A Landscape Photography Plateau (With the OM-5)
In this video my hiking plans are disrupted once again by less then ideal weather conditions. While in waterfall country, I try out the OM-5 and 12-100mm f/4 IS Pro lens on some familiar and unfamiliar Welsh trails, experiencing the benefits of a lighter and simpler camera set up.
What are your thoughts on the OM-5 and what is your go-to travel kit?
A big thank you to MPB.com for sponsoring today's video and for providing me with the OM-5 to test out. You can check out the gear used in this video with the links below:
mpb.com UK prf.hn/l/ZZ0dEld
mpb.com US prf.hn/l/aWLGm1e
mpb.com EU prf.hn/l/41l1WwP
mpb.com FR prf.hn/l/lGbBbJ3
mpb.com DE prf.hn/l/zn5nYeO
Camera: OM System OM-5
Lens: Olympus M.Zuiko Digital ED 12-100mm f/4 IS Pro
Filming Camera: Nikon Z30 + 16-50mm
Filming Tripod: Vanguard VEO 3T+ CF
Filters: Formatt Hitech Firecrest Magnetic Circular Polariser (10% with VICTORIA10)
Bag: Vanguard VEO Active 46
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You can find Hi-Res versions of the images in this video on my website here:
Website: www.courtneyvictoriaphotography.com
Instagram: / courtney_victoriaphoto...
ICELAND Workshop 2024: www.sirenadventures.com/multi...
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Music used in this video is sourced at Epidemic Sound. Sign-up here for a 30-day free trial and access to huge libraries of sound and music with no license worries.
www.epidemicsound.com/referra...
#landscapephotography #olympus #om-5 #waterfallphotography #MyMPB @mpbcom
Thanks for showing us your journey, all through the year, and bringing us along, through your wondrous frontier. Your warm loving eyes, sees vast treasures of the heart, which reveals your true spirit, through your stunning captured art Our photographs show our journey, through life's short stroll, lending us comfort and tranquility, and a way to heal the soul. The holidays gather us together and encourage us to say, "Thanks" to those who loved us, to be what we are today❤ One day I would like to meet your mum, and offer her a warm embracing hug🫂 Perhaps say "Thank You", with a lovely bouquet🌹 and for loving you enough, into being what you are today👩👧🥰 Thank You Dear Courtney for doing what you do, but thanks most of all for 'Just Being You'🙏 Happy Holidays, Your Kindly Poetic Friend.
Thank you Jerry. I appreciate all the encouragement, support and beautiful poems you have given me this year! Warm wishes for a joyous holiday season and a happy new year!
You make it a pleasure. Since I won't be in the neighborhood anytime soon, will you give your Mum that warm embracing hug on my behalf? Have a Wonderful Holiday Season and a Happy New Year; I'm already looking forward to your adventures in 2024! Take Care. (I know we're a day late, but pin it?)
This was such a lovely comment. Just wanted to continue the positivity. :)
I use the OM1 and 12-100 when I want to travel light, it's a really nice little set up. The OM1 has a number of extra features, like a higher resolution EVF, better menu system, and a load of other things that I mainly use more for street photography.
I love your waterfall pictures and these are no exception. Your Mom is adorable - Merry Christmas to you both!
Merry Christmas to you too!
“Everyday is a school day” even after sixty-odd years of photography you’re so right Courtney. Whether it’s about the gear or oneself and the gear…✌️🎄🇦🇺
You are becoming my favorite photography youtuber. Not just because i really love the locations you visit or that i lime your photographs. Or because you are beautiful young lady with a equally beautiful accent but mainly because you do really explain the process, the thinking, the positioning and why sometimes it doesn't work. In my day dreamings i always thought that if a were to start my channel this is exactly how i would wanted to do it.
Thank you for an entertaining video with truly amazing pictures! I especially like your 4x3 compositions! Regards Rikard
The Olympus 8-25 F4 PRO (16-50mm "equivalent" ) is a stellar lens for ultra-wide. I use it with my Panasonic G9 - great results!!
I found myself sitting here laughing aloud imagining the person who comes across you dancing like that minus the backing music for context! Another brilliant video Courtney
Haha! We wouldn't have noticed at all if someone had walked by behind us! I suppose it would look quite odd seeing as the music I was hearing was only in my head!
Wonderful....great tool perfect result
It was nice to see you having a photo outing with you mom. I see where you got your love of dancing. Excellent photos, by the way.🙂
Some winter photography would be nice.
Another great video
Great video!
loved seeing you and your Mum dancin it up in the bush. nice.
I found your videos about 3 weeks ago, have watched them all. Learning a lot from you and bonus your video style makes watching very easy. Well done and keep up the great work!!
Thank you Courtney for taking us on your journey throughout this year, always great videos, wishing you a merry Christmas and look forward to next year's journeys.
Thanks for the videos this year, a nice combination of being informative, light hearted and beautiful scenery. Will be looking forward to your videos in the new year.
You make some of the most beautiful photography videos.❤
A ❤ for mum and dancing 😂
Excelentes vídeos 😊
Thank you Courtney for bringing us along on your journeys. Also, thank you for sharing your knowledge and showing us the ups and downs like what happens in real life. But most of all, thank you for being honest and for making photography fun. May this holiday season bring to you peace and may the new year bring to all of us some hope that indeed better times are ahead.
Loved your Mom!!! She’s such a good sport!!! Great video by the way!😊
Thank you for a very entertaining and inspirational year you have made my Sundays fantastic can't wait for your travels next year wishing you a merry xmas and a fantastic 2024
You are a gem, an inspiring one. Each an every video has so many things to tell. Thanks 🤗🤗🤗
Thanks! I've enjoyed watching your videos all year. They're full of great information and enjoyable. I hope you have a wonderful holiday season.
Thank you, this is very kind of you and I appreciate it a lot :) It's great to hear you've enjoyed my videos this year and fingers crossed you will continue to do so next year too haha! Happy Holidays and have a great New Year.
After watching you shoot nearly everything with a tripod, it almost looked wrong to watch you handholding a camera for a landscape shot! lol. I know that something like waterfalls is part of your photography muscle memory, but I’m also curious whether you felt a “loss of ritual” or “loss of process” so to speak. There are so many kinds of practices of all types, not just in creative arts, where process and preparation are nearly as important as the artistic act in and of itself. I could imagine that the process of setting up the tripod and situating everything just right could simultaneously be an act that calms and focuses the mind before shooting. Regarding the OM-5, I’m making a transition to that camera right now. I shot with a Canon 5D Mark IV for the last six years, shooting lots of weddings, events, real estate, and a variety of other genres. Amazingly capable camera! But now that I’m more concerned with having a light kit for travel, hiking, and similar activity, trying something like the OM-5 made sense. I likewise love the light and small form factor while finding it to be a bit small when using heavier lenses for longer periods. For that reason, I initially traded it for the slightly larger OM-1 only to find that the new focusing algorithms for that specific camera favor action and wildlife photography to the detriment of single AF in medium light with medium-contrast subjects (low light with low contrast and it nearly stops working altogether). I don’t do wildlife, so I had to send that camera back and get the OM-5 again. I am indeed happy with the OM-5 and find the image quality and color science to be rather exceptional. I’m happy to use it as my main camera but I also recently bought an older generation of the OM-1 to have as a slightly larger secondary camera (specifically the Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark II). I got a well-used copy for only $410, which made it far easier to justify. Anyway, it’s exciting to see you trying out the OM-5 and I would love to see more of your work from this camera if you decide to keep it. If you try out the OM-1, I would be very curious to hear your impressions of its focusing in lower light/contrast situations such as much hazier days. Cheers.
Always wonderful to click on KZhead and see your smiling face. Also cool to meet your Mum and discover where your craziness comes from! I’m looking forward to your adventures next year. Thanks for taking me along!
I love the videos Merry Christmas ❤
Try the OM-SYSTEM OM-1. More «natural» menu system. PRO system camera
Interesting topic and beautiful work 😊
Really amazing locations and so many compositions, thanks for sharing Courtney, awesome images captured. Merry Christmas from over here in Australia
I admire and respect having to grow, moving forward. Whichever direction you choose, I hope you take us along for the ride. I do love your photography and your quirkiness. Merry Christmas to you and yours!!!
Lovely to come along on this journey and I'm looking forward to seeing where you take your photography next year. Some beautiful images in here, Courtney.
Thanks a lot Courtney. Have a great and blessed Christmas.
Merry Christmas to you and your family
An excellent video and some beautiful pictures 🔥🔥🇬🇧
I really enjoy your videos. Beautiful country. Beautiful photos. Entertaining and educational for me. Thank you.
Absolutely great video Courtney, you're a lucky person to share those lovely, funny and fantastic moments with your Mom! Thanks for share it! I admire you a lot!
Fantastic work. Merry Christmas to you and your Mum.
Thank you Victoria for all of your amazing videos this year, brilliant. Hope you have a great Christmas and a happy and healthy new year. Terry.
Your video posts are always great - but I must admit, this one is EXCEPTIONAL!! Keep up the excellent creation work!
Great to see someone using an OM5 and making decent pics with it. Nice Job
Thank you so very much! ✨💝
The OM5 looks great. Nice photos too 😊
Courtney, Thanks for a year of truly great images in the various seasons of your environment; you live in a most beautiful place. Looking forward to next year’s vids and maybe some more of those “elven dances” that you do in the woods. Happy Christmas and New Year to you and yours. Cheers
Thank you, I am truly lucky that I am surrounded by such incredible landscapes and nature here. Happy holidays and New Year to you too!
Another great adventure Courtney. Enjoyed both your dancing. It was nice to see your mum there too. Fantastic waterfall image's. The stabilisation on that camera is amazing to be able to take the image's hand held. Hope you have a great Christmas and a Happy New Year.
Your still photos and videos are both superb. I love them both. Best wishes to you & your family this holiday season. Can’t wait to see what catches your eye in 2024.
Thanks for the wonderful content. See you next time
Merry Christmas Courtney, excellent year of your picture journey . Love the country side and the dancing, Moms( got some moves) always brings a happy smile to my day. looking forward to seeing what you come up with in 2024 maybe street photography ? Have a wonderful holiday with family and friends. Many blessings in the coming year.
I made the 'big jump down' from Pentax FF to micro 4/3 with the OM-1 a few months back ... There may be less pixles to play with, but in every other way it's been a revelation. Great to see you pushing yourself and finding some new sources of phojo 😊 Have a great Christmas 🎉
I love the waterfall photos & spectacular scenery, this is something we don't have in Cambridgeshire (just big open skies), as always your videos are very entertaining. ❤
I moved from Nikon to Olympus a few years ago, buying the OM-5 Mk2 and the 12-40 f2.8 Pro lens. Only 16 megapixels and not up to the same stabilisation as the latest version. I gave up using it 3 years ago because the menu system drove me mad. I don’t go out taking photos every week (or month) and I could never remember how I’d set the camera up and what settings I’d given to the various custom buttons. The lens is so good I’ve kept the camera but it’s been sat in the cupboard all this time. The batteries are dead and I’ll probably need to buy new ones if I decide to start using it again! I take a lot of infra red photos so maybe try that to get out of the plateau? You’ll need that tripod again though.
Thanks! These incredible images are references in my compositions. Congratulations to you and your mother.
I see you really take after your mum. Brilliant video as always. Seasons greetings to you and your mum. Looking forward to more from you next year.💚
amazing video my friend,nice work!
Certainly understand hitting a peak in "the usual" photographs and when that happens to me, I: 1) stop thinking of going out to photograph and instead just go out to walk, hike, explore, etc any area that may be new, brining a single camera/lens along as a hand held, no bag which is only for when you encounter something to remember. Point is not to photograph but to just be out; a refreshing break that's likely to inspire. 2) become inspired by looking at others' outdoor/indoor work, gaining perhaps a different perspective and venue. You do so much in the woods and near waterfalls but what about just the wide open spaces of UK fields and hills? I love Todd Karol's work in the vastness of western Canada and find it inspires me to new and interesting things. I'll look forward to what you explore and interpret next!
Lovely work, as always! Here's to new challenges in 2024! Happy Christmas to you!❤❤
Love the interaction between your mom and you 😃 Cool video too! 🙌
Olly’s have long been known for their quality optics And your inspired compositions Certainly do The om5 justice I enjoy the speed you use to get that Silky motion of water It’s almost tactile in how you take each shot Like you, your mum appears to be a lot of fun throwing in some Shapes bless her Your work Just keeps on getting better, can not wait For your next production!
100% on MPB. I've bought a LOT of MFT gear from them recently. Always a good srlection, good prices, and speedy delivery. Spending a fraction of the cost on slightly used gear is addictive.
Thanks Courtney for another interesting video... great results at very interesting location.... hope you & your family have a great & safe festive season... keep up the good work... cheers from Australia 🦘🦘😊
Merry Christmas. Great video. As a die hard Olympus man, I was glad to see you using this equipment.
Something different next year? I'm curious to see what you're planning. I'm happy to see you are trialing the Olympus M.Zuiko Digital ED 12-100mm f/4 IS Pro. It is my only lens and feels great paired with the EM1 MK3. Be assured they take a beating without fail. I've spent several years photographing forest trails and meadows near the Pacific Crest Trail. Most of my images are inches above the ground and I rarely use a tripod. You may have fun with the Olympus/OMD kit.
Oh my! Your images are grand! I love the waterfalls, their grottoes, and surroundings! Your storyline is excellent and keeps things interesting. More please! 🙏 subscribed.
Hi Courtney. I just discovered your channel yesterday and spent the entire day watching your videos. They are captivating and fun to watch. I'll be watching all your new videos this coming year. I also wanted to thank you for your encouragement and reminders to no compare myself to other photographers and to be persistent. I've recently gotten back into photography after not doing much at all for a few years now. I've had to pretty much relearn photography. But, I have some new gear to move forward with. Just recently got a D750 which I'm loving. Still have my older camera as well, a D7100 which I'm going to keep using for landscapes and the D750 for wildlife. Those are my two passions. Can't wait to see more from you! I hope you have a wonderful new year!
I just found your channel and I really enjoyed it and your work is amazing. I love the beautiful sceneries and the composition you'd captured it.
On to seascapes and woodlands. Carry on. 👍🥂
Just thought I'd say thank you for 2023's uploads - I took up photography in February, and your channel was one of the first I found for UK landscape. I've become a better newbie because of your thoughful composition explanations. Here's to 2024!
Thank you for coming along on my photographic journey! That's wonderful to hear and I hope 2024 brings you plenty of exciting photography opportunities and great images!
Trying something new is always a good idea. I'm off to get some seascapes in the new year. Maybe you can try something like street or portraiture.
A plateau ? For me it's more like a pit.! I'm trying to climb out of the doldrums but I'm not making much headway. I keep talking myself out of getting my gear and going .... anywhere. I'm living vicariously through your videos. Keep making them... you are fun to watch!
A pit haha, oh gosh that doesn't sound good! Sometimes it's beneficial to step away and put the camera down for a bit, that's my plan over the holidays and hopefully by New Year I'll be desperate to pick my camera back up again and get out with it. I hope you find some inspiration to get out with your gear soon, and if not that's okay too! :)
Such beautiful countryside. Amazing images considering that they were hand-held, you clearly have a very steady grip! The Around the Corner shot at 4:54 was beautifully composed.
Nice video. I just got into OM/Olympus MFT cameras and lenses this year. I love the system. I still use my excellent Nikon DSLRs (D500 and D850 with pro glass) for sports, but I reach for my MFT kits for everything else. The 12-100 f4 is fantastic! A little big and heavy compared to other MFT lenses, but it's a do-it-all lens with very few compromises. MFT has definitely rekindled my love for photography. The portability, weatherproofing, and computational features are awesome.
Hello Courtney! New subscriber here, and after binge watching for the last few days, I do believe I've made the right choice. Your photography is amazing, your way of delivering info is incredible. It is the breath of fresh air I've been looking for! Can't wait to see what I'll learn from you in the coming year. We'll be watching over your shoulder from Port Angeles, WA., USA, where the weather is quite similar to yours: on the coast, rainforest nearby, mountains close by. Have a safe holiday! R. (By the way- I luv the dance routines in your vids!!!)
Thank you for taking the time to watch my videos and welcome to the channel! :) I hope you continue to enjoy it and I'm sure there will be plenty of dances to come in the future. Seeing as we've yet to have many misty mornings here so far this Winter, I think a few fog dance routines may be in order ha! I can imagine you have some beautiful landscapes where you live, you can't beat a mountain view!
Every once in a while I'll think about buying into the Olympus or OM System. But, I always end up putting the money into my Sony system. I am impressed, though, by the images. I've always found that photographing new places excites me more than new equipment. Love your videos and Happy Holidays!
“Everyday is a school day.” Amen to that.
We have two crazy dancers now. Great. Just a lovely video, Olympus before OMD, are beautiful cameras and gear, om1x has that extra hand grip, or by a add on shoe. Thanks for your lovely videos during the year, look forward to next year adventures. Seasons blessings.
I have a friend who has an OM camera and he loves it though I'm not sure of which model he has. I've been looking at these more compact cameras as well as they travel and carry much easier than the heavier DSLRs (as you've noted) but since I'm in the middle of converting from my old Canon gear to Sony, I'm not ready to make the switch to the more lightweight gear just yet. Glad you were able to bring your mum along; I'm sure she had just as much fun being out with you as we did watching you two together. I love your video style and your subdued humor! Can't wait to see what 2024 brings for you!
Very cool that your Mum joins in some of your expeditions; now I see where you get your dance moves! 🎄📷
I love the Autumn Remnants photo, superb. That lens is exceptional for it's flexibility. The 8-18mm Panasonic Leica compliments it perfectly. Good to see you branching out and trying different :)
Interesting to hear your thought on the OM5. Great video as always and great to see you using Formatt Hitech filters and Vanguard Veo Active bag too
Waterfall dance! 💃 😂👍
Courtney! I loved seeing you out exploring and dancing with your mom! ❤ I have been feeling the plateau myself and plan to stretch my creativity this year (trying some night/astrophotography is top of that list). Hoping to get out later today to record a video and take photos...it's been well over a month now and the itch is there!! Looking forward to your next video! 😀📸🥾
Awesome! I shot Nikon for years, but boy was it heavy! I have been shooting with Olympus gear for several years now. Specifically, the EM-1 Mark III. I have 2 lenses that do everything I need - the Oly 12-100 and the Oly 100-400. For a hobbyist nature photographer, it's all I really need. Easy to travel with too! Love your channel, sense of humor and patience! OMG I love your mom too! Yes, the menu system is a bit, but you do get used to it. 🙂
OM system and micro 4/3 one of best systems in photography portable excellent lenses hi res modes and focus stacking an excellent system at a good cost point pro lenses are fantastic
I LOVE the focus clutch! Wish all premium lenses had that feature.
It appears that you have almost as many woolley hats in different colours as I do!
Lovely, as always Courtney, hope your bruise wasn't long lasting! Interesting how you mentioned it's time for a new Landscape challenge, as I can honestly say I have a similar issue, as I've not picked up my D750 for a few months now! I have been using my iPhone 14 Pro Max more of course, but not necessarily for Landscapes, so I do plan on getting out more in the months to come, as it's quite cool here in western Canada currently, and staying dry is more my cup of tea! Very much enjoy your video's Courtney, and as always, look forward to the next one! Keep those FB reels going too, as they're always welcoming!
After nearly passing out, after cutting off my circulation with my D5 and the Sigma 60-600 around my neck, those two items are now for sale amongst other stuff. Keeping my Z7 and F mount 20mm Nikkor, everything else F mount is going. But I have invested in a second hand Lumix G9 with the Lumix 100-300mm attached to it. It's to replace the D5 with the big lens for wildlife. It gives me pretty much the same sort of results and the size and weight difference is incredible. After this brilliant video of yours, (they all are!) I'm now looking at other MFT lenses. I thought MFT was a dying breed but it seems that more and more people, even pros like yourself are looking at these lighter alternatives.
OM Systems has 150-400 and newer 150-600 lenses. Follow Mike Lane FRPS, he switched from Sony to Olympus/OM Systems. He also has a G9 II and reports it's fine with these lenses.
great to see you using olympus gear, i,ve been a user for four years now, the om1 although a little bigger and heavier is nicer in the hand, stronger built and more bells and whistles. Also I noticed you using iso below the recommended 200 iso, if you go below this the quality can suffer a little. love your refreshing style and presentation.
Have your seleves a Great seasonal relaxation. I am Seriously. Considering a tilt shift lens. Thing is there are none from Nikon for the z cameras out. I do have a F mount to z but I feel there must be a a z version coming out soon. Well I hope so. Water falls are my first go to once Nikon gets it together.i seriously think that the z 7 ii is really light weight and the adapter for F to z is not that heavy . Prices are really dropping just a thought. I am 69 but my camera bag is always over weight. I have started to just take the 7 .2 out with the z24-120 mm light enough and go back with the z 8 once I have a great day to go reshoot . Seriously the footwear + dress wear needs to be up to the job this weather. Have you any tilt shifts on your watergall before ?..... waterfalls with tilt shift....um .... I somehow think you would enjoy the results landscape wise .... Samyang do a reasonably priced 24 mm TS .....for F mount Nikon . All the seasons best everyone.
Aw you're really fun! I'm glad I discovered your channel. I hope to join you one day for some adventures, I know it would be fun! All the best and looking forward to more videos 😊
Enjoyed your video (as always) and your views on the OM-5. We are currently cruising around the world. I didn’t want to lug around my big Nikon DSLR camera and heavy lens, so I went mirrorless with the Nikon Z8 and their 24-120 lens. Perfect for traveling. Keep up the great work.
Great video! You should definitely try the OM-1 (the viewfinder alone is worth the extra weight) with the 8-25 (a lot wider than the 12-100). There are lots of good lenses in that catalog but for what and how you shoot I would have picked the 8-25. It was cool to see you trying new gear. Merry Christmas and don't stop dancing!
Bring back your mum she's brilliant 😊
I love my Nikons, but for trips where weight is a factor, I have the OM1. It’s a wonderful little camera.
It's great that you tried Olympus. Stay with it and also with your big backpack, only with the new space available in the pack carry a tent and try night photography.
Thank you for the video and, as usual, your images are beautiful. I use an OM-5, but I never seem to the problem of the bottom corner pushing into my right hand. However, I tend to support the weight of the camera and lens with my left and and use my right hand to balance the camera and press the shutter. Nonetheless, I do not own a 12-100mm zoom lens and so I cannot say if the additional weight of the lens is a factor. In any event, I hope that you enjoy using the OM -5 as much as I do. Cheers, Peter.
My dad shot Olympus beginning back in the film days and swore by the digital bodies and IS... I'm shooting with the E-M1X now and love it. It IS heavier/larger but I like having the larger grip, as well as dual-controls for the verticals. Sure, there is some noise for the pixel peepers to complain about but shooting hi-res files combined with attention in post-processing really makes it a non-issue. The menu system is a bit daunting in the beginning (even for those of us that have shot Oly's exclusively) but it's worth it in the end. I was amazed by how well the camera IS performed, especially when combined with glass that possesses IS, as well. You've some excellent images and school shall always be "in", I assure you... lol I'm envious of you for having such landscapes (the proverbial grass-is-always-greener adage lol) to hike about. Thanks for sharing!
Love the Penpych waterfall shot . Ironic as I was there on Friday and found it difficult to get a composition on the ground . Did some great drone shots instead , even though it as atrocious light conditions. Love your vids . Your mum is a treasure . Wonder where 2024 will take you . Me I’m thinking Pembroke coast is my 2024 challenge . Keep up the interesting work
I can see how drone shots would work out well for that waterfall! We didn't give ourselves enough time to explore the area as apparently there is a circular walk with another small waterfall or two. I could just make out another waterfall from afar while driving up the Rhigos Road but figuring out that trail will have to wait for another day. Good luck for your 2024 Pembroke coast challenge, some stunning landscapes along there! Thanks.
@@CourtneyVictoria Hi Courtney . Yes a few waterfalls and a nice valley walk as well . Good luck with your new challenge. Will be watching with interest. Mean while I am getting to grips with a new Nikon D850 . . . Drone was great to get a new perspective. Not keen on high altitude shots but it’s great to put a camara in previously inaccessible position . Have a great festive season
My gear weighs a ton but I’m too heavy invested in it to change now. As for the OM grip I don’t like the sound of that at all. Many thanks though for yet another entertaining video.