Sunday Morning Reflections - A follow-up post

Yesterday my grandson Ryan got the spotlight and this morning it's his twin sister Sophie's turn along with my three grandsons, Luke, Zachary and Jordan.  However, there's actually a point about technology in this morning's post.

I'm often asked what do I like to shoot with. The question comes from being past president of Hasselblad USA and people thinking I once shot professionally. While I know more than I often let on, having been fortunate enough to work with some of the finest photographers in the world, my real profile is just a guy who's always loved photography. I've had a number of images published over the years, even a couple of cover shots, but it was more because the magazines were hoping to secure some of our advertising budget than my skill set! *sigh*

So, here's the answer to the question and the images up top prompted this lazy Sunday topic. My most favorite camera and lens combination will always be the Hasseblad 503CW with the 180mm CF lens. It was a favorite for all those years at Hasselblad and the quality of the camera together with the 180mm was simply amazing.

However, most of the images you see me sharing lately as well as the video each month that accompanies my article in Shutter Magazine are all shot with Panasonic's new LUMIX GH3. I'm blown away by what Panasonic's technology has brought to the party, especially in low light situations. I've experienced just about every quality of the system the Luminaries have talked about in Luminary corner.

The image on the right of the "boyz" was shot in an extremely dark restaurant. In fact, both images are right out of the can, the first with a little window light. They're just grab shots while on vacation, no cleanup necessary.  The lens I was using for both was the 12-35mm F2.8 lens.

For those of you who insist on still arguing the point of Canon vs. Nikon...that's about as relevant as the battle most of us witnessed years ago between traditional portrait artists and the wedding photo-journalists! You owe it to yourself to stay on top of technology and don't rule anything out.

A few months ago I had a conversation with good buddy Roberto Valenzuela. Over the last year or so he's expanded in shooting both medium format with Hassselblad and now video with a high end video system. (Sorry, don't know what he bought.) When I asked him why, his answer couldn't have been more perfect...

"I owe it to my clients! Unless I learn all the various techniques to capture the image, I can't improve myself as an artist. So, I want to keep growing and learning everything I can."

So, the wrap up question is really easy...What are you doing to raise the bar on your skill set and expand your creative vision as an artist?  Well, maybe not so easy. LOL

Make it a great Sunday you guys and hug somebody you care about.