Jason Lanier and Emily Rinaldo photograph and witness one of Earth’s most gorgeous phenomenons, the Aurora Borealis in Kiruna, Sweden for the very first time!!
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sony alpha
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
WOW! To say that my experience at Blue Horizon Boxing Arena was epic is a true understatement. My protege Emily and I were in town for a workshop that we had planned in Philadelphia. Emily’s Urbex buddy John Hall @jhal10 reminded her of a place he’d been called the Blue Horizon. He told us that there was some sort of a secret way to get inside of there and that if we tried hard enough, we’d be able to find the man inside who could let us in.
To see the complete experience in 3 parts, Urban Exploration, shoot with a Workshop Group, and the portrait session of Emily, please watch the video by clicking below!
So we knocked on the door for about 10 minutes, patiently waiting until a man opened the door. After paying the man for the opportunity to shoot there, we proceeded to start to explore this magnificent structure that was built as a private estate back in the 1800’s and then converted into a legendary boxing arena in 1961.
One thing that Emily and I share is the love for Urban Exploration. We didn’t even know if anyone was even going to answer the door to this place let alone be able to to shoot there. But since we were in we set out to explore this place for as long as we could. Below are some of the images from the Urbex shoot shot with the Canon 11-24mm lens as well as the Sony 90mm macro.
The Blue Horizon has only been vacant since 2010, but the amount of wear and tear at this property is just insane. I love taking macro shots at Urbex locations because it can really tell the story of a place. It’s easy to get carried away with wide angle shots in urbex locations, but don’t forget the details too my friends.
We asked the man taking care of the place if we could bring a group back. We negotiated a price and then came back the following day with our workshop group. The joy in being able to bring other photographers, many of whom have never been in an urbex place like this before, is just incredibly rewarding. After some instruction they proceeded to map out their own places in the building where they wanted to shoot with the models we brought and then proceeded to shoot them with our guidance.
We wrapped up the session with a group shoot in the center ring. WOW! What an experience. We had two models named Mae and Lauren who played the part of warriors fighting in the middle of the ring. The real trick was trying to recreate the lighting that would have been present during a prize fight. We put a Rotolight on top of a boom on a C stand and illuminated the ladies as they put on a show of might. You HAVE to watch the video to see one of their epic battles stitched together in 156 frames shot at 20fps on the Sony A9. Below is just one of the stills:
Following our workshop group we reached out to our man on the inside once again and asked him if we could come back for one more shoot with just Emily and I. For the right price he agreed and we returned with two helpers for quite the shoot.
One of the things that made this shoot so awesome was that one of the helpers was a former boxer who actually fought at the Blue Horizon named Thomas Woods. He went 7-1 in his 8 bouts there and it was a thrill to have him accompany us for the shoot. He’s one of my followers and we actually ended up including him in the shoot playing the part of Emily’s trainer. Being that this was our third time at the Blue Horizon we knew some of the best spots to shoot at and using the Rotolight Anova Pro 2 we did an amazing shoot together. Below are some of the shots from the shoot:
What made this shoot so amazing was using the current technology of today to story tell. When you watch the video you’ll see how fun it was to get Emily and Thomas to act out scenes and for me to be able to capture them at 20FPS using LED lighting with Rotolight. It truly was an incredible experience.
I can’t thank my protege Emily enough for everything she did and continues to do to make this such a remarkable experience. This video really shows her depth not only as a model and assistant, but as a photographer as well. Below are some of her images taken at the Blue Horizon:
We can’t thank you enough for following us, supporting us, and giving your precious time to our efforts here at Jason Lanier Photography. The experience at the Blue Horizon was unforgettable and I’m so grateful to the workshop attendees who joined us as well as Erik Rosa and Clif Lowry for taking the time to volunteer and assist with what we did down there.
Don’t forget to click on subscribe and notifications so you’re updated every time we release a new video.
THANK YOU! We couldn’t do this without you.
Sincerely,
Jason and Emily
Join me for my first experience on the streets of Addis Ababa, Ethiopia where I take on the question of whether or not photographers should compensate strangers when we’re taking their pictures as part of street photography or photojournalism.
Now, this is a complex question. You have to ask yourself:
Is it offensive to offer money to people when you take their picture?
Is it offensive when you don’t?
Is it messing up the natural flow of a shoot and what’s occurring when/if you offer money?
This shoot was done back in August, 2014 when I had first delved into the world of shooting Sony. All of these images were taken with the first Sony I ever purchased, the A6000.
I have to admit it was quite challenging to tackle this issue for myself. I was used to shooting weddings, portraits, landscapes and most things that photographer shoot. I had done work on local streets of the United States but never something to the magnitude of Ethiopia.
To find out how I handled it all and what I ended up doing, please watch the video that I made from this shoot.
To see the images from this shoot please check them out below:
The images in this video were taken using the Sony A6000 with the E mount 50mm f/1.8 lens and the 16mm f/2.8 lens.
As this is a touchy subject that many photographers need to answer, my attempt with this video is to show how I handled the situation so hopefully it helps others out there to determine what they would do if they were in a similar situation.
We thank you for watching and invite you to stick around and watch a few more while you're here.
A big thanks to the Out of the Ashes Organization for helping to make this trip possible. You can find out more information about them by visiting www.outoftheash.org
Don't forget to click on subscribe and click on NOTIFICATIONS so you're updated every time a new video is released.
Thanks!
Jason
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
Most experienced photographers know that when you use artificial light you should place it above your subject. That’s because when you do so, you are creating a lighting pattern that casts shadows down on your subject.
But there is a lighting technique called Feathering Light. That technique is utilized by having the edges of your light paint light onto your subject. This is done to minimize the effect of using light with your subject and even more importantly on the canvas of your image.
For example, if you want to do a shoot and don’t want there to be light spill or shadows on the ground coming from the flash, you would feather the light. This technique can also include facing the light up or even placing it on the ground so the light is shooting up.
Check out the video above of the shoot that I did in the Everglades which shows exactly what I’m talking about. This was a crazy shoot with my Model Emily who painted herself up and used palm fronds on the ground to create an amazing outfit.
This was done using the Godox AD 600 Pro flash inside of the Westcott Rapid Box XXL modifier with three layers of diffusion; the deflector plate, the inner baffle and outer sock.
As you’ll see in the video I use the edges of the light modifier to cast light onto Emily vs. what I’d normally do which is use the center of the light source. Below are the resulting images from the shoot. I’m breaking them into categories based upon the lens used.
Shots using the Sony Zeiss 50mm:
Shots using the Sony G 12-24mm lens:
Shots using the Sony Zeiss 35mm:
I really hope this helps some of you out there to explore some alternative ways of lighting. The pros to lighting like this include creating some dynamic shots in a way that allows your ground area to remain dark. The cons are that you have to be careful of where and how your shadows fall on your subject.
Immediately following this shoot we did a live video blog/podcast. To check that out click below:
Thanks for visiting my blog. I really appreciate your support and thank you in advance for your comments and for sharing the content with someone you think can benefit from it. To learn more with us online please visit www.patreon.com/jasonlanierphotography.
To learn with us in person please visit www.jasonlanier.com/register.
We’ll see you soon!
Thanks,
Jason
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
On Halloween 2018 I had the opportunity to do a very special shoot with the Rotolight team at the Fitzrovia Chapel in London, UK. It’s always pretty surreal getting to visit and shoot in some of these exotic locations and we wanted to do something really fun for Halloween. Click below to watch the video of this shoot!
My model Emily and I arrived at the chapel that’s tucked away in the center of London. This is an old chapel surrounded by big modern buildings and can’t be seen from the street. You have to navigate the CRAZY traffic in London (I mean I really HATE London traffic), park in one of the crazy parking lots that charge $60 for a couple of hours and THEN you drag your stuff all the way to the shooting location.
SO, after doing all of that, you certainly hope that the location is WORTH it. Was it?
YES.
TOTALLY WORTH IT.
So I got Emily settled into the chair for hair and make up where she started the transformation into the Corpse Bride with her Corpse Groom Lawrence waiting for her:
The biggest challenge when first walking into the church was trying to figure out how to take the ambient lighting down as it was very warm and convert it into the kind of cold blue tones that you’d want for a corpse bride (day of the dead) kind of shoot. So we killed all of the lighting in there and started lighting it up with blue lighting from all of the lights from the Rotolight Ecosystem. In this shoot we used the Rotolight Anova Pro 2, Aeos, and the Neo 2.
The Motion Blurr teamed based out of London filmed the shoot for me and did a great job. Below are the shots from the shoot. I really wanted to craft this as a story and I believe the shots below show the story unfolding even more than comes across in the video of the shoot.
I can’t thank Emily and Lawrence enough for their hard work in making all of this happen. They both did a terrific job of getting into the characters and going for it.
Below is a list of the gear used in the video:
*Sony 85mm G Master
*Sony 35mm Zeiss
*Westcott Halo- https://www.fjwestcott.com/45-round-halo?acc=1c383cd30b7c298ab50293adfecb7b18
*Westcott Eyelighter- https://www.fjwestcott.com/eyelighter?acc=1c383cd30b7c298ab50293adfecb7b18
ROTOLIGHT GEAR: To receive a 10% discount and FREE shipping on the Rotolights used in this video please visit www.jasonlanier.com/rotolight
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
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
So many people know I absolutely LOVE my Sony A7Rii. It's been my go to camera for the past 2 years and I absolutely love the beast. When Sony came out with the A9, I was one of the first photographers to be able to play with the camera. Given it's speed and many features, I pegged it as the ultimate sports and wedding photography camera in the Sony lineup. And I assumed I'd continue to use my A7Rii for landscape, architecture and portraits.
But just to make sure, I decided to do a quick little shootout comparison of the two cameras while at Crater Lake National Park in Oregon. I was there during a family vacation and that place is just breath taking. Being that I was just there with the family and had no film crew etc. I had to make sure with filming a video using just a monopod and my ThinkTank backpack...and the use of my trusty son Michael as an Assistant.
I did the shoot using two different lenses. The Sony Zeiss 16-35 f/4 and the Sony G Master f/2.8 70-200mm. Both are favorite lenses of mine and I thought they'd give the viewers a good variety of shots and focal lengths to look at. I also did some cropping in on both images to show how both cameras render an image when zoomed WAY IN!
I won't render a final judgment here. Why? I don't want to sway opinions too much....:) . I'll just let the results speak for themselves and let you guys decide what you want to do. I'll just say the results surprised me, and I'll be more comfortable in just taking the A9 everywhere with me than I would've been before doing the test...the resulting images from the shoot are below:
Sony A7Rii
Images are as follows: 16mm, 16mm, 35mm, 70mm, 100mm, 200mm
Sony A9
Images are as follows: 16mm, 16mm, 35mm, 70mm, 100mm, 200mm
Here are the crop comparisons as shown in the video
*16mm SUPER cropped in: A7Rii on left, A9 on the right
*35mm Cropped in- A7Rii on the left, A9 on the right
*70mm Cropped in- A7Rii on the left, A9 on the right
*100mm Cropped in- A7Rii on the left, A9 on the right
*200mm Cropped in- A7Rii on the left, A9 on the right
I thank you for taking the time to visit my blog and watch my videos. I appreciate every single person who takes the time to give me a read or a view. Thanks guys! I hope this helps...:)
Jason
Recently I had the opportunity to visit Cuba for the first time. Like many folks from the United States I was very excited to do so since it has been closed off for visiting for the last 60 years. One of the main things I wanted to do was to visit some traditional Tobacco Farms. It isn't because I'm a smoker, because I'm not. It's because Cuba is world famous for their Tobacco and I just had to visit the farms that create this product that is coveted the world over.
So my Assistant Brenda and I ventured into the beautiful countryside of Vinales on horseback where we found some beautiful people and locations to shoot. I really recommend watching the video above to get a real feel for the shoot. I also did a voice over in the video to explain everything going on and why I decided to use what lenses.
Below are the images taken during the shoot and I'm separating them by the lens used. Both sets of images were taken with the lenses shooting wide open at 100 ISO with the Sony A7Rii.
Images taken with the 70-200 G Master Lens
Images taken using the Sony FE 100mm STF lens
***Links to Gear***
I really hope you enjoy the video and this complementary blog post. I invite you guys to subscribe to both my Youtube Channel and my blog and thank you for visiting today.
Adios!
Jason
I'm blessed....I'll admit it. I work hard for what I've achieved, but I'm very grateful and humbled that I get to shoot with some of the best lenses in the world. I've shot with Zeiss, Sony G Master, Sony Zeiss and many more. I've also shot with nearly all of the Canon L lenses and many Nikon lenses to boot.
So one comment and/or request that I get quite frequently is, "Can you do some videos or shoots with some cheap stuff that the rest of us can afford? We love seeing your shoots but I'll never be able to afford that stuff."
Fair enough.
I remember the days of saving up income for good amounts of time to be able to afford gear. I REALLY DO. Those days aren't too far in my past. So I decided to start adding (yes I bought them), some cheaper lens options into my gear arsenal so I can represent and reflect all of the photographers that follow my work and my Youtube Channel.
So recently I did a shoot using the Sony FE 50mm with the Sony A6500 inside of an old train. The shoot was quick as we had only 15 minutes to complete it. I think that's a good thing because it shows you what was able to be created without an elaborate setup or time that could honestly make the lens look better than it is.
**Links to Gear:
If you haven't already please take a moment to check out the video that we rolled that will show the focus tests, the shots using natural and artificial light and more. The video explains much more than I can properly articulate here in a blog post, so I kindly invite you to watch it now.
For those who have already watched it you'll know that for $200, I think it's a pretty sweet little lens that is a welcome budget friendly addition to the Sony mirrorless lens lineup. Below are the shots taken at the shoot. All of them have been edited using Lightroom and Photoshop. I hope you enjoy...:)
The model is the beautiful Cassandra Caballero. Please let me know what questions you have...and thank you for watching!!
Jason
Recently I had the opportunity to borrow the Sony FE 100mm STF lens from Sony to test out. My followers asked me to not only shoot it on my A7Rii as is typically the case for me, but to also shoot it on some lower cost Sony mirrorless bodies that my followers can more easily afford.
So we went down to Balboa Park in San Diego and it POURED rain. I put the 100mm STF on my Sony A7ii and commenced to do a shoot where I illuminated the model in the rain by using the Flashpoint Xplor 600 as my backlight and the Rotolight Anova Pro as my key light with a 2 Stop Diffuser by Westcott called the Illuminator.
I gotta say I was very impressed with the lens. My full write and recommendation will be in a following post and video, but I wasn't disappointed by this lens at all. It has an F stop of 2.8 and a T stop of 5.6. It was very sharp, it found focus very quickly and it was a challenging condition to shoot in.
As you'll see in the video it held up just fine with some rain getting on it and didn't give me any issues at all. Towards the end of the shoot I really started to test the STF Smooth Trans Focus elements of the lens. It's pretty amazing how that lens can turn virtually any light source into a gorgeous Bokeh ball. I can't wait to do more testing on that.
Below are some of the images taken during the shoot. These were all shot wide open at the aperture of f/2.8 but the t stop value of 5.6. ISO range was anywhere from 2,000 or higher with a shutter speed at 1/60 sec. I think this lens is a keeper....but more on that in my full review. I have more shoots to do with it but just wanted to share this one on the A7ii. I hope it also helps people out there that I did it with a more affordable camera body like the A7ii.
Thanks!
Jason
So thanks to the kindness of Sony, I was able to borrow the Sony FE 85mm f/1.8 lens prior to it being released to the public. So I asked my followers what they wanted me to do with the lens and one of the most frequent requests was that I slap that puppy on my A6500 and show the world what the images looked like.
So I booked my crew and a model and we headed out into the middle of nowhere....literally. We went out to Salvation Mountain which is somewhere between Mexico and Palm Springs out in Niland, California. It is a CRAZY place!!
We did a number of shoots earlier in the day and as the sun was getting close to setting I threw the lens on my A6500 and did a quick shoot. I wanted the shoot to be something similar to the time frame I'd have when shooting for 10-15 minutes at a wedding...like the couple shoot after the ceremony just to show people what can be done in a short amount of time.
Lighting wasn't necessarily optimal, but I wanted to show what could be done in less than ideal situations. I used the Flashpoint Xplor 600 monolight with the Westcott Rapid Box XXL as a modifier. Below are some of the shots from the shoot. All of the images taken were shot wide open at f/1.8.
We hope you enjoy the shoot. Please let us know what you think and what questions you have. We certainly have high hopes for this lens and the performance of it paired with this camera is quite a combination!!
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Thanks!
Jason
Well, inauguration day 2017 was one for the record books. Truly an unforgettable experience. I've been able to shoot a lot of interesting and exciting things in my career but I've never been able to shoot riots following an inauguration. Check out the video below to see exactly what went down!
Below are some of the shots taken during the riots and protests that followed the inaugural address and went into the evening on the streets of Washington DC. I've separated them by the lens used for my photographers out there who are wondering what I captured them with. All images were taken with the Sony A7Rii.
These images were taken with the 16-35 Sony Zeiss lens
These images were taken with the 24-70 G Master lens
These images were taken with the 70-200 G Master lens
These images were taken with the 85mm G Master lens
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Thanks,
Jason
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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Jason
Many times so much emphasis at a wedding is placed upon the Bride. While the Bride is certainly an extremely important person, we of course can't forget the groom right? This shoot comes from my REAL Indian Wedding Workshop in Cherryhill, New Jersey with Akshar and Arti Patel. In case you haven't seen Part 1 which includes my images taken of the bride Arti, you can find a link to them by clicking below:
http://www.jasonlanier.com/blog/real-indian-wedding-workshop-bride-getting-ready-at-the-crowne-plaza-cherry-hill-new-jersey
We went into the Groom's room and took the following shots that are included in the video as shown above. It's important to capture the groom in a dignified and flattering manner which you can do by blending a style of photojournalism with light yet deliberate posing methods. In other words, direct the shoot but don't overly pose the shoot. Below are images taken of the Getting Ready portion:
After the getting ready portion we prepared for the First Look. While waiting for the bride to arrive for the shoot I took a few minutes and did some groom portraits with Akshar as well. All of these images were taken with lighting from the Rotolight Neo. Below are the portraits of the groom taken at the ceremony site:
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Jason
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.
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Jason
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.
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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
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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