Shooting with a long lens. (yeah baby!) by Bob Coates

Intro by Skip Cohen

It's Monday morning at SCU! For over a year I've started every week with a post in Luminary Corner, but I think it's time I shared why...

I've spent my entire adult life in the photographic industry. While I love it dearly, my main passion is helping photographers with marketing and the business side of imaging. I've always loved photography, but I've never made my living as a photographer.  While I know more than I let on sometimes, in all honesty, my profile is more like that of serious hobbyist...passionate, but a little insecure now and then about my own images.

Well, LUMIX, together with Panasonic's Luminaries, have simply inspired me back to shooting more. They're an amazing group of diverse and talented artists and I now find I'm rarely without a camera. While Luminary Corner is a feature on SCU for my readers, it's just as much for me personally. Putting together a blog post from any one of the Luminaries or now and then sharing some of my own experiences with a GH3, for example, energizes me for the week.

What could be better for a blog about photography, even if it's about marketing, than to kick off every Monday morning sharing outstanding images and talking about the technique or gear involved in their capture?

This morning's post is from Panasonic Luminary, Bob Coates, but I want to share one more sidebar story. Bob is one of my oldest friends in photography. He's my "go-to" buddy every time I've got a question about photography or find myself in over my head, taking on a challenge beyond my skill set. LOL The fact that he's also shooting with LUMIX cameras has added a terrific new dimension to our friendship.

I know this sounds a little like an infomercial this morning, but you owe it to yourself to check out the GH4 and take one out for a test drive. Panasonic's slogan is "Changing Photography" and for me, no company has lived up more to that commitment!

You can check out more of Bob's work along with the other Luminaries with a quick trip to the new LUMIX Lounge. You'll never be disappointed!

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by Bob Coates

I was beyond pleasantly surprised when I took the Lumix G Vario 100-300mm f4.0-5.6 Lens  out for a spin chasing birds in Sarasota, Florida while I was on holiday.

While I wouldn't have minded a slightly faster lens, the 100-300mm has quite a reach. It is the equivalent of a 200-600mm in 35mm full frame. The lens has stabilization that is helpful when tracking birds as they take off and exhibit different behaviors.

I used the Lumix GH4, as the burst capture speed of 12 frames per second for RAW files, helps to capture specific moments. 

I photographed in many different situations from dawn to dusk and all times in between. With a lens price tag under 500 bucks this is a great value lens. BTW there's currently a $200 price reduction on the Lumix GH4 bringing it down to $1500.

 Click on any image for the link to more information about their capture and/or processing.

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