Lightweight, fast + accurate – no matter the situation

BY HARRISON JACOBS

Los Angeles-based photographer William Innes, a WeddingWire ninetime Best Wedding Photography award winner, shoots over 30 weddings a year. (plus a few destination weddings that are the cherry on top of his busy schedule). Because his calendar is loaded with backto-back wedding weekends, he sometimes suffers from what he calls a “wedding hangover”—a state of total exhaustion after spending multiple days on his feet with two full-frame DSLR cameras swinging off his body.

“Shooting weddings with DSLRs takes its toll,” Innes says. “It’s brutal physically.”

Running around with two cameras was sometimes so physically challenging that Innes would stop shooting with both of his cameras to protect his body, requiring him to make costly lens changes during a ceremony or compromise on getting the images he wanted. When Innes discovered the Panasonic Lumix micro four-thirds system five years ago, it was a relief for the weary photographer.

The lightweight Lumix GH3 and the Lumix GH5 were a revelation to Innes, who used to lug three camera bags to every wedding. With the GH5, he could fit everything he needed—three camera bodies, plus eight lenses and flashes—into a single bag. Shooting a wedding with two cameras on his body, plus a small bag with extra lenses, was a cinch compared to the fullframe DSLR systems he’d been using.

“The whole footprint of my equipment has become so much smaller and simpler since I switched to Lumix,” Innes says. “I’m able to shoot more and think about my equipment less.”

The size, portability and ergonomics of micro four-thirds cameras were what sold Innes on the system, but the GH5’s other helpful tools are added bonuses.

The most difficult shot for Innes to capture has always been the moment that the bride and groom walk into the reception; walking shots can easily end up looking awkward, he says. The Lumix GH5’s 6K photo mode, which captures 6K video at 30 frames-per-second, has changed his process. Because he can extract high-end stills from the clip, Innes records during tricky wedding scenes, capturing dynamic images during the first dance or the walk down the aisle.

The GH5’s ultrafast “Depth From Defocus” autofocus system and low-light performance ensure that every image Innes takes at a wedding is sharp and bright, even during dim ceremonies or reception halls where there is low lighting.

“I try to tell everyone, you have to choose the right tools for the job. Micro four-thirds has become my go-to,” Innes says. “The technology just keeps getting better and better.”

GH5 features like the electronic viewfinder, which shows exactly what the camera is seeing, have become essentials for Innes because he can see the moments happening in front of him.

He has even begun shooting video for his travel photography, recently capturing a snake charmer at work in Marrakech’s Jemaa el-Fnaa. According to Innes, it felt as easy as shooting a still.

On wedding days, he now transfers a few choice images to his smartphone, quickly retouches them and sends them to the bride and groom so they have something immediate to gush over.

The best part: “At the end of a wedding day shooting with two micro four-thirds cameras, I feel great,” Innes says. “No more wedding hangovers!”