I participated in an Ambassador Program on behalf of Influence Central for Panasonic. I received product samples as well as a promotional item to thank me for my participation.
FYI - I bombed this post with pics! 
Summertime gets crazy around our house. All I want to do is hibernate through the winter, so as soon as it starts to get warm I can’t wait to start planning all our summer activities. We have some activities that are pretty set in stone that we do every year and others that are a complete surprise, and usually very last minute, like our spontaneous trip to Vegas.
This summer has already been drastically different and the way we are capturing this summer’s memories has been really cool. I was recently given a Panasonic LUMIX G7 and it has been kicking butt! I normally shoot with a DSLR and the Panasonic LUMIX G7 has it beat in so many ways. I am constantly wowed and impressed by this camera.
I feel there are some vital components to an amazing summer here is my top picks to make a fantastic summer and how my Panasonic LUMIX G7 has captured our summer perfectly.
Concerts
Nothing makes summer more memorable than live music of your favorite bands. We recently saw Imagine Dragons and it was awesome! Sometimes you can get great seats, sometimes not so much. With kids (yes kids love concerts too) it can be nicer to sit farther away for their comfort and safety. We sat pretty far up from the stage at the Imagine Dragons concert, but the kids loved it.
Also here is where my new Panasonic LUMIX G7 shined! My pictures were clear and fantastic despite being further from the stage. This is thanks to the amazing 4k video feature that comes with the Lumix. I was able to take short 4k videos that capture 30 still frames for every second of video. So I can hand select frames from my video and my chances of amazing perfectly timed pics goes way up!
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There were lights and constant movement, yet my photos were clear. The Panasonic LUMIX G7 has DFD Focusing so I was able to use this to track the lead singer and get some great photos even though he was moving around.
Spontaneous Trips
This doesn’t have to be extravagant or expensive. Some of my favorite vacations were staycations and last minute.
We personally love going to Vegas and have been amazed at how cheap it can be even when only booking the day before. We just got back from Vegas a week ago only deciding a couple of days before to even go.
We booked a great room at a really nice hotel for only $33 a night. We had no plan, we just went! It was so much fun! We went kayaking, checked out the High Roller, and so much more!
This was my first experience taking the Panasonic LUMIX G7 on vacation and I loved how compact it was and easy to carry around with me on the strip.
On recent trips I would dread having to carry around my huge DSLR around, but on this trip I hardly even noticed carry around the Panasonic LUMIX G7. The body is really compact for how much it brings to the table and it’s really comfortable and easy to hold. The Panasonic LUMIX G7 is mirrorless so it doesn’t have the bulk of traditional DSLR’s.
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Chilling at home
That’s right it’s not all about go, go, and go.
Sometimes the best summer memories happen right in your own backyard. We live next to a big open space and my kiddos love having water fights, playing tag and just chilling with friends.
We also have been picking fruit and on really hot days we go ice blocking. Anything with water or ice in the summer heat is welcome at our house!
With the Lumix I was able to capture some action shots that I wouldn’t be able to catch with any other camera. I used to use my smartphone and my DSLR to capture every moment I can and take as many pictures as possible — but I find that once I take a closer look at the photos a lot of them are blurry or out of focus.
I know that my smartphone wasn’t meant to capture those moments, and I can run into the same issues with my DSLR if the lighting isn’t just right or if anyone moves too fast. This problem is now eliminated with the Panasonic LUMIX G7. I love how crisp and vibrant these pictures turned out!!
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Outdoor fun
Sometimes I dream of living in a big city with sky rises as far as you can see, but until that day I have realized I need to soak in the beauty of what’s around me. In Utah it’s all about mountains, lakes, rivers and the great outdoors.
We love heading to a local pond and playing in the water and sand. The kids can catch fish and I can cool down on a hot day. Outdoors the Panasonic LUMIX G7 comes to life helping me to grab amazing pictures of my kids in action.
Don't worry no fish were harmed in the making of these photos. lol My kids just terrify them by petting them and taking them out of the water.
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Outdoor play sparks so creativity and let's kids really be a part of nature. It's definitely a vital part of our summer!
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The touch screen on the Panasonic LUMIX G7 makes it really easy to touch and focus in on my cute kiddos faces.
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(Yep, that's my little girl thinking bouncy slides were meant for jumping off of. lol)
Festivals
Festivals are abundant around where we live, and some days there will be two in one day. (My husband hates when this happens)
The key to not burning out when festival hopping is to not go in with set expectations. We went to a Japanese festival recently and I would have loved having all my kiddos wearing their kimono, but my little boy refused. Now I could have fought him on this and eventually he would have caved, but it wouldn’t have been worth it.
I always try to keep a laid back attitude and I remind myself, “Whatever happens, happens.” This philosophy keeps both me and my husband sane and we also are prepared to walk away at any point. If the kids start meting down we don’t just push through. We know when to walk away.
Luckily our whole family was happy and corporative the day of the Japanese festival and we were able to enjoy it all. We had a couple of family members that couldn’t make it to the festival but I was able to instantly share photos with them with the built in WIFI with the Panasonic LUMIX G7. You read that right the Panasonic LUMIX G7 comes with built in WIFI!!! Can you tell that I love this feature?
Normally I would have to use my smartphone or wait till I got home to share pics! So cool to share high-quality photos while I’m out!
Those are my top picks for our families summer, what does your family do for summer fun? What keeps your summer in motion?
And if you have been thinking that it's time to upgrade or get a new camera you need to check out the Panasonic LUMIX G7, you will be impressed!
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