Three weeks ago I wrote a post about the fun of it all and included a couple of the sunset images. But the real point of this post is simply reminding you just to shoot for the fun of it. I know that's not easy when most of you shoot every day for your business, but you've got to stop now and then just to capture a moment. Even the image below, shot with the FZ1000 on macro was a kick to capture. 

The LUMIX line has totally revitalized my love for photography. Mirrorless technology allows me to have all the horsepower without the weight. In fact, everything I need goes into a LowePro backpack, including accessories (I had a microphone with me to record my monthly Shutter Magazine video) and my laptop plus a little LUMIX ZS30. I'm never without a decent camera!

Panasonic's LUMIX tagline is "Changing Photography". Well last week there were several announcements that prove the point. LUMIX technology just keeps raising the bar and giving photographers more creative tools. In fact, today you have more creative tools than at any time in the 175+ year history of photography.

I pulled a couple of paragraphs on the DMC-GX8 press release and the "coming soon" Leica 400mm lens. To read more about the GX8 just click on the image.

What a kick!

The new 20.3-megapixel Digital Live MOS Sensor excels both in response, sensitivity and dynamic range. The image processor Venus Engine dramatically boosts its performance with quad-core CPU that lets high speed signal processing. Integrating superior noise reduction systems, DMC-GX8 enables shooting at max.ISO25600. Sensitivity, gradation performance, resolution and color reproduction are dramatically improved to achieve even higher picture quality. It is also capable of high speed burst shooting at 8 fps(AFS) / 6 fps(AFC) not to miss the fleeting photo opportunities.

The 4K is the advanced definition of video imagery that boasts stunning detail. The DMC-GX8 is capable of recording smooth, high-resolution QFHD 4K video in 3840x2160 at 30p(60Hz) / 25p(50Hz) or 24p in MP4. Taking advantage of 4K video recording performance, users can capture the fleeting photo opportunities at 30 fps in 8-megapixel equivalent resolution to save it as a 4K Photo. It is easy to get 4K photos with three 4K Photo modes; 4K Burst Shooting, 4K Burst S/S (Start/Stop) and 4K Pre-burst.

The DMC-GX8 boasts large, tiltable LVF that boasts highest ever magnification ratio of approx.1.54x / 0.77x (35mm camera equiv.) in the history of LUMIX G digital cameras. It also features 2,360K-dot high resolution and 100% field of view. High-precision, high-speed dual OLED (Organic Light-Emitting Diode) displays are adopted for both LVF and rear monitor, achieving high speed response with minimum time lag of less than 0.01 sec as well as 10,000:1 high contrast. The free-angle 3-inch 1,040K-dot rear monitor supports comfortable shooting even in vertical angle. For quick, intuitive operation, a range of functions are allocated to the dials and buttons in the best suitable way. 

Panasonic Corporation announces that the company is developing the first LEICA DG 100-400mm / F4.0-6.3 telephoto zoom lens (35mm camera equivalent: 200-800mm) for Micro Four Thirds system standard to expand the lineup of DSLM (Digital Single Lens Mirrorless) digital interchangeable lens.

The LEICA DG lenses are designed and developed clearing the stringent quality standard certified by Leica to boast excellent optical performance. Four single focal length LEICA DG lenses have already introduced to the market and have highly acclaimed by users worldwide*2.

The new telephoto zoom achieves exceptional imaging performance over the entire zoom range. It also features high speed digital signal exchange at 240 fps to comply with the high-speed, high-precision AF (Auto Focus) with DFD (Depth From Defocus) technology on the LUMIX G camera. Together with the POWER O.I.S.(Optical Image Stabilizer), it lets users to focus on the target quickly to capture crisp, clear image. On the other hand, the new lens features high mobility supported by its splash/dust-proof rugged design to withstand heavy field use.