Musicians Like It Warm

Usually in late December the cold is here to stay, and the streets of downtown Asheville are devoid of the street musicians I love to listen to and photograph. But El Nino has given us some uncommonly spring-like weather so far this winter, and some of the local "buskers" were out performing Sunday afternoon.

My new little Lumix proved a near perfect tool for this kind of photography. Small and unobtrusive, it renders me nearly invisible in a crowd. I always felt so obvious with the big, black DSLR. The long zoom of the Lumix makes it easy to get the tight shots I like of individual performers, no matter how far back I have to stand. Clean files at ISO 400 or 800 keep me shooting as the winter sun stays lower in the sky. Here's a few from Sunday afternoon. (Click on photos to enlarge.)