Basic Tips for Improving your 4K Photography

Some of you folks may have seen my Introduction to LUMIX 4K Photography, and a few other posts on how I've been experimenting with the LX100 camera. I've been learning, which has been a fun process - but it hasn't been without its frustrations. Trying to achieve certain shots, and becoming slightly frustrated with my own technical ability has led me to this week realising that I need to chill out, and just go with the flow. Because that's the beauty of 4K Photography; capturing those moments, and not worrying about the results. 

Now, I'm no expert yet, but along the way I've been writing down my process, so here's a few of my top tips for improving your 4K Photography:

Take your Camera Everywhere

So this one probably works for a lot of us these days, but by keeping your camera on your at all times means you're always going to be ready for those potential 4K moments. This is particularly important when you're visiting friends, heading to theme park, travelling from country-to-country, or trying a new activity.

Preparation is Key

4K Photography does need a little prep, and if you stick to a few basic rules you'll never be caught off guard. I ask myself,"is my battery fully charged + do I need a spare battery (4K does run the battery down, so it's always sensible to pick up a secondary pack), have I got enough memory cards (I'd suggest using 32GB+), and do I have a lightweight, waterproof camera bag?" If you know the subject you're going to be shooting, you can preset your camera before you start. This will save time when you're shooting something unpredictable.

But you can't Prepare for Everything

Some things you just can't predict, but as long as you're equipped with your camera then you've got a great chance of capturing something amazing. The camera's iA (Intelligent Auto) is still one of my favourite features, and will help you in all matter of settings. It eliminates the potentially amount of time faffing around with settings, which is especially handy in ever-changeable situations.

Daylight Works Best

Out of all the subjects I've shot in 4K Photo Mode I've found daylight wins hands down. I've never really got my head around low-light photography (remembering back to some questionable shoot in my college days...), so to play it safe I've stuck to daylight. I've tried a couple of attempts in the evening, but I've never been 100% happy. If you do try it's maybe worth using a mount or tripod - but that does take away the spontaneity.

Experiment with the AF Modes

As well as an assist from the iA, it's worth having a play around with the your camera's AF modes. The LUMIX LX100 has several options; Face/Eye Detection, Tracking, 49-Area (a larger section to focus on), Custom, and 1-Area (a specific area to focus on). Each works well in different types of settings, so it's worth getting familiar with these before you shoot. I've found I've been using the 49-Area + 1-Area modes most frequently, and for the photos in this post I used a mixture of the two.

Trial + Error

As with most new hobbies, practice makes perfect. The whole 4K process is a fun experience, and part of that is the trial and error aspect. It can get frustrating when things don't seem to be working quite right, for example, with the coffee shots here I would have liked the liquid to have been in perfect focus. But all you can do is try again, with a fresh approach!

Invest Time to Explore + Discover

You can have all the decent kit in the world, but if you don't dedicate time to exploring new things and discovering interesting stories then you'll be limiting your 4K experience. So, I should really listen to my own advice here! Over the next few months I want to put myself into situations where I can really get the best of of LUMIX 4K Photography, be that involving transport, travel, adventure sports, skiing, brewery tours, maker workshops...you name it, and most likely I'll be up for it. 

4K Photography has so much potential, and I've only really started to test its capabilities. I hope these tips have been of some use, and served as inspiration to try it yourself! Have any of you experimented 4K Photography yet?

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