A Wide-eyed, Wide Angle Girl!

Recently I had a fun assignment with Panasonic Lumix to illustrate how I use the Lumix 8-18mm wide angle lens. Oh Yay—it was the perfect one for me because I’m such a “wide-angle girl” with my travel photography! Not with portraits of course, but when it comes to the landscape, it’s gotta be wide; most certainly with the Grand Landscapes of the National Parks and God’s amazing larger-than-life creations! In the last two years I’ve had the immense joy of hiking the Grand Canyon and trekking through Zion National Park’s Narrows and quite a few other fabulous places where I got to use my wide angle lenses! 

The 7-14mm was my favorite wide for years, actually, but is made in such a way that filters are not able to be put on it. It’s a work horse and I have thousands of images with it, but the newer 8-18mm is a better design. It’s clarity and beauty is just as great, but designed so we can put ND (neutral density) filters on it and get these silky water photos!

So tonight, I was digging for images with the 8-18 and found a whole folder of images I hadn’t realized were taken with that lens! OH, boy! I picked three of my favorite images, showing the Narrows in Zion, the rock overhang underneath a tiny waterfall spill, and my favorite: the Virgin River with the Watchman (mountain)in the background.  All so amazing with the wide angle!

I love the ability to show the full view to communicate a real sense of presence—You can look at everything from what is nearly beneath your feet, to all around you making you feel more like you are there . . . like you can see and feel the grandness of the scene.  

Oh, and of course, the fact that this lens goes on a micro 4/3 camera, the #LUMIXG9, is the Best! Lighter weight gear is vital for these major hiking trips! Of course, I do fitness training to stay strong, but when you are hiking 10-14 miles in one day to Havasu Falls, everything ounce matters! 

Had to share this silly boomerang we made while waiting 5 hours for the helicopter ride OUT of the canyon. ($85 well spent!) We had so much fun being silly while we waited! This is my ThinkTank modular belt system for hiking- what a lifesaver!

@LUMIX @BayPhotoLab @CreateWithSuzette #SEEinspired #hiking #travellight #HavasuFalls #ZionNationalPark #GrandCanyon