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jason lanier sony ambassador

The Shoot that FRIED my Godox AD600 Pro Battery- Sony A7iii by Jason Lanier

September 4, 2019

Join me for a shoot in the Florida Everglades where my Godox AD600 Pro Battery was FRIED and quit working on me. This was a crazy shoot where my muse Emily Rinaldo and I found ourselves shooting for a short time before the sun set on a dilapidated boardwalk in the swamp. This was also a shoot that resulted in me getting my legs eaten alive by chiggers that necessitated a visit to Urgent Care.

In this shoot I was using the Sony A7iii with the Sony 12-24mm, 24-70mm G Master, and Sony Zeiss 50mm f./1.4 lenses.

**Links to Gear:

*Sony A7iii- https://bhpho.to/30TJbej

*Sony 12-24mm- https://bhpho.to/30V4R9W

*Sony 24-70mm G Master- https://bhpho.to/30VO0E6

*Sony Zeiss 50mm- https://bhpho.to/312J6oY

*Godox AD600 Pro Flash- https://bhpho.to/30XUcv4

I was using the Godox AD600 Pro for only the second time with the Westcott Rapid Box XL. I placed the light in some bushes in the swamp area as he didn't have a c stand or lightstand with me. If the light had indeed gotten wet, or the battery was impacted by the environment I certainly would mention it and show it as I have done so in the past with other videos where I have broken gear. This wasn’t the case this time around. Below are the images taken during the shoot. Some with flash, the latter shots with natural light after the light failed.

During the shoot the light started beeping repeatedly and the fully charged battery completely died. Upon returning back to the hotel that night I left the battery charging overnight. Typically it takes about 2-3 hours to fully charge a battery like this one. The battery never took a charge.

Upon asking other users about this issue it appears to be a bigger issue not related to just my experience. I contacted Godox and asked for a replacement battery which they quickly sent.

I plan on trying the light and batteries out again to see if my experience is the same or better than what I experienced on this shoot.

We thank you in advance for watching and invite you to stick around and watch a few more videos while you're here. Don't forget to click on NOTIFICATIONS and SUBSCRIBE so you're updated every time we release a new video.

Thanks!

Jason

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Shooting the Lightweight Beast- my shoot with the Sony 400mm f/2.8 G Master lens by Jason Lanier

December 3, 2018

I’m writing this blog in the early parts of December 2018. But once upon a time back in August of 2018, it was still VERY HOT. My Assistant Emily and I found ourselves in the middle of NOWHERE on the side of the road in Arizona. The temperature gauge inside of the car was telling us it was 115 degrees and boiling hot…but I digress.

Sony was gracious enough to lend me the 400mm f/2.8 lens for a few days for me to go out and test this thing. I already own the Canon 400mm f/2.8 so being able to play with this lens was a treat.

Questions abounded:

*If I already own a 400mm f/2.8, do I REALLY need to spend the amount of money as I would on a good used car to buy this lens?

*Is it really THAT much better than my Canon lens? I mean, this thing ain’t cheap.

So while driving down the road heading back to a cooler California, we saw this abandoned gas station and of course we HAD to go and shoot at it.

The first challenge was COMMUNICATION. I mean let’s face it, the 400mm wasn’t necessarily meant for doing portraits. BUT, I wanted a challenge rather than do the typical thing that most people do with this lens.

**Performance- From a performance perspective this lens hit all of the checkboxes. It focuses very sharp and very fast, has all the bells and whistles that you’d want on a premium lens and it is LIGHT! We weighed this thing and it was pretty much HALF of the weight of my Canon 400mm f/2.8. Why does that matter? Well, it actually makes the Sony 400mm f/2.8 the first lens in that range that can actually be used for handheld purposes. Why would you want to do that? Simple. It would be for the ability to be able to quickly change and shoot in areas like safari wildlife and sports. Having done both professionally in the NFL and in South Africa, I can attest to the fact that wielding a heavy lens and having to maneuver a monopod or tripod can mean missing some crucial shots.

Below are the images taken with the lens using the Sony A7Riii. The first three shots are with flash. The rest are without. If you’d like to see and know why check out the video above where the light takes a big FALL.

**VALUE- let’s not beat around the bush. This lens is EXPENSIVE. While it’s in the same stratosphere as it’s Nikon and Canon equivalents…all of these lenses are for the super pro who has a very particular need. So for pro wildlife and sports photographers who make their money shooting with the very best lenses this is a must have. For the average person out there the Sony 100-400 G Master is a great lens that is more versatile. The shots aren’t as special as they are coming out of the 400mm f/2.8, but they are very nice and the lens is about 25% the cost of the 400mm f/2.8. The other advantage of the 100-400mm is it is much more versatile for wider images which I did find very useful when I used it on safari in Kruger National Park in South Africa in July of this year.

A BIG thank you to Emily for braving the insane heat and giving me yet another epic performance. She is the BEST in every sense of the word. To follow her please visit www.instagram.com/em.explores today.

Please take a moment to let us know what you think by dropping a comment down below. Don’t forget to click on SUBSCRIBE AND NOTIFICATIONS so you’re updated every time we release a new video on Youtube. You can find our channel now by visiting www.youtube.com/jasonlanierpros. Please let me know what questions you have. If you have the money, this lens is phenomenal.

Thanks!

Jason

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Jason Lanier Working with Sony, Rotolight and Jessops Camera in epic 2 week trip by Jason Lanier

November 7, 2018

In November 2018 I was blessed with the opportunity to work with three amazing brands, two of whom I’m very familiar with…at some very historic venues no less, the Fitzrovia Chapel, Pinewood Studios, and the amazing Chethams Library in Manchester, UK.

This started a few months ago when I received a call and was asked if I’d be able to fit this event into my schedule….and I was like, “How do I say no to this?”

So I got my Assistant Emily with me on a plane to London following our workshops in Richmond, VA and New York City and we took off to the ever amazing United Kingdom.

Our first stop was an appearance at the Camera World Live Event where I did a speech for Sony and Rotolight called, WYSIWYG- What You See Is What You Get. I get to do a lot of conventions and events and I love them all…but getting to see so many people for some jam packed events was an honor I’ll never forget. We did have a security guard outside of the event tell me I wasn’t allowed to put my elbows on the couch…but that’s for a later conversation lol.

To check out the second of my two appearances there please click the video below:

Following the appearances at the convention some brave photogs ventured out into the very cold night air of London for a photo walk. We had a beautiful model named Sarah come out for that and we of course had the ever able Emily there as well.

Following this event Emily and I made a quick pit stop down in Brighton for a fun photo walk on the pier that was a ton of fun! This was great as I’d never been to Brighton before. I’d say the toughest thing about this particular trip was the fact that the jet lag STUNK! Man with so many events the jet lag was tough to shake. Emily threw water on me a few times to get me to wake up. Be careful around here if you’re sleepy, she’ll use a defribillator on you! A big thanks to Darren Fellows for coming down to help with this photo walk as well.

Following Brighton Emily and I returned back to London to get ready for our Jack the Ripper Shoot! I have to give a lot of credit to Emily for this shoot. Without her efforts it just wouldn’t have happened. You can check out the shoot and video by clicking below:

That was seriously one of the most fun shoots I’ve ever had the privilege to shoot. But we weren’t done there! Rotolight had contracted me for a commercial shoot at the historic Fitzrovia Chapel that we did just a day later. A videography crew called Motion Blurr was hired to document the event. That video will be coming out soon….but in the meantime check out this image of Emily taken at the shoot! This was done with her and a male model named Lawrence and both of them did just great. It was in a chapel and they did play the part of a married couple so…..officially I’ve shot Emily’s wedding lol.

We ended that shoot and had a tight turnaround because the next morning we were due at the historic Pinewood Studios to give a full days worth of presentations for Sony, Rotolight and Jessops Camera. This was such a fun event where I got to work with so many talented and amazing photographers who were Jessops trainers who came there to learn more about the synergy between Sony cameras and Rotolight LED Lighting. This was a fantastic day to be indoors because the rain and cold were out in full effect that day. Many laughs were shared. And it was such an honor to have so many of the Jessops trainers that were a part of Fedora Nation.

After that it was a travel day from London to Manchester to get ready for our once in a lifetime event where I got to do workshops for Sony, Rotolight and Jessops at the historic Chethams Library. While the team was prepping for the event I was able to grab a few moments on the piano which was so exhilarating for me. Being able to play a grand Yamaha piano at such a historic place was something I’ll never forget, and I’m so grateful that my Assistant Emily was able to capture this moment with her phone:

Following that we did an event for two separate groups of photographers who came to learn about Sony and Rotolight, again working with the amazing folks from Jessops. It’s such a pleasure to be able to present for multiple sponsors when the products tie together so well.

This was a truly historic and fun event to do. I mean, how many photographers get to shoot in a library from the 1600’s that also has had scenes from Harry Potter shot there? Wow, what a blessing! We had some vintage clothing for all of the models. During the breaks between the two sessions I was able to quickly do some private shoots with the new Sony 24mm G Master with both Emily (my amazing muse) and another awesome model named Victoria.

Following the event at Chethams we went out with a few brave souls that were willing to go out into the cold for one last Photo Walk. This was quite a way to end the 2 week trek as we braved not only the cold…but also some drunk dudes, some unruly minors who liked to smoke, and some fans who wanted to say hello. But luckily the group was lively and we had a phenomenal time.

I can’t thank everyone enough for making this all possible. Emily was a tremendous help on this trip that was the longest of my career (because it was also tacked onto stops in New York City and Richmond before we even came to the UK). It wouldn’t have been nearly as successful as it was without her.

A big thanks to my sponsors Sony, Rotolight and Jessops. Sponsors can be such a tremendous support and help to open up doors. A super big thanks to my man Rod Gammons. He’s a real friend. Mark Baber, you know I love you! And last but not least my family at home. I couldn’t do it without the support of my wife and boys. I love you guys so much!!

Here are the production BTS shots from my time at Chethams Library. Thanks to Rotolight and Sony for taking these. Also stay on the lookout for more videos to come from these events.

I can’t wait to work with all of them again. Next up is speaking for Rotolight and Sony at the Profusion Convention in Canada!