Three photographers were sent to three different but equally beautiful and inspiring locations armed with the Lumix G5 to capture their experiences. They worked in a way that was out of each of their comfort zones because it was so different to the way they take photos in their professional life. The images captured by each photographer demonstrate the stunning results the G5 is capable of achieving.
Christian Stoll, architectural photographer
Christian Stoll, an architectural photographer, says he usually works in a way that is much more static and as a result the picture is almost designed. He visited breathtaking Sicily with the Lumix G5 and found he was capturing scenes in passing, recognising that if you don’t have a flexible system you can lose a moment.
Christian discovered the work he did in Sicily was very emotional compared with his professional photography, as he was easily able to capture the light and the characters behind the faces in Sicily. The G5 made him realise that the faster a camera is ready to shoot, the closer you are to life.
Christian was impressed by the tremendous picture quality of the G5, along with the focus range and sharpness which matches that of a professional SLR camera. He also liked the fact that he can select from 16 different lenses, which all have their unique advantages, without compromising on image quality. Using the G5 on his Sicilian journey changed Christian’s perspective on photography, and he now wants to give more thought to what he is shooting instead of just how he is shooting it.
Andy Barter, still life photographer
Meanwhile, Andy Barter, a still life photographer, visited exotic Istanbul in Turkey and found an immediate challenge in the dropping light levels when he was ready to shoot, the fact that his subject was some distance away and he didn’t have a tripod which would have helped in such conditions. With the G5 to hand, Andy selected a F2.8 lens which lets plenty of light in. He chose the widest open aperture possible and adjusted the ISO to give him a slightly quicker speed on his shutter to remove camera shake. Andy was really pleased with the final result which was sharp and without camera shake. The G5 allowed him to create an image in a low light situation without the use of a tripod.
Working outside of a studio in a city as vibrant and fast paced as Istanbul, with moments unfolding rapidly around Andy, he also loved the flexibility, ease and control of the touch screen on the G5. In shots where there’s going to be lots of action and movement, he can simply touch the screen and it will focus and shoot instantaneously for continuous frame shooting. Andy appreciates the fact that he can take shots that are both sharp and capture the movement, delivering images that he’s really pleased with.
Mel Karch, fashion photographer
Fashion photographer Mel Karch travelled with the Lumix G5 to Iceland where she wanted to work spontaneously with less structure – just herself and the camera experiencing a human and photographic adventure. The kind of photography Mel was undertaking was a complete departure from fashion photography which is more controlled and staged. Mel was able to capture the infinite vastness and pure nature of Iceland in a way that she acknowledged would not be possible with the equipment she usually works with.
Whether she was capturing images or film, the G5 gave Mel the lightness and mobility she needed without compromise. The precision and handiness of the different modes surprised Mel, and she found the G5 provided a video quality comparable to a professional video camera. The amazing quality of images produced was unexpected but certainly appreciated. The wide range of interchangeable lenses was seen as giving the camera a professional flexibility. Mel’s experience in Iceland with the Lumix G5 is one she will draw on when shooting fashion in the future.
Each journey for the three photographers has changed how each of them look at photography and opened their minds to different ways of working.
Visit Panasonic’s YouTube page to watch all the videos created of each photographer’s journey.
Find out more about the LUMIX G5 here.