Adam Pretty's career as a professional sports photographer for Olympic and Paralympic Games began with the fortunate fact that his hometown hosted the Olympic and Paralympic Games Sydney 2000. Another professional artist who also launched his Paralympic career in Sydney 2000 is Fumio Usui, the prosthetic manufacturer. The Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games are enabling Pretty and Panasonic to start an exciting project with Usui and three Paralympic athletes. Everything about the project -- its location, Usui's skills, the athletes, and the process -- has made it possible for everyone to exceed expectations in everything they do.
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As Pretty described it, "It was a pleasure working with Usui on this project with the LUMIX S1R. He is basically a rock star in the world of prosthetics. He produces limbs for people who are otherwise unable to walk or run. He also deals with truly high-performance athletes like the Paralympic athletes whose story we photographed. He makes super-high-tech racing limbs, which are like the top-class racing cars of prosthetics." Also, Pretty says, "I got to see his factory, where I found that he has a hand in every step of the production, and is always involved with his professional team where everyone has their specialist task to complete. I could tell that he's focused on getting the best performance for the athletes, and he handles a tremendous number of adjustments. He never takes his eyes off of what the athletes are doing. That was great to see and extremely inspiring."
Pretty went on to describe shooting with the LUMIX S1R, saying "I was impressed by another aspect of this camera. Despite its formidable array of adjustable parts and functions, once I actually got to shooting, it was smooth. Everything worked well. Being able to move the focus point around the entire frame was new for me. So it was exciting because I was able to get pictures that I couldn’t get before. After all, doing things that I wasn't able to do before is the reason I'm in this game. If I'm not pushing forward and improving with my photography, I may as well be doing something else. LUMIX gives me an edge in exceeding even my own expectations.
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Adam Pretty x LUMIX
Make It Luminous
With my photography, I seek to capture the true identities and reveal moments that might otherwise be out of sight. I was able to shoot the athlete's energy and passion, using the LUMIX S1R.