Lumix Diaries Comes to Instagram
In my ongoing effort to share as many Lumix Diaries with our Natural Exposures audience as possible, I’ve decided to join Instagram. Type in Instagram and Daniel J. Cox into Google’s search bar and you’ll see numerous posts about my dislike for Instagram’s Terms of Service. In short I’ve not been a fan, but as the saying goes, “If you can’t beat ’em, join ’em.” So here we go.
Falling Star, Tahiti
This falling star image was quite by accident. I got up early that morning, about 4:30am, to shoot the night sky. I brought the lightest tripod I own, a Gitzo Traveler. Though I don’t use tripods much any more, for night sky images it’s absolutely essential. I attached my Lumix GX8 to the small tripod head and framed the scene with the palm trees in the lower 1/3 of the frame. My lens was the Olympus 12mm F/2, the fastest wide angle I can get at this point. My main intent was to shoot the night sky, but the palm trees, with a faint wash of light across them, made a nice foreground. I used the GX8’s Starlight AF to acquire proper focus. The exposure was made via Program Mode and I adjusted my Exposure Compensation dial to +2 stops. The GX8 regularly underexposes with night scenes. Keep in mind the image will look great on the back LCD but I promise you it will be too dark, thus the need to open up +2 stops by way of the Exposure Compensation dial. To confirm my exposure I made sure to look at the Histogram after I shot the image. The exposure lasted for 15 seconds and was processed in camera via Noise Reduction filter set to on. The most unique part of this image is the falling star which I didn’t even know happened until I looked at the frame on my computer. As I’ve said more than once, “I would rather be lucky than good.” But I keep on practicing just in case my luck runs out 
As those of you who read this Blog know, the Lumix diaries is my ongoing journal about my decision to start shooting the Lumix brand of cameras – the pros, the cons, and the techniques I use to get the most out of these small, lightweight, and technically advanced picture taking tools. To say I’m excited about this new gear would be an understatement.
Double-saddled Butterfly Fish, Tahiti
Tahiti has some amazing snorkeling opportunities. For this image I used a Nauticam underwater housing for my Lumix GH4. Lens used was the 7-14mm set to 10mm. I shot on Auto ISO with the camera on Program. The fish on this beautiful coral reef are amazingly trusting and allowed us to swim right up next to them. As you can see the water is incredibly clear, which for underwater photography is THE key to grab images. AF was set to AF-S, I used the AF sensor setting that shows all the AF points. In other words, it’s the option that will pick whatever is closest to focus on. Works great for underwater.
Under the heading of no surprises I do receive some minor financial support from Panasonic as one of their Lumix Luminaries, a stipend of about $300 (USD) every 3-4 months. I was asked to become a Lumix Luminary nearly five years after I began using the Lumix cameras and blogging about my positive experiences. In short, I don’t talk positively about anything I don’t TRULY believe in and when I do believe in something, those who know me know I can be very enthusiastic about spreading the word. That said, I’m equally adamant about discussing where Lumix needs to up their game.
The Lumix Diaries on Instagram is my way of sharing more of the things I shoot with those who love photography, travel, adventure, and the world of nature and conservation. Tanya and I travel a lot with our Natural Exposures Invitational Photo Tours and I get many, many opportunities to try the Lumix cameras in ways that prove their professional character. For those of you who are curious, I’m taking the risk for you.
So sign up for our Instagram account, danieljcoxNE, and come see what these cameras can do. All images I post to Instagram will also be highlighted here on the Blog where I can discuss in more detail how the image was produced. We’re excited to share the world of photography with our readers.