Photography

Committing to Sony for the near Future

in

Back when I started doing photography, the choice between camera manufacturers was much simpler. For a newcomer who didn’t know much about the industry, you probably only knew Canon or Nikon. When it was my time to to finally invest in a camera, I did some research but could only go so far because I didn’t know what to look for. I didn’t know the difference between APSC vs full frame, crop factor, or any of those type of technical aspects. I think ultimately what I did was compare spec sheets i.e. this camera has so many megapixels and has these features while this other camera doesn’t. Which ever one had what I thought was the best features win. 

I specifically remember wanting the Canon 6D. I thought that this was the best camera at the time without going overboard with the much more expensive 1D line. But I ultimately decided against the 6D because the cost to start with this camera was too high. I really wanted to stay within a certain budget because I didn’t know how long this hobby would last. Ultimately, I decided on the Nikon d5300 and I picked up a 35mm lens because that’s what many Youtubers recommended for beginners to get (I was very impressionable back then). Again, I didn’t know what crop factors were and if you understanding what I’m getting at, a 35mm lens doesn’t exactly act like a 35mm on my APSC d5300.

Later down the line, I decided to upgrade to the Nikon D810 and this camera changed my career. Some of my best and most memorable shots were taken on this camera and I can’t say enough about the things that this camera is capable of. Even today, 4 years old and I would say that this camera still ranks among the best for stills photography. In capable hands, really anything can be accomplished with this camera. 

That being said, while the d810 was gaining praise and winning all types of awards, there was a storm brewing. Sony had entered the full frame mirrorless industry and was gaining attention for the A7S and A7R. Personally, I could care less because I loved my D810. This all changed with the introduction of the Sony A7RII that featured a full frame sensor, 42mp stills and 4k internal recording. At this point, I was dabbling with video and a felt that I just couldn’t do what I wanted with my Nikon gear. The A7RII not only was able to keep up with the d810 for stills, it was better in my opinion and of course just completely obliterated it when it came to video capabilities. So I bought the A7RII and have been using it for the past few years. 

In October of 2017, Sony announced the A7RIII and I quickly got rid of my A7RII before the value depreciated too much and purchased the A7RIII and that’s where I’m at now. But 2018 is turning out to be a very interesting year for the camera industry. Canon and Nikon have already announced their first full frame mirrorless cameras and Panasonic is expected to join very soon. Knowing this, I recently sold off all my own camera gear, leaving only the bare minimum that I need to create content in preparation for a possible camera system switch. But after doing this and seeing everything that will be releasing, I think I’ve decided to stick with Sony, at least for the near future. 

Let’s talk about some of the things that I really want in a camera and camera system.

  • Full frame

  • 24 or more MP

  • IBIS

  • 4k60p

  • Above everything else is a 24-70mm f/2.8 lens (or something similar)

Currently there are no cameras that has everything that I want. The Nikon Z has no 4K60p or 24-70 f/2.8. The Canon R has no IBIS or 4k60P but does have the 28-70mm f/2. Sony has n 4k60p but has everything else that I want. So as of right now, the Sony system just ticks off the most boxes. 

I mentioned earlier that Panasonic is going to be going the full frame mirrorless market and they’re reportedly doing so as a joint venture with Leica and Sigma. They are to launch 2 cameras at Photokina, one with lower resolution and the other with resolution around 50 mp. Both will have 4k60p, IBIS and the cameras will launch with a 24-70. Just based on the things that I want, the Panasonic sounds perfect but of course there’s a lot more to a camera system than just these 5 things. I’m really intrigued in this new camera system but ultimately, I don’t think I’ll be able to switch to it because the cameras are rumored to ship in March 2019. I just can’t wait this long for a new camera. I have weddings and other work in the mean time and need a camera so logistically speaking, I have to stick with Sony for the near future. At least until all these new cameras are readily available on the market and I’m able to try them out. I have no personal attachment with any company and will use any camera that works best for my work. 

At least I’ve put myself in a pretty good position I were to make a brand switch. I currently only own one body and one lens, and borrow an A7RII when needed. If I needed to sell the rest of my gear, it’s not as drastic as someone who’s really invested into a system. At least for the next few months, I will be using Sony mirrorless cameras and I can’t really complain too much as Sony mirrorless cameras are among the best right now.

If you're considering on buying any of these products, please support my work by using the links below.

Sony A7RIII https://amzn.to/2x6dyjY
Sony A7III https://amzn.to/2oZPITj
Sony FE 24-70mm f/2.8 GM Lens https://amzn.to/2p44Zmt
Nikon Z6 https://amzn.to/2x4N4iT
Nikon Z7 https://amzn.to/2x4yPuy
Canon EOS R https://amzn.to/2x4YmUt
Fujifilm XT3 https://amzn.to/2oYaNOc

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I sold a bunch of camera gear.

in

So I'm just a bit of a hoarder. I hold sentimental value in everything so I have a hard time letting anything go. Everything has it's story and it's memory. Applying this to photography gear means that I have a bunch of gear that I never use.

When I started photography, I bought into Nikon. When the Sony A7RII came out, I made a slow switch and gradually bought into Sony E-mount. As my Sony gear piled, my Nikon gear sat and because I'm a hoarder, I could never let it go. This recently changed when I just had enough and got rid of a bunch of stuff. To be honest, the only reason that I sold my old gear was because I wanted more money for new gear, a new lens to be exact. I'm currently in the market for a new zoom and the choices are between these three lenses.

Besides being a hoarder, another thing that kept me from selling my gear was the amount of money that I would be losing. The amount of money that I made doesn't even compare to what I originally bought the equipment for. 

Just so you know, I made 6 listings on eBay for this initial batch of spring cleaning. I sold:

Want to know something crazy? Selling all of that gear only made me a few dollars more than what the Sony FE 70-200 f/2.8 GM lens costs. 5 lenses and a camera and it was barely enough! That's digital photography for you. As new equipment comes out, the old equipment depreciate in value by such a large margin. Well, at least I'll be getting a new lens soon. What lens am I buying? You'll just have to check back and see. 

Leave me any opinions you may have that might help me decide!

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ConGRADulations

in

Yesterday, I got a last minute phone call to do a surprise graduation photoshoot. This was really out of nowhere as I was expected to do the shoot within a few hours of the inquiry. This isn't exactly ideal but I felt that it was better to do the shoot on the day of the graduation, rather than another day as it would be a hassle for the graduate to get dressed, have makeup redid and everything that associates with getting ready for graduation day.

For this shoot, I decided to rely on my Sony A7Rii and the Sony 24-70mm f/2.8 GM. The shoot was to be taken at the University of Washington, Tacoma campus. Interestingly enough, I've lived around the area for a good portion of my life and pass by the campus all the time but have never actually stepped foot on it. 

UWT is an interesting campus. It is very much so a part of the city and not just because it is located in arguably the busiest part of downtown Tacoma, but because some of the classrooms/campus is literally a floor above various stores and businesses. If I'm not mistaken, the UWT school gym is actually the Tacoma YMCA.

Needless to say, certain aspects of the campus is very cramped and there isn't much room to move around for photos. Considering that the campus is small, there weren't that many distinctive features that I could've used as a backdrop or to add to the photos. With all of this in mind, I felt that a 24-70mm lens would be best because this would allow me to go from wide to medium telephoto.

If you've ever seen a UW alum's graduation photo, you would know that it's kind of a tradition to take a photo with the giant W on campus. To keep up with tradition, we decided to make the W the first location for the shoot.

On this campus, the W just happens to be right next to an active city street, literally a few feet away. The 24-70mm was definitely the right choice because I wanted to make sure that I got a picture with the entire W in frame.

Next, was to get some detail shots. I personally feel that detail shots have a place in any photoshoot. There is always something that you can get close up shots of and sometimes this can be very rewarding.

We of course can't forget about photo's of the graduate! As you can see, the photos consist of headshots and group portraits. The graduate's family is most likely going to be there so why not include them in the shoot? This kills some time and gets everyone involved. I feel that this helps to justify your rate for the shoot because they are getting more out of it.

At the end of the day, it is all about making your subject look good! The client enjoyed the photos and that's all that matters.

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Sometimes you have to alter reality to paint a prettier picture.

in

Photography is a lot of hurrying up and waiting. You get ready, get to the location early, and wait. There are a lot of variables that goes into a "good" picture. 

Looking at the picture above, you might think that it's a fairly simple picture. Just raise the camera, hit the shutter, and call it a day. This picture actually took WEEKS to make.

I've been attracted to this building for some time now. I liked the symmetry of the building and the flagpole in front of it. I've been doing a lot of walking just for the hell of it and this has been on my route for a few weeks.

The first approach was the obvious one, just go to the location and take the picture.  There are a lot of problems with this approach. First, I live in Washington so weather is always a thought. The weather has been fairly good for the last few weeks so all I really needed to wait for was a day with nice beautiful clouds and a good enough breeze to blow the flag. These two things were critical in my opinion.

The next aspect was to get an interesting foreground. I was looking for either interesting people or a nice car. The problem here is that this is Lakewood, so there aren't too many exotic cars around. This is also not a very busy street so it took some time between seeing people walk across the scene. All of this meant that there was a lot of waiting around. 

As you can see, the final picture was actually composed up of three seperate pictures. Each of the three photos was actually a part of a series that consisted of 10+ photos. In the original concept, I only planned on having one foreground subject but with a little bit of foresight, I was able to come up with the final image. Once I took the photo of the man looking back, I knew that I needed something else for the man to look at. Once I had the foreground, all I needed was the perfect waving flag. 

When I had all the elements, it was just a matter of putting the composition together. This isn't a photoshop tutorial so let's just say that there was a lot of layer masking to get all the elements in place. 

In the end, we have a picture that, although looks simple, tells more of a story as a whole than any of its one part.

This is not a technique that should be abused unless you want to specialize in this type of photography. You don't want to rely on this technique to the point that it becomes a crutch because "you can always use photoshop". It's always better to get it in camera with one shot because it can save you a lot of time and effort, but when that is not really possible, composite the image.

This is an extremely useful skill to know so I would recommend trying it for yourself! Go out, take pictures, and have fun.

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Growing up so fast...

in

Today is one of those days where I realize that I'm not getting any younger. Last night I had the chance to visit my childhood friend in the hospital a few hours after his son was born. I, of course, brought my camera because I knew that I could capture for the parents a moment that will forever change their lives.

This was actually my first time really seeing a newborn baby let alone take pictures of one. Needless to say, lighting was poor and conditions were not exactly ideal but when life gives us lemons, we take pictures of it. You just have to make do and do the best you can. 

I'm noticing that my photography style is changing over the last few months. I'm doing more and more detailed/close up shots. Not to the point of macro, but definitely closer than what I'm used to. This isn't a bad thing, just different. 

Interestingly enough, since posting some of the pictures on Instagram (Instagram.com/TheUpperLeftUSA), other people are interested in me taking their birthing photos (if that's a think). It just goes to show, do what you do, do what you enjoy and the jobs/money will come. 

Below are a few shots from the night. Enjoy them and enjoy this beautiful newborn baby boy. 

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