by Skip Cohen

While there probably isn't anything Todd White can't photograph, his passion for imaging is definitely in still photography and video on the commercial/fashion side. We catch up to each other on Facebook a lot, and when he shared a few of his short commercial videos, I wanted to share at least one of them here.

Food photography (and video) is a challenge for so many photographers. Over the years in workshops, I've had artists continually tell me they don't photograph food, yet as wedding photographers especially, the challenge comes up at almost every event.

Pay attention to the way Todd put together the short video below. No lyrics, just great images, music and all in thirty-five seconds.  As I've often suggested - how would you tell a unique aspect of your story in under a minute?

​And the video is so well done, and the Cheesy Bread looked so good, I called 600 Degrees on a long-shot to see if they ship or might be found in the frozen foods aisle!  *sigh* - they don't...yet.

 A new interchangeable standard zoom from ultra wide angle to 60mm, lightweight,
​dust, splash and freeze proof, with excellent close-up capability! 

by Skip  Cohen

I don't usually run posts that are exclusively about hardware, but here's what hit me in this thirty-second video from Panasonic's LUMIX team - it's how concise it is. It's all about the new LUMIX S 20-60mm F3.5-5.6 L-mount lens. Besides being an ideal addition to the S1 full-frame camera system, they hit all the key points one after another.

Now, think about how you'd tell your story. I'm not suggesting you can do it in just thirty seconds, but being on point is an art form. Being able to express what's most important to your viewers in any marketing video, whether it's hardware or your services/skill set is an asset to building your brand and business.

Meanwhile, check out the new lens along with the S1 series of cameras. Panasonic's LUMIX tagline from the very beginning has been "Changing Photography," and they've never strayed!

Click on the banner below for information about the LUMIX Full-Frame S Series lineup!

by Skip Cohen

With the challenge of the pandemic and physical distancing, as photographers, we're all searching for comfort zones. For most of us, it always feels good with a camera in our hands. And if you're like me, you're also spending a lot of time in social media looking at images by other artists as well as your own archives.

We follow friends who are out and about with their cameras and capturing images that often define a specific mood...for me, these two images by good buddies and LUMIX Ambassadors Shiv Verma and William Innes gave me a sense of serenity. 

It's Comet Neowise at Paine's Creek, thanks to Shiv Verma. He captured it with a LUMIX S1R, LUMIX S Pro 70-200 f/2.8 lens, and the 1.4X Tele-converter. William Innes was hiking Damnation Creek Trail in Northern California near Cresent City. It was also captured with a LUMIX S1R. He was shooting with the LUMIX S Pro 16-35mm F4 zoom lens. 

William's comment on the shot pretty much covers what I felt looking at both images - "So tranquil. Such a peaceful hike." Click on either image to view in the SCU Lightbox, and you'll pick up even more serenity.

Shiv and William's Gear Box: Click on any thumbnail for more product info!

by Skip Cohen

LUMIX Ambassador Mike Peters is all about people, but his photographs go beyond just capturing an image. Each picture tells a story.

Mike posted this on Facebook recently. I loved how he told the story of this veteran and tied in patriotism with the flag and the perfect use of depth of field. So often, especially relatively new photographers, miss other feature elements to expand the story.

Mike captured the image with the LUMIX G9 (one of my personal favorites) and the LUMIX/Leica 25mm lens  at f1.4, 1/1600, ISO 200. Click on either thumbnail below for more information.

In Mike's "About" section on his website, the first sentence tells you everything you need to know about his images:

Mike Peters needs to be on your radar. Click on his image to visit his website and check out one of the industry's best storytellers. As a LUMIX Ambassador, he's also part of the LUMIX Ambassador team. This group is one of the most diverse and creative teams in photo, and all the ambassadors are sharing great content.  Check out the LUMIX Photographers Facebook page too - there are always great conversations and imaging being shared.

by Skip Cohen 

Between technology and the challenges created by the pandemic, we're all doing things differently. In fact, many of you have shared talked about techniques you've developed during "downtime" to expand your skill set. And diversity in your business and how you market yourself have all been at the front of the line too.

"Vlogging" wasn't a word even in my vocabulary a year or two ago, but it's about to become a fun and important component of my skill set. And as usual, Panasonic is at the forefront with the new G100. Besides the features and benefits, here's the importance of this new camera - it's hitting a hot button in the needs of the market - which is most of us!

Most of you know I consider myself the low-tech poster child of the industry. I need simplicity in both an application and the benefits. But what excites me the most is, even through there are thousands of vloggers out there already, here's a piece of technology I can get into relatively early on, develop and add it to my skill set for things I'm sharing in the future. I've got a chance to get in earlier than usual in learning something new.

Take a minute, and watch the video below. Like me, I'm sure you'll be struck by the features of this new gem in the LUMIX family. It's small, lightweight and feature driven. And each feature has been carefully thought out and built in to expand our skill set with enhanced video, sound performance and the image quality we've grown to expect from LUMIX.

I pulled two screenshots of features I'm excited about...image stabilization and sound control, but these are only the beginning. In the almost 200-year history of photography, artists have never had more creative tools at their fingertips than today. And Panasonic just gave us more!

Click on any of the thumbnails below to find out more and then visit your LUMIX retailer!

"I've never had so many options in one camera!"
Annie Griffiths

by Skip Cohen
 
Most of you know I am not a professional photographer. I don't make a living as an artist because my passion is the business and marketing side of imaging. But that doesn't mean I don't love and respect the craft. And, hanging out with so many of you for so many years, I've learned a lot. As a result, I know more than I let on.

I've been shooting with LUMIX cameras since the GH3 almost six years ago.  Every camera I've worked with has been a stellar tools, often making me look more talented than I deserve. But it's not just LUMIX gear that's spectacular, but the dedication of Panasonic to live up to the LUMIX tagline, "Changing Photography." They never slow down in developing tools/features to help artists raise the bar on the quality of their images.

If you haven't checked out the LUMIX channel on YouTube, find the time. There's so much great content from videos like the one I'm sharing today with Annie Griffiths to mini webinars with some of the most talented photographers in the industry.

Annie Griffiths needs to be on your radar. As a LUMIX Ambassador, she's also part of the LUMIX Ambassador team. This group is one of the most diverse and creative teams in photo, and all the ambassadors are sharing great content.  Check out the LUMIX Photographers Facebook page too - there are always great conversations and imaging being shared.

Happy Mirrorless Monday!

Finding out more about the LUMIX S Series cameras is just a click away on the banner below.

There are venues and then THERE ARE VENUES! The wedding was held at Hidden River Ranch in Lampasas, Texas. I love seeing a great venue getting back into the swing of business. 

Click on the image to the right to link to their website.

Over the last week, at least six friends, who are photographers, told me they're starting to shoot again. Nothing major, just a nice trickle of business starting to flow. So, as much as I love the image Jordan shared above, I appreciated what he wrote even more.

The statement made through a photograph of a couple dancing in an open field is a story all its own. No big receptions, just proof of a couple's love, admiration and trust for each other...and their photographer.

Yes, that's a sappy way to look at it, but over the last few months, we've all had moments when hope and faith were buried under the stress of the pandemic. I also appreciated Jordan sharing the image on Facebook. Now, more than ever, social media is our best link to keep in touch. It's also where I spend the first hour of every day.

Jordan Bunch needs to be on your radar, along with the LUMIX Ambassador team. This group is one of the most diverse and creative teams in photo, and all the ambassadors are sharing great content.  Check out the LUMIX Photographers Facebook page too - there are always great conversations and imaging being shared.

About the image above, Jordan wrote:

My new favorite way to shoot portraits is to use the long end of my 70-200 2.8 as a wide lens. So I rack the lens out to 200mm or near it and then scoot WAY back. This gives me amazing compression and gorgeous bokeh on a composition that otherwise 99% of photographers would take with a much wider focal length.

​Interested in finding out what Jordan's shooting with? Click on either thumbnail below.

by Skip Cohen

It's Mirrorless Monday, and I found this image shared by my buddy Dave Stock. At first glance, it looked like a cartoon character. It's pretty remarkable. Keep in mind I'm sharing a screenshot, and it's still got incredible detail. Give it a click and view in the SCU Lightbox.

​Dave wrote:

​I'm amazed to see how well Post Focus assisted by Dual IS can do, even when hand held at 1/60th with a long lens (50-200mm at 200mm on a G9). I was in my pool and held the camera overhead, viewing on the articulated screen as this guy perched on a lounge overlooking our pool.

Click on either thumbnail below for more information about the remarkable technology of the G9 and the LUMIX G Leica 50-200mm lens.

by Skip Cohen

Most of you know I don't make a living as a photographer. My passion is the business and marketing side, and that's where most of my career has been spent. However, hanging out with artists like Don Komarechka and Mike Moats over the last few years, I was bound to learn something. 

Both Don and Mike have had a significant influence on the way I look at things, paying more attention to tiny details in the world around me. The little guy above was at best 3/16 of an inch and was just sitting on the pool cage's frame. We've had a lot of storms lately, and at first, I thought it was a chunk of dirt!

I missed the opportunity to get a shot to give you an idea of just how tiny this guy was. It's rare I've seen a frog this small, but here's roughly the size of the frog before the macro lens and enlargement.

The thumbnail on the right, with my new buddy next to a drop of water from the storm, shows how little he is too.

I took off this week to chill and enjoy time with Sheila and the pups. A side benefit was seeing this guy and having the time I needed to grab a camera. And while my skill set is still work in progress, having the right tools sure helps.

I should have used a tripod, but I didn't have a lot of time before "Kermit" took off.  ​So, handheld and following him (or her) everywhere for about ten minutes was all I had. 

​I love the LUMIX G9, and teaming up with the LUMIX G 30mm macro lens, a Playpod Max, the new goosenecks, and two Litra Torch 2.0s gave me what I needed. 

I also had some fun with Luminar, but only for minor tweaking. I lightened the image, sharpened slightly, cropped, enlarged, and erased a couple of distracting dirt spots. 

The short video clip below was simply for the fun of it. The LUMIX line makes it so easy to push a button and grab a few seconds of video.

Shooting macro, handheld without a tripod, and having no video skills whatsoever, made focus a challenge. A tripod would have helped a lot, but at this point in my ten-minute adventure, I was standing on a ladder as my little buddy moved up the wall!

We've all been in some form of lockdown for almost three months. That means lots of time on our hands to do something different. Playing in the macro world is a kick, and with every image I get, I start to understand Don and Mike's love for the craft just a little better. 

by Skip Cohen
 
​About forty-five minutes south of us is a sweet (and expensive) little community called Boca Grande. On Saturday, in a goal to just get out of the house, we threw the pups in the car and headed south for a ride. I didn't feel like taking a lot of gear but wanted a camera with me. I took the LUMIX GX85 with the kit lens, the LUMIX 12-32mm. 

As we crossed the causeway into Boca Grande, it was obvious we were late for the party. As I stood on the shore at the base of the bridge, I was initially disappointed in the coverage. This is the moment when so many of us "should on ourselves," as we regret not taking another lens with a longer focal length. 

The image above is straight out of the can. It was shot handheld in panoramic mode and easy to hold relatively level since I had the skyline to work with as I panned. I had walked up into the no pedestrian section of the causeway bridge and shot in IA mode. I wanted to get in and out quickly.

​I really appreciated the results. The image at the top is enlarged 120%, with the only tweak being clarity and exposure in Luminar. Click on the image to view in the SCU LightBox. And for the fun of it, I took the Sherif's boat on the right to 200%.

Intro by Skip Cohen

This is the last "installment" in Mark's Corner for his week off from work to having fun in photography. For so many of us, photography is helping keep our sanity during the downtime. Mark's been having fun all week long with a camera in his hands, not for clients, but his own enjoyment. And considering my role with Platypod, it's fun to see how a Platypod Max was Mark's perfect hiking companion. 

Check out more of Mark's work by stopping by his website and blogs. As a member of the LUMIX team at Panasonic, you'll find a lot of solid content on making the most of LUMIX cameras.  If you're on Facebook, wander over to the Lumix Photographers Community. With over 9,000 members, artists from all over the world are always sharing great images and creative ideas to help you build your skillset and vision.
​

by Mark Toal

​Today I had to get out of the house. The sun came out after a rainy, cool morning. I could hear power boats on the Willamette River near where I live just south of Portland, Oregon. Huge clouds were rolling across the sky, perfect for a time lapse video.  I knew exactly where I could get a great view of the sky and the widest part of the river.
 
I own about four tripods, but I’ve never liked using one. A while ago Platypod sent me one of their "tripods." I’ve been using it where I need to hold the camera steady, in this case for a 30-minute time lapse. As you can see it’s not a traditional tripod, but instead a very small plate with adjustable legs.
 
I carry a Panasonic camcorder with me because it’s very quick and easy to set up for time-lapse videos when I’m out hiking. As you can see in the photo, I attached the Camcorder to the Platypod, set it on a light post to shoot an image every second. After 30 minutes I turned off the camera, put the whole set-up in my sling bag and went home. 

As the Camcorder recorded the time-lapse, I walked around the park taking photos with my Lumix S1. I love setting the S1 to a 2:1 size ratio to give me a panoramic looking scene that you see in this image.
​

Intro by Skip Cohen

This series got started when my pal, Mark Toal, sent me an email saying he was taking off for a week and playing with photography, as opposed to his usual role at Panasonic with a camera in his hands. He asked if I'd be willing to run a new piece each day, and I jumped at the chance!

The pandemic has changed all of our lives, especially when it comes to keeping in touch with family and friends. Like many of you, Sheila and I have a regular Skype call with our kids, usually on Sunday afternoon, but they're adults. 

I love this piece Mark's sharing today, along with his YouTube channel just for his granddaughters! Somehow, the "Hoboken Chicken Emergency" seems perfect for the challenges we're all facing these days! Besides, we've binge-watched every series on Netflix and Amazon we can find - time for the Mark Toal storybook channel!

by Mark Toal
​
When the shutdown for the Covid-19 virus first started the first thing that occurred to me is that I wasn’t going to see my granddaughters for a while. I could make do with less toilet paper and flour and trips to Costco, but not seeing Hadley and Eliza for weeks was too hard to think about.
 
We were able to FaceTime, but it just wasn’t enough, so I had the idea to read them books on video and upload them to YouTube. This might give them something to remember during this period with Papa Mark.
 
I’ve wanted to learn to be more comfortable on video and this seemed like a good way to practice and only have a 5 and 7-year old see it.
 
Because I’m a photographer it gave me the justification to buy the new wooden tripod that you can see in the photo of my simple video set-up. I also used my Lumix G9 with the Lumix 12-35mm f/2.8 lens and a Rode microphone.
 
Because I’m shooting these in my dining room, I set the camera to aperture priority in the custom video mode and choose f/2.8. This way the cluttered background would be out of focus. I used face detection to stay focused on my eyes and shot in 1080P to keep the file sizes smaller. I decided to keep in as simple as possible and just use window light.
 
Click on the title to see me reading The Hoboken Chicken Emergency by Daniel Pinkwater.

Mark's using the LUMIX G9 and LUMIX 12-35mm f2.8 lens. Just click on the thumbnails below for more information.

Intro by Skip Cohen

Mark Toal is back today with a great approach to thinking about which of his cameras is his favorite - a grandchild simply asked the question. While Mark works for Panasonic and has an extensive collection of cameras to choose from, I felt really good knowing that his favorite one was mine. 

But let's take his question a step further. Very few of you work for a camera company, but you have closets full of gear. As your skill set has grown, so has your selection of cameras and lenses. Think about your favorite camera over the years - not the one you may have used to build your business, but the one you pick up when you're shooting for your own enjoyment. What's the one camera you'll take on the first family vacation after the pandemic is over.

The FZ1000 is pretty remarkable, but there's another fun benefit. I remember Ann Montieth, educator, author, and past president of PPA telling me about having her camera with her at a concert. She was stopped by security and told professional cameras (any camera with an interchangeable lens) weren't allowed. When they saw it was a fixed lens, she went back into the amateur category. LOL

One more thing to think about - since I'm on the topic of gear. Most of you have spent some of your downtime cleaning out closets. There isn't a school on the planet that has everything they need, especially when it comes to support for the arts. Now is a perfect time to take some of those older cameras, lenses, and lights and make a donation to your local high school. You just might be helping one of today's kids become the next famous artist!

Click on either thumbnail below for more information about the FZ1000 - then visit your LUMIX dealer! You won't be disappointed. And check out more of Mark's work by stopping by his website and blogs. As a member of the LUMIX team at Panasonic, you'll always find helpful and interesting content. 

by Mark Toal

​Since I work for Panasonic, I have a lot of cameras and two granddaughters to photograph? After seeing me use a dozen or more different models over the years the 4-year old asked me what’s my favorite camera?

Before I could answer she asked me what my favorite color is, but it got me thinking about different cameras. Last week on a YouTube video I heard somebody ask a guest what camera would you grab if could only have one?
 
I’m a camera snob and tech nerd so I wanted to have a great answer ready about the particular body and lens combination with the best sharpness, bokeh, high ISO, fast burst rate, etc. Boring, right? Then I thought about the camera that I always have in the car, the Lumix FZ1000, a bridge camera. I know you’re thinking this is a point and shoot camera with a 1” sensor. How can it be your only camera?
 
I’ve loved his camera since the first time that I took it to a street festival here in Portland a few years ago. I’m going to let the images speak for themselves. The 25-400mm f/2.8-4 lens is very sharp and perfect for a situation where you need to be a proper social distance from your subject as you can see in the photo of my nephew, Jules, at 150-400mm the bokeh is beautiful.
 
Since then I’ve used it for portraits, street photography, cowboy photos and a wedding, and my clients never knew that I wasn’t using a “real camera”. The FZ1000 is perfect for these  strange times when you don’t know what you may find to photograph.

Intro by Skip Cohen

Mark Toal is no stranger to the SCU blog. We've shared a lot of posts from him, always well-seasoned with creativity and great images. Well, he's off of work this week and for the next five days he's sharing things he's doing in photography to help maintain his sanity!

Welcome to the first edition of "Mark's Corner."

The whole world is shut down and I decided to take a week off from work. Actually, I thought this was the week everything would open up again after being shut down for the past couple of months. I emailed Skip and suggested that I write a blog post everyday about how photography is keeping me sane during this time.  
 
Photography has always been my therapy in hard times from when I was a shy kid who used a camera to feel like I had a reason to be in a social situation. Luckily, I’ve been hauling all of those old black and white negatives around for decades. Scanning them on these long nights has saved me from total boredom.
 
I wrote a blog here a couple of weeks ago about using my iPhone to scan old negatives. That works great for Facebook and Instagram, but it’s pretty low resolution. I didn’t want to invest in a new dedicated scanner, so I decided to try using my Lumix S1R with a Sigma 105mm Macro lens to photograph the negatives.
 
As you can see in the photo, I place the negative on a light table, put the S1R on a tripod pointed down and take a photo of the negative. You can do this with any digital camera as long as it has a macro lens. If you’re reading Skip’s blogs, you probably have a camera and tripod, so you just need an inexpensive light table.
 
Once the negatives file is in the computer, I open it in Photoshop, invert it to a positive image, adjust the contrast and clone out any dust spots.
 
The photo of my high school friend, Walter, was shot 120 Tri-X pan film and is now a 47-megapixel file ready to be printed.

Check out more of Mark's work by stopping by his website and blogs. As a member of the LUMIX team at Panasonic, you'll find a lot of solid content on making the most of LUMIX cameras.  Follow the LUMIX Ambassador team too. The group is one of the most diverse and creative teams in photography, and all the ambassadors should be on your radar. You'll be pleasantly surprised at how much great content they're sharing all the time.

Mark's using the new LUMIX full-frame S1R. More information is just a click away on the banner below.

by Skip Cohen

I've written a lot about the challenges for kids in the Class of 2020. Turn the clock back to your own high school graduation and think about the excitement in the air. Another chapter in your life was coming to a close, and friends, who many of you had known your entire life to that point, were also moving. It was a time of celebration.

Now fast forward to the challenges created by the pandemic, today. *POOF* Instead of celebrating, it's been a time of anxiety and loss. Moments today's seniors have looked forward to for many years became a giant question mark! But here's a small compromise solution to lessen the sting just a little.

It all starts with Todd White, his background and his skill set as a professional photographer. He specializes in fashion, commercial and portrait videography and photography. He partnered with the Project Graduation team from Georgetown High School to capture these kids' senior prom looks from their front porch.

Shooting both a vertical and horizontal image for those seniors involved in the program, Todd made sure they all had a memory-maker photograph of prom-time. Did the porch-traits replace prom? Of course not, but think about the impact Todd's having on his community as part of Project Graduation.

Todd White needs to be on your radar. His client list includes Facebook, Pinterest, The Alamo, Neiman Marcus, and various fashion designers. His commercial work has been published in Vogue, British Vogue, Elle, People, the Wall Street Journal as well as other publications. He is an Emmy award-winning Producer and Videographer for the Daytripper TV show on PBS and an instructor at Precision Camera and Video in Austin, TX.

He's also a LUMIX Ambassador. Check out Todd's website, along with the LUMIX Ambassador team. This group is one of the most diverse and creative teams in photo, and all the ambassadors should be on your radar.  Check out the LUMIX Photographers Facebook page too - there are always great conversations and imaging being shared.

Todd captured his prom porch-traits with Panasonic's LUMIX S1R and the LUMIX S PRO 50mm lens. Click on either thumbnail below for more information.

The pandemic has changed all of our lives and businesses, especially most professional photographers. But sheltering in place doesn't have to mean your business. There are still things you can do to continue to build relationships with your community and clients.

Mother's Day was yesterday, but graduation and Father's Day are still on the horizon. Don't let the seasonality slip entirely by when there are still creative ways to maintain a presence for your business.

by Skip Cohen
 
After seven weeks of being hunkered down, we're all getting a little stir-crazy. While the "experts" battle it out over whose crystal ball is more accurate, and when it's going to be safe to be out, LUMIX Ambassador Paul Mango is putting his skill set to outstanding use.  He's helping to raise money for face shields for medical workers.

He's been posting "porch-traits" on his Facebook page, but while the idea is great, what he wrote was even better:

​More "porch-traits” from yesterday ... great day for a visit to “friends” and make some wonderful images and preserve memories from a distance. All photos are being done for “donations” that I am passing along to a student and former Eagle Scout from my local town who is 3D printing face shields for medical workers. Over 1,000 shields have been printed and delivered to date.

All photos captured from a minimum of 15-20 feet away using the Panasonic LUMIX G9 and Leica 100-400mm and/or the Panasonic LUMIX G85 and Leica 50-200mm lens. Hope the rest of the Ambassador team is staying well (and same)... up to 40 days in the house for me and the days just keep flying by...

Spring seasonality in imaging isn't going to disappear because of the pandemic. In fact, it's made the need for making memories and finding special moments to capture even stronger.

​Don't miss the opportunity to have an impact on your community and your target audience by staying home. You can still be an artist and maintain the safety guidelines of social distancing, and as Paul Mango's doing, give back.  Check out Paul's Instagram page, along with the LUMIX Ambassador team. The group is one of the most diverse and creative teams in photo, and all the ambassadors should be on your radar. You'll be pleasantly surprised at how much great content they share. Check out the LUMIX Photographers Facebook page too - there are always great conversations and images being shared. 

And, to check out the gear Paul's using, click on any of the four thumbnails below. I've been shooting with the LUMIX G9 for almost a year, and it's a remarkable camera! Panasonic's LUMIX tagline is "Changing Photography," and with every camera, in the LUMIX line, they've never strayed from giving artists the most creative tools available to capture outstanding images!

by Skip Cohen

It's Mirrorless Monday, and my buddy Mark Toal is back with a stunning image he shared on Facebook recently. Besides the image itself, there's another point he made that hit home.

We're all hunkered down and looking for ways to keep a camera in our hands. Mark grew up loving street photographer, and a nature shoot was never in his wheelhouse. But the pandemic has moved all of us in a different direction, including shooting at sunrise, rather than just sunset.​

This is a time in history when we're all looking for inspiration. Check out Mark's website, along with the LUMIX Ambassador team. The group is one of the most diverse and creative teams in photo, and all the ambassadors should be on your radar. You'll be pleasantly surprised at how much great content they share. Check out the LUMIX Photographers Facebook page too - there are always great conversations and imaging being shared.

by Mark Toal
 
I’ve never liked nature photography. I grew up walking the streets of Miami and Miami Beach with my camera and continued doing street photography all my life. With cities and small towns pretty much shut down and being asked to stay at home because of the Covid-19 virus I started to walk to the park a few blocks from my house every morning. As the days get longer, I find myself out walking at sunrise.
 
This photo I took last week of the Willamette River was just as the sun rose over the trees on the other side of the river. Luckily, I had my Lumix full frame S1 with me and my favorite lens, the Lumix 16-35mm f/4. I saw the curve of the river leading my eye into the sunrise on the trees in the distance and knew I had my image.

by Skip Cohen
 
It's Mirrorless Monday, and I love this short film created by Tiffany Murray for a couple of reasons. First, pay attention to the way she's chosen to tell Allison Powell's story. Most of you are still-photographers and experts at storytelling, but being a filmmaker is different. During this downtime we're all trapped in, it's perfect for ideas on fine-tuning your storytelling skills.

The second reason that makes this film unique to me is the Santa Monica Mountains and the trails. Living in California for seven years when I was with Rangefinder/WPPI we often hiked part of the trail - Not the Backbone but pieces of it, and never for more than a few hours. It's a beautiful place, and I can identify with Allison's comment about the quality of time alone.

"Backbone" was captured using the new LUMIX full-frame S1H. For more information about this incredible camera click on the thumbnail below.

​Around the country, programs are being offered to help you raise the bar on your skill set. Don't miss out on LUMIX programs. These programs need to be on your radar, so you don't miss the opportunity to become a more diverse artist! Staying informed is just a click away on the banner below. 

And if you're looking for ongoing inspiration and expanding your skill set, follow the LUMIX Ambassador team. The group is one of the most diverse and creative teams in photo, and all the ambassadors should be on your radar. You'll be pleasantly surprised at how much great content they share.

Check out the LUMIX Photography Community on Facebook too. There's a lot of great content being shared by artists around the world! ​

by Skip Cohen 

Last summer Chamira Young and I did a podcast with Gareth Rockliffe on "Beyond Technique." He talked about the way we start out in life and as we grow older, we expand our creativity. He then compared life to being a photographer. Everyone starts out shooting in "P" mode and later develops the skills to use "A","S" and "M." 

This is a time in history when, as an artist, you need to find ways to make yourself different. You've got to get out of "P" mode, both literally and figuratively. For example, there are too many photographers who have taken shelter in place to mean everything, including their skillset, marketing, and business.

It's Mirrorless Monday, and Mark Toal is taking us out of "P" mode and in a new direction for most of you. He's sharing some great information on how to set your camera up for time-lapse photography.

Check out more of Mark Toal's work witha visit to his website and blogs. Then follow the LUMIX Ambassador team. The group is one of the most diverse and creative teams in photography, and all the ambassadors should be on your radar. You'll be pleasantly surprised at how much great content they share.

And in terms of taking full advantage of the time you've got on your hands now - One way to start is to make a list of everything you've always wanted to practice and learn but never had the time. We're stuck in a new way of living, and none of us know whose crystal ball is more accurate in when the pandemic will end.

​But one thing we all can agree on - there's time to do a lot of new things! 

Mark's shooting with a LUMIX G9, one of my most favorite cameras. Just click on the thumbnails below for more information.

by Mark Toal
​
I’m trying to think of things that I’ve been putting off doing and time lapse photography came to mind. I fell in love with time-lapse a couple of years ago when I made this video about how to set up time lapse in Panasonic Lumix cameras.

It’s perfect for this time since all you need is a camera, tripod and time, which we all have right now. In this video I use a Lumix G9, but almost all current Lumix cameras and many other brands have this feature built in.

I shared the time lapse video below which Mark created a few years back. It's a different application from the video above, but makes the point about a technique so many of you should add to your skillset for the future.

by Skip Cohen
 
Most of us know Charles Maring as an outstanding wedding and event photographer, but if you follow him on "Together in Style," you'll quickly learn about his passion for art and music. Then, tune in for a few more episodes, and you'll get to know Jennifer as well. They've built a brand based on style, and they need to be on your radar.

Last week Charles posted this short video, and the combination of the beauty and simplicity of the subject matter, rocks on the beach, is stunning. One image after another left me wishing I had more wall-space at home. I could see each still image as a 40x40 print, or in a gallery. 

As he mentions in the video - they're just rocks on the beach. We've all walked by them and never noticed the beauty or the detail.

I hope you'll take three and a half minutes and watch the video. And, keep in mind I'm sharing a screenshot. So, imagine the power of the original images!