In the Photography Spotlight with Rick Gerrity

While there's nothing Rick Gerrity can't photograph and probably hasn't, I wanted to share a little of his black and white work, because it brings out so much about him as an artist. I usually love to share the artist's backstory, but this morning I'm going to share it from my perspective.

Rick's a LUMIX Ambassador, and educator teaching all over the US, but most importantly, he's a student of people. His passion is telling the story of America, and that truck of his, which is approaching 500,000 miles, is proof of his road-warrior mentality to go everywhere it goes! All along the way, no matter where he's headed, a LUMIX camera is never out of reach. He described the combination of his LUMIX G9 with the Leica 10-25mm lens as a "life-changing combo!"

The fun of this industry is always about the friendships, and I first met Rick in 2013 when our mutual buddy, Tom Curley, was getting the Ambassador team started. Since then, thanks to cyberspace, I've been able to follow him all over the country as he documents Americana. And, while I love so much of his work, I chose black and white for today's post because B&W is so pure of the distraction of color - each image is about the personality of the subject or simply the moment. If it's true that a picture is worth a thousand words, then Rick's already surpassed everything Shakespeare ever wrote.

But another aspect of knowing Rick is the fun of what he shares. Because of my affiliation with Platypod, he sent me the image on the right over the weekend, and the video below. While out and about in South Jersey, Rick was playing in the mud.

He used a Platypod Max with his G9 to capture the video. He had it tied to a tree as he took his truck in and out of a mud puddle just smaller than Lake Erie!
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On one side of my home are two tables and all of Sheila's gardening tools and flower pots. She loves to garden, and I had a sign made that says, "Sheila's Garden Shop - Some kids just like to play in the dirt!" Well, obviously, Sheila's not alone.

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For more information on Rick's favorite camera and lens combo, click on either thumbnail below. The G9 is also my favorite, but I love the versatility of the 14-140mm lens.

LUMIX G9 Mirrorless Camera Body, 20.3 Megapixels plus 80 Megapixel High-Resolution Mode, 5-Axis Dual I.S2

LUMIX G LEICA DG VARIO-SUMMILUX 10-25mm, F1.7 ASPH. Lens, Mirrorless Micro Four Thirds Mount

Rick should be on your radar. Click on any of his black and white images above to visit his Instagram page, where he shares most of his work. Even better, he's on the road right now and headed to Virginia to do a Travel Photography seminar at Ace Photo Inc. and then on to Texas to Precision Camera for another seminar on street photography. 
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​As a LUMIX Ambassador, Rick's part of one of the most unique and diverse educational teams in professional photographers. This group of artists and educators represent some of the finest photographers in the industry and should be on your radar. You'll also find them hanging out from time to time in the LUMIX Photographers group on Facebook.