Cresselly to Cologne – My Journey to Photokina 2016

Day 1: Saturday 16th September 2016. After the 4 hour journey from my studio in Cresselly. The flight from Heathrow to Cologne was only 55mins. I need to get over her more often. I have never been to Germany before. To arrive for such a huge event is making me feel like a kid with a super sweet tooth and being let loose in a sweet shop.

Today was about arriving in good time as I wanted to see a bit of the city. The beauty about discovering new cities with photography allows you to to see things that are sometimes everyday to the locals. For example there are a lot of bikes in Cologne, and mean a lot. I know Ironman is on in my home town of Tenby this weekend, but there are a lot more bikes here. You very quickly learn to be aware of them, plus they make for great photos. There are bike lanes everywhere so you soon get used to it.

Bikes and Legs in Cologne

One of my tasks I had set myself was to find a good coffee. So I met Rainer and his lovely wife at a market with their Coffee-Bike. Being a kiwi I asked if he could make a Flat White. He didn’t disappoint in charm.

Rainer from Coffee-Bike

Of course while in Cologne you have to go and see the Cathedral. I walked around the corner and my jaw just dropped. The photos don’t do it justice as I only had my Street Photography setup on my Lumix GX8 which is my 15mm f1.7.

Inside Cologne Cathedral

While walking around you do see some events happening in front of you. When two Mercedes , a classic and a modern version get a bit close. I guess you could say its German engineering coming together. Everyone was calm, and no one seemed hurt.

Ouch

Everyone is so relaxed in this city.

So first impressions of Cologne are fantastic, I even stumbled on a fashion show in this incredibly diverse city. Blue sheep and for sale too. Day 1 there was a lot to take in and see. Just feeling the atmosphere in a city is exciting enough for me. Who knows what Day 2 will bring.

The next busy day was rehearsals for the Panasonic Photokina Press Conference on Monday. There was a lot of secrecy as the GH5 (in development) was going to be mentioned and confirmed with a taster of the features. I was lucky to hold a mock model at the rehearsal to get a feel of what is to come.

Today arrived and the nerves and excited arrived too as 12.30pm got closer for the Press Conference. All I had to do was talk about what I do with 4K Photography. Sharing how fantastic the use of 4K Photography in my business has become. Everything went smoothly and it was a privilege to be part of such a major event.

With the release of the new cameras I was very interested in one in particular, the G80. I was fortunate enough to test prior to Photokina and here are a couple of images.

A studio still from the G80. Model: Lucy Mottram. Make Up: Amrie Duckett.

Of course, no test would be complete without a 4K Photograph. Shot the Thursday prior to Photokina.

4K Photograph on the G80.

So back to Cologne. Experiencing my first Photokina was better that I had imagined. The diverse range of tech and cameras announced and on display certainly makes the industry extremely exciting. The week is made of various Ambassadors speaking, my subject was 4K Photography. There have been a lot of urban myths about quality etc, but I have been pushing the limits and have had outstanding results, with amazing prints at about 40 inches.

Speaking at Photokina 2016 on the Panasonic Lumix Booth. Photo: Terry Donnelly

We also had some wonderful models who worked so hard all week. Great to meet Elisa and Anna. They posed for the visitors to the stand and even put up with our crazy ideas.

The talks were well received and also created a lot of interest, its good to know that photography in this evolving stage is drawing crowds of people who are keen to discover new techniques and technology.