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sony a7riii

Closing the Gap Workshop- Laguna Beach, California

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Closing the Gap Workshop- Laguna Beach, California

Exclusive Shots! Laguna Beach Workshop

Hi everyone,

I just wrapped up my workshop in Laguna Beach, California. I’m very grateful we were able to host such a successful event amidst everything happening in the world. The weather was gorgeous; the group was a blast. We did a ton of learning, laughing, and portfolio-building while being mindful of our state’s recommended safety guidelines.

A session of the workshop targeted LED lighting. In the shots below, we demonstrated how to use the Rotolight Anova Pro 2 in Flash mode during the day. Notice how the background is blended and balanced with the exposure on the subject’s face. During both sets, the Rotolight AP2 was unmodified and still put out extremely soft light! These images were taken with the Sony A7Riii. The two models Marisa Butler (@marisapaigebutler) and Siray Kong (@siraykong) did a great job! Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments below.

If you haven’t already, go to www.rotolight.com/jasonoffers for exclusive deals on some of the best-LED lights on the planet! Visit the site and save up to 50% today! If you would like to catch us at a workshop - click here for dates and locations. If you still need some more time and would like to learn from afar, that’s okay, we understand! You can join us on Patreon for our monthly zoom chat sessions where we have a Livestream Q&A, monthly photo critiques, editing sessions and more!

Thanks for tuning in! We appreciate you tremendously over here at Fedora Nation!

Sincerely,
Jason

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Jason Lanier Photography Inspiration Pinterest Boards: Models, Urbex, Landscapes, Wildlife, Wedding, Photojournalism, and more!

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Jason Lanier Photography Inspiration Pinterest Boards: Models, Urbex, Landscapes, Wildlife, Wedding, Photojournalism, and more!

Are you interested in photography boards? Visit the blog and follow the links to be directed to several Jason Lanier Photography Pinterest Boards. These photography boards showcase models, weddings, photojournalism, landscapes, urbex, wildlife from all over the world. Let us know if you like the boards in the comments below. Thanks so much!

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Senorita Mecanica- Shooting the Forgotten Sony Wide Angle Lens- the FE 28mm and Rotolight Neo 2 in Havana, Cuba by Jason Lanier

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Senorita Mecanica- Shooting the Forgotten Sony Wide Angle Lens- the FE 28mm and Rotolight Neo 2 in Havana, Cuba by Jason Lanier

Cuba is always an amazing experience. I’ve been there many times by myself, with my family and with two photography groups.

On my most recent trip there in 2019 we had the opportunity to shoot in a real mechanic’s garage in Havana. It all happened while we were walking down the street on our last day there as a group. We were heading towards the Feria which is the local shopping area for some souvenir shopping when we passed a garage with a 1951 Chevy inside that they were working on.

I walked inside and asked if we could shoot there in exchange for some dinero and they were very kind to oblige. Click the video below to watch the entire shoot!

So we continued down to the Feria, bought some wardrobe and accessories for Emily and returned with gear and a sense of creativity to do a shoot!

I planned on shooting with the Sony Zeiss 35mm f/1.4, but one of my workshop attendees named Sandy offered up her Sony FE 28mm f/2 lens, and I decided to give it a go!

This is a lens that I own and purchased 3 years ago. But for some reason I just never ended up using it. So when this opportunity to shoot with this lens came up I decided to go for it.

We pulled out 4 or 5 Rotolight Neo 2’s and lit this place UP! I did the shoot using the Sony A7Riii and ended up using the 28mm for the entire shoot. Below are the images taken:

**Links to Gear**

*Sony A7Riii-

*Sony FE 28mm f/2 lens

*Rotolight- for more information about Rotolight please visit www.jasonlanier.com/rotolight

A BIG thanks to Andrew Balerud for filming this shoot, Emily Holmes for helping with make up and lighting, and to my workshop attendees for joining me on this epic adventure. I can’t tell you how much we appreciate your support.

Lastly, PLEASE give a follow to Emily Rinaldo my amazing model and muse who always knocks it out of the park. You can find her at www.instagram.com/em.explores

Thanks!

Jason


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Making it RAIN! Epic High Fashion Portraits in the Water using Off Camera Flash- 7 Foot Parabolic by Jason Lanier

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Making it RAIN! Epic High Fashion Portraits in the Water using Off Camera Flash- 7 Foot Parabolic by Jason Lanier

Any photographer who’s been shooting long enough outdoors has had his or her bouts of shooting in the rain. While it can certainly be challenging, it can also be very rewarding to give you some results that are different than what you create on a regular basis.

Well, there are some studios out there that actually offer rain INSIDE of a studio setting. What they do is set up pipes that pass water through with holes in them that drop water down into a studio setting that has the proper drainage and water collection set up to make it possible to shoot with rain indoors.

I recently did a shoot with my muse Emily (you can find her on IG at @em.explores), at FD Photo Studio in Los Angeles. The obvious benefit to shooting indoors vs. outdoors is the fact that it allows me to set up lighting in ways that would be very difficult or impossible to set up under normal rainy conditions.

Here are some of the pics from the shoot:


**Links to Gear:

*Rotolight Products- to get a 10% discount and FREE Shipping on any Rotolight products please visit: www.jasonlanier.com/rotolight to get the promo code now!

*Sony A7Riii- https://bhpho.to/2zu1lJu

*Sony Zeiss 35mm- https://bhpho.to/2IDrv28

*Sony Zeiss 50mm- https://bhpho.to/2FmytlK

*Matthews Scrim- https://bhpho.to/2IE2HH9

*Westcott 7 Foot Parabolic- https://bhpho.to/2ICi3vP

This was a very fun shoot done at FD Photo Studio in Los Angeles. This was shot using the Sony A7Riii with both the 35mm and 50mm Zeiss lenses.

Lighting was set up using the Rotolight Aeos inside of a 7 foot parablic umbrella with a Rotolight Anova Pro 2 used as a kicker light and another Rotolight Aeos used as a fill light.

The model is the beautiful Emily Rinaldo who can be followed by going to Instagram and following her @em.explores.

We hope you enjoy the shoot and invite you to stick around and watch a few more videos while you're here. Don't forget to click on SUBSCRIBE and NOTIFICATIONS so you're updated every time a new video is released!

Thanks,

Jason

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Shooting the Canon 300mm f/2.8 lens on the Sony A7Riii using the Metabones Mark 5 Adapter by Jason Lanier

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Shooting the Canon 300mm f/2.8 lens on the Sony A7Riii using the Metabones Mark 5 Adapter by Jason Lanier

WOW! This was a FUN SHOOT! While I usually spend the vast majority of my time teaching and not shooting at my workshops, I’ve learned to do a demo shoot at every workshop to help my students understand exactly what I’m teaching. I’ve also received feedback over the years that for some of my students who are visual learners, the demo session of the workshop is invaluable to their learning experience.

The other thing that’s so much fun at my workshops is when I have fellow photographers who are attending bring lenses that I haven’t had the chance to use before. At my Houston workshop in December 2018 a photographer named Jose brought the Canon 300mm f/2.8. I was thrilled to be able to borrow it and see how it worked with my Sony A7Riii using the Metabones Mark 5 Adapter.

As an early adopter to the Sony Mirrorless system, I am very accustomed to using Canon lenses on my Sony bodies to be able to supplement the Sony lens lineup that was lacking when I first switched over. I currently own 7 Canon L lenses and have used the 400mm f/2.8 and the Canon 200mm f/1.8 on my Sony bodies….BUT, the 300mm f/2.8 was one I hadn’t gotten my hands on yet.

Until Houston.

Jose was so kind to let me borrow the lens and his Metabones Mark 5 Adapter. In the past I’ve always used the Metabones Mark 4 Adapter or the Sigma MC11 Adapter. To answer the easy question for those reading this and wondering…did I notice a difference using the Metabones Mark 5 over the others? No. So if you’re like me, you don’t need to rush out and spend money on it unless you currently don’t have an adapter.

But, back to the lens.

Yes, it’s heavy.

Yes, it requires an adapter to use.

But yes, it delivers some pretty stellar results. Check out the shots below from the shoot:

As you’ll see when you watch the video I tested this lens in a variety of ways. First I shot with it just doing portraits as most people would use it.

Then I decided to up the ante and added the Westcott Eyelighter to the equation with the Godox AD600 Pro light that I was using inside of the Westcott Rapid Box XXL.

And THEN I decided to add some ambience to the background of the shots by asking the photographers there to throw sand and leaves behind the model (@macanoniii). You’ll also see that I added a rim light to the back of the shot by having a photographer hold the light behind the model to illuminate not just the model, but also all of the particles flying in the air.

Throughout the shoot I used different focusing modes to be able to adequately acquire focus. Did the lens acquire focus as fast and reliably as using the Sony 400mm f/2.8 lens? No. It didn’t.

Is it more than usable in most circumstances if you have the lens and want to use it on a Sony? Yes.

I switched to manual focus and had the lens situated on my model for the last set of shots when a lot of stuff was flying in the air because I didn’t want the lens to hunt for focus and miss the eyes of my subject.

I hope this helps!

If you have any questions about the lens or how it performed make sure to notate it in the comment section below.

Thanks again for being here and if you like what you see, make sure to check out some more of our posts and videos!

If you’d like to join us at a workshop please visit www.jasonlanier.com/register.

We also do a podcast called Jason Lanier Unfiltered that you can find on iTunes, Spotify and more.

Thanks again for stopping by!

Jason

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

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

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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Jack the Ripper- Using Cinematic Lighting in the streets of London with the Rotolight Aeos and Westcott Halo by Jason Lanier

Just days before Halloween 2018 I had the opportunity to do a shoot of Jack the Ripper in the very streets where this once crazy serial killer roamed. My model Emily and I were in London for a number of events including the Camera World Live Convention where we spoke for Sony and Rotolight.

After the convention we had some free time before some of our other commitments started and I’d asked Emily to see if she could locate a shop for wardrobe in London. She found a place called Angels that completely outfitted both her and our Jack, a male model named Derek Martin.

I picked them up from the shop and Emily started doing her makeup as I location scouted in our rental car. The hardest part was driving around the crazy and completely chaotic streets of London. If you haven’t driven there before, you are in for a TREAT!!

We went to the White Chapel area of the city where Jack the Ripper once roamed. It was pretty surreal to be doing a shoot of Jack the Ripper in the very streets where he once walked. Creepy is an understatement.

After pinpointing on our GPS where I wanted to do the shoot we went to a restaurant in Brick Lane called All Star Lanes where we had a bite to eat with the team before the shoot. After a hectic day it can be a very good idea to relax for a minute or two before setting off to do a shoot. This gave me, the models and my helper Darren the opportunity to chat, eat, and relax a little before heading out into the very chilly air of the night.

Emily and Derek both changed into their costumes in the restaurant and then we were OFF to shoot! The most challenging thing about doing a period piece shoot is everything around you is modern. Cars, street signs, people, bikes etc betray the illusion that this shoot is being done in the 1800’s. You have to be careful with camera angles and where you choose to shoot if you want to try and pull off the look that it’s authentic.

We shot in two primary locations. A street with old windows and sheers and a nearby park. Using the Rotolight system with the Westcott Halo really gave me the ability to shoot a cinematic lighting effect. I put the Rotolight Aeos inside of the Halo and used Rotolight Neo 2’s for accent and rim lighting. Make sure to check out the video to see what I’m talking about.

Below are the shots from the shoot.

I hope you enjoy the shoot and thank you in advance for your support. As stated in the video I really tried to go out of my way to tell a story of what happened without glamorizing violence against women.

Don’t forget to click on SUBSCRIBE AND NOTIFICATIONS on my Youtube channel to be updated every time a new video is released.

Thanks!

Jason

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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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