One of the fun aspects of friends who are photographers/artists is watching their style change over the years. As technology changes, so does their skill set and along with it their images. My good buddy and Panasonic Luminary, Bob Coates, is a perfect example.

Having played French horn through junior high and high school the image below hits home on a whole series of different levels. As I've watched Bob's work change over the years, the one thing that's always stayed the same is his passion for imaging and his love for teaching. He does a terrific workshop and regularly speaks at conventions, local association meetings and camera clubs.

As a Luminary, Bob is part of an incredibly diverse group of artists. You'll find more of Bob's work along with the other members of the team with a click on the tab below and a visit to the Lumix Lounge.

Bob creates art out of items found in images. He has more choices for his work because he has a camera with him almost all the time and is regularly building his files, especially textures, for future images. 

There are a number of Lumix cameras that make it easy. The one most often in his hands these days is the Lumix FZ1000. 

“Man it’s got almost all the bases covered!", said Bob. "Wide angle to Super Zoom with fast glass that weighs under 2.5 pounds makes this very handy”. 

Bob starts with one image and then isolates the subject within the photo. He then starts a process he dubs Photo-Synthesis. He’s adding multiple texture photos in Layers in Photoshop using Blend Modes, Layer Styles and Layer Masks, just to name a few. The result is a unique look to many of his fine art images.

As a Panasonic Luminary Bob has sponsorship support available, which allows him to travel around the country. He regularly speaks to photography groups to share up close and personal the detail on bringing art to your images, along with a wide variety of other topics. 

You can find details about the various programs available on his web site http://successful-photographer.com/photography-seminars 

My good buddy William Innes is a Lumix Luminary and sent me this guest post about using the GH4 on an engagement shoot. I love his comment below about engagement sessions being more relaxed. However, there's another reason every wedding photographer should be doing them. It's about building trust.

For most couples, an engagement session is their first experience working with their wedding photographer. So, the true benefit is about establishing trust between the couple and the photographer. As an artist, it's a chance for them to get to know you and for you to learn more about them, the way they interact and the dynamics of their relationship.

Joe Buissink has often talked about how, after an engagement session, when he walks in on the day of the wedding, he's already an established friend. The bride and groom are excited to see him. Remember, in the stress of the wedding day, a neutral, friendly face is what the couple needs most. A great engagement session will produce great images, give you a chance to know your clients better and best of all, get them comfortable with you!

To see more of William's work, visit his website. He was also recently featured in a Photodex Spotlight Profile for "Building Your Business."

Check out the Lumix Lounge for more images and the upcoming schedules of each Lumix Luminary. They're an incredibly diverse group. You'll always find them willing to share information to help you raise the bar on your skill set along with the latest in mirrorless technology!

by William Innes

I love engagement sessions because I get to hang out with clients in a relaxed environment. Compared to the fast pace of a wedding day - engagement sessions are usually slower paced and structured. They often require shooting images at multiple locations throughout the session. 

That's why I love my Lumix mirrorless gear for engagement sessions. It's light, small and compact. I can easily fit my camera, flash and 4 to 5 lens in a small bag and be totally mobile. Such was the case on this shoot. 

We shot on a 17 acre estate and moved around quite a bit. I used my Lumix GH4 and a couple of my favorite lens, including the LUMIX G Leica DG Nocticron 42.5mm f/1.2 - which I used to capture the clients dog - Butkus.

Panasonic's tag line for Limix is "Changing Photography" - well, that couldn't be more true in the way I was using the camera this past week at DragonCon. 

Everything starts with the beauty of the fixed 25-400mm zoom lens. Over and over again I found myself lured to the eyes of so many of DragonCon's "characters". Contact lens technology, along with incredible role playing made each attendee in costume that much more real.

The ease and quality of the zoom gave me the ability to get even closer to a few more bizarre moments!

Another kick for me with the FZ1000 was my ability to be capturing still images one minute and video the next. It all happens with the push of a button and then you're right back to whatever format you were shooting in originally.

This group of knights in the 4K video below were from Medieval Times. They were on horseback and stopped every few hundred yards for a sword fight. It couldn't be more staged or hokey, but that's the fun of Dragon Con.  In spite of the fun of their battling it out in the streets, I love the fact that somebody has to hold the horse and somebody else has clean up duty. Note the "medieval" shovel! 

But one of my favorite images of the day came at the end of the parade as part of Atlanta's police force wrapped it all up. I took my chances to stop in the middle of the street and grab a shot while jaywalking. 

Click the link below to visit the Lumix Lounge. Here's your opportunity to see more images and events captured by your favorite Luminary and always with a member of the Lumix family of cameras.