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sony 85mm g master

My First Shoot Ever using the Sony A7Riii- shooting in Raw at a Penthouse in NYC

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My First Shoot Ever using the Sony A7Riii- shooting in Raw at a Penthouse in NYC

In late October 2017 Sony announced a camera that should be a big seller for them, the Sony A7Riii.  The predecessor to the A7Riii, was the A7Rii, a very popular and widely acclaimed camera.

While in town in New York City for the PhotoPlus Expo I was able to get my hands on the new Sony A7Riii with the brand new 24-105mm FE lens that was announced at the same time as the A7Rii and give it a go for a night.  I had my Photographer's Unite Event planned at a Penthouse in Manhattan and I used the opportunity to put on a live shooting demonstration in front of the crowd as they got to witness my first shoot ever with this camera.  Below is a video of the shoot:

But most of you are probably here to see the images that came out of the camera right?  Well, they are posted below.  All of the images were shot in raw, developed using Capture One, and enhanced using Photoshop.  I'll post the images by the lens that was used to capture them.  Settings for all the images are included in the video:

Images captured using the 85mm Sony G Master

Images captured using the Sony Zeiss 35mm f/1.4:

---Gear used for the shoot---

**Sony A7riii-  https://bhpho.to/2ztvVDo

**Sony 24-105 G lens- https://bhpho.to/2zs27qp

**Sony 85mm G Master-  https://bhpho.to/2A2V83D

**Sony 35mm Zeiss-  https://bhpho.to/2zsIUoP

To save money and get FREE shipping on Rotolight products please visit:

**Rotolight Neo- www.jasonlanier.com/rotolight

Below is a link to the models in the video:

*Maddi- www.instagram.com/lalunetta

*Jade- https://www.instagram.com/jade.gallowayy/

*Alyssa-  https://www.instagram.com/aly_182/

I thank you for watching and invite you to stick around and watch a few more while you're here. We have plenty more videos coming with the Sony A7Riii and will also devote an entire playlist to that camera, so make sure to check that out as well.

Don't forget to click on subscribe and notifications on my Youtube Channel www.youtube.com/jasonlanierpros so you're updated every time a new video is released.  Thanks for being here!!!

Jason

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Snow Queen- studio shoot using the Broncolor MobiLED, Rotolight Neo and the Westcott Eyelighter

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Snow Queen- studio shoot using the Broncolor MobiLED, Rotolight Neo and the Westcott Eyelighter

Last week I had the opportunity to visit the Home Studio of Swng Productions in Austin, Texas while I was in town for the Imaging USA conference for PPA being held in San Antonio just an hour south of Austin.

The shoot wasn't planned at all.  The awesome guys over at Swng Productions follow me online and invited me to the studio to shoot.  As such we quickly put together a shoot calling upon models that we could find in about 3 hours notice.

We found the lovely Ashlyn Simon to be my model.  When she arrived I did what I normally do with my models and had her show me the wardrobe options she had available to her.  She showed me a fur coat that she had with her and we decided to shoot with it and a pair of shiny pants.

I started posing her and once I told her to put her arms up above her head I saw what I wanted to create....a Snow Queen shoot.  When she raised her arms above her head it gave her the appearance of wearing a headdress that was really neat.

So we set up the two Broncolor MobiLED lights with the Rotolight Neo and Westcott Eyelighter to create some truly unique images.  Since it was a studio shoot I knew I'd have to add some Photoshop magic to it to create my overall look.  Normally I'm an outdoor shooter and love using the location as my backdrop, but having the studio meant I had to create it in post.

Below are the shots taken during the shoot.  I also included samples of the same shot:

*Straight out of the camera

*Developed in Lightroom

*Edited in Photoshop

*Enhanced and Finished in Photoshop

Below are the other shots taken during the shoot edited and finished in Photoshop:

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Real Indian Wedding Workshop- Bride Getting Ready at the Crowne Plaza Cherry Hill, New Jersey

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Real Indian Wedding Workshop- Bride Getting Ready at the Crowne Plaza Cherry Hill, New Jersey

For those that don't know, I've been doing REAL wedding workshops for years as a means to help photographers out there gain experience at great venues with wonderful clients.  In July of 2016 I had the opportunity to do a real indian wedding and hold a workshop at the wedding.

 

Why would clients agree to let me hold a workshop (where I bring photographers to shoot the wedding)?  The way the real wedding workshops work is that I give a discount to a wedding client in exchange for them allowing me to bring photographers along to shoot the wedding.

The photographers are allowed to use the images for their portfolio which is a huge boon for them to be able to bolster their portfolio at a great wedding that most of them would otherwise not be in a position to shoot.

The photographers have to obey rules set forth that makes sure the wedding goes off without a hitch including the way they act, the clothes they wear, even going as far as where they can stand during the wedding.  So far it's been a win-win as both the wedding clients and workshop attendees have benefited from the experience.

So I had a beautiful wedding couple to shoot, Akshar and Arti.  We first went to the bride's room where we did a shoot of Arti in her beautiful gown.  She is just one of the most stunning bride's I've ever been able to shoot.  The shots below were taken with the Sony A7Rii using the 16-35, 85mm G Master and the 35mm Sony Zeiss lens using the Rotolight Neo.

 

**Links to Gear:

*Sony A7Rii-  

*Sony 85mm G Master-  

*Sony Zeiss 35mm-  

*Sony 16-35mm Zeiss lens-  

*Rotolight Neo-  

Thanks and don't forget to subscribe to my blog!!

Jason

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How I Pose and Shoot Men- a Groom Shoot in the Maui Rainforest in Hawaii

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How I Pose and Shoot Men- a Groom Shoot in the Maui Rainforest in Hawaii

On my Youtube Channel I'm known for taking pics of lots of pretty women around the world. What some may not realize is before my Youtube and commercial work days I shot hundreds of weddings in many places which meant that I had to of course, shoot men.

Now this isn't a bad thing.  Shooting men is quite a bit of fun and is actually a completely different dynamic than when I shoot women.  I remember when I shot weddings I would go into the bridal room and more often than not the feel and vibe of the shoot was a romantic, fairy tale type of a shoot.  Everything seemed to be very poetic and magical.

**Don't forget to subscribe to my blog and Youtube Channel...:)

Then I would head over to the Groom's Room.  That was a different story.  Typically the groom's room involved a bit of alcohol consumption by the groom and his friends which lead to some pretty fun and crazy shoots.  In other words, I had to learn to shoot differently based upon shooting a bride vs. shooting a groom.

Many times (unless you're a male model), men don't particularly love having their picture taken. It's always one of those types of scenarios where men just "want to get the shoot over with." I learned over the years that using humor was a great way to get the groom to relax and actually get into the shoot.  Once I got their buy in, the shoot turned into something magical.  

Now I'm using generalities here and there are always exceptions.  Women and brides can certainly be wild and very funny and men can certainly be romantic and elegant.  But in the hundreds of weddings I've shot I've found my descriptions of both to be what I encounter the majority of the time.  Best piece of advice, learn who your clients are and adjust to their personality and needs.

So that leads us to this shoot.  This was a bride and groom out in Hawaii for their honeymoon. They found out I was in Hawaii on vacation and made arrangements with me to do a shoot of them in their wedding attire while out there.  This was very unique timing as it was their first day of their honeymoon, and my last day of vacation with my family.  So they were eager to get their honeymoon started and I was eager to get packed up and head to the airport.

I first spoke with the bride Karolina and when we spoke about doing the shoot she was very excited.  Her husband Ray was happy to do the shoot, but just didn't want it to go very long.  He was more than cooperative but like many grooms just "wanted to get it over with." Understanding this dynamic I persuaded the couple that there was this amazing rainforest that could produce some really gorgeous images.

So we drove down there to shoot.  I started setting up my gear and my friend Chris Millen agreed to come along to help roll video.  Thanks Chris!  I didn't have any assistants or crew since I was just there on vacation.  So I set up my gear and started shooting.  But the important thing was that I started shooting the groom (Ray) first.  I wanted and needed him engaged in the shoot.  I wanted him to feel good about taking the time to do the shoot and to feel good about himself.

We started joking around while shooting and before we knew it we were having a really fun banter back and forth which lead to some really great sets of images.  If you can get a groom to laugh and get him to feel good about himself, you can create some fantastic images.  Ray's wife is a model.  So you can imagine that might make anyone feel a little intimidated.  He probably assumed that a photographer would only be interested in shooting her.

By starting with him, by showing him that I really wanted to create something amazing with him, it really builds confidence which lead to a fantastic shoot.  At one point he teased his wife Karolina telling her that she was jealous I was spending so much time with him lol.

The bottom line is that if you take the time to show a man that their time is valuable and that you are invested in shooting them, the rewards can be great.  I highly recommend you watch the video to see the posing and techniques used to create the images below.  

Images taken with the Sony A7Rii and the 35mm Sony Zeiss f/1.4

Images taken using the Sony A7Rii with the 85mm G Master f/1.4

**Links to Gear Used:

*Sony A7Rii-  

*Sony Zeiss 35mm-  

*Sony 85mm G Master-  

*Flashpoint Xplor 600-  

*Westcott Rapid Box XL-  

*Feisol Monopod-  

I hope this helps and that it gives you some insight on how I shoot male subjects in general.  In essence if you do it right, it's an absolute blast that can give you some stellar results...

Thanks!

Jason

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First Shoot with RAW files on the Sony A6500 with wild ocean seals in La Jolla, California

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First Shoot with RAW files on the Sony A6500 with wild ocean seals in La Jolla, California

I was very fortunate to be provided a loaner Sony A6500 from Sony for two days in late November.  The news came quick that I'd be able to use it so I called my Assistant Brenda asking her to organize a shoot as quickly as she could.

She organized a group of models and crew to meet down in La Jolla, California which is an absolutely beautiful area.  To be specific we went down to the area called the La Jolla Cove where not only is the coast line beautiful like many areas in Southern California, but you'll also be able to interact with some amazing wildlife.

So we went to set up the shoot on the rocks where the ocean meets the land and while setting up we were visited by an amazing seal.  The amazing creature came right out of the ocean, crawled up onto the rocks and started posing for me.  Now he didn't know he was posing....but he sure did a great job of letting me take his picture.

At the moment when he came up we weren't even fully set up and ready to shoot.  I'd just pulled the A6500 out of the box and had put in a card.  My mic was also not even tucked in but luckily it was on.  I told my videographer Jason Coccio to start rolling the minute I saw him.  So while my plans were to shoot a model for my first set with the A6500, it ended up being a beautiful seal.

Since I was planning on doing a model fashion shoot I had the Sony 85mm G Master on the camera, not a traditional wildlife lens.  But I decided to go with it and shoot the seal in a similar manner to how I'd shoot a model portrait session.  I could have easily stopped down and shot it at f/2,8 or even more narrow, but I accepted the challenge to shoot it wide open at f/1.4.

Navigating around slippery rocks wasn't the easiest thing to do with a loaner camera and a $2,000 portrait lens, but it did result in some pretty awesome shots.  The first thing I noticed was just how FAST the camera focuses.  People say it's the same sensor as the A6300, but all I know is it tracks and finds focus faster....which is saying a lot because the A6300 is already fast. The seal gave me the very unique opportunity to really test the tracking because a seals head moves up and down and side to side like a rocking boat.  It is NOT easy to track.  Luckily the A6500 did a great job of finding and keeping focus.

Below are some shots taken with the A6500 and the 85mm G Master:

I then quickly placed the Sony 90mm macro lens on my camera and tried to get some detail shots of the seal.  Again, focus was achieved very quickly which enabled me to get some great shots.  

Below are shots taken with the Sony A6500 and the 90mm macro lens

So after shooting for about 15 minutes with the seal, it became sick of doing a photoshoot and meandered up the rocks to join the other seals that were there.  It was a great shoot and we quickly moved on from it to shooting with the models.

My initial thoughts from my first shoot with the A6500 was that it performed remarkably well. The buffer in Raw was significantly better than any other Sony camera I've ever used.  The auto focus was faster and it responded well in so many ways.  I even filmed some footage of the seal with the camera and noticed the benefit of having the IBIS on the camera. 

Below are some links to gear if you'd like to add one of these to your gear bag.

*Sony A6500-  

*85mm G Master Lens-  

*90mm macro lens- 

Thanks!

Jason

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Sony A6500 REAL World Hands on Touch Screen Test for Stills and Video using the Sony 85mm G Master

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Sony A6500 REAL World Hands on Touch Screen Test for Stills and Video using the Sony 85mm G Master

So I got to test the Sony A6500 for the first time today.  One of the newest and most talked about feature on the A6500 is the touch screen.  It's the first time a touch screen has been put on one of the semi-pro (A6000, A6300) or pro level (A7 series) camera lines.

 

Many people have been asking for this feature to be added to the Sony mirrorless line for a very long time.  While some cameras in the Sony NEX series had some touch screen capabilities on them, none of the recent Sony mirrorless cameras over the last 2.5 years have included the feature.  I for one did not see a huge NEED for touch screen and was perfectly happy with my cameras not having the feature.  But clearly many people wanted it, and Sony listened.

So when I got my hands on the camera this was one of the very first things I tested.  I went down to La Jolla Cove near San Diego with my crew and a beautiful model named Kelsey Barker.  I set the camera up on my Feisol tripod and tested it both in stills and movie mode.

It was pretty impressive.  The stills mode was very nice and I could see using it for portraits work where instantaneous focus isn't required.  In my opinion this will be for making sure you get the focus EXACTLY where you want it, and I'll also note this is a faster option than going through the menu to select a Flexible spot point.

Where the touch screen truly shined was in video (movie) mode.  As someone who uses my A7 and A6000 series camera for filming my Youtube Channel this is going to be a big deal for us.  The focus was very smooth as it transitioned between areas of focus that were pointed out on the screen.  All of this is illustrated in the video included in this blog post, so please make sure to watch it.

When the A6500 was announced many people asked if it was worth the upgrade over the A6300 which is only 9 months old.  I'm on record as saying this camera excited me more than anything for what it would do on the video end of things....and so far with the touch screen, my excitement is real for this camera and it's possibilities.  I now truly hope the future iterations of Sony mirrorless cameras will have the touch screen option on them.

While professional videographers may argue over whether or not they would use auto focus in their work, for a lot of folks like me who are more hybrid photographers/videographers, having that touch screen and being able to get a beautifully transitioned rack focus is pretty special.

I can't wait to play with it more...:)

**Links to Gear:

*Sony A6500-  

*Sony 85mm G Master- 

*Feisol Tripod- 

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