Official Blog of Jason Lanier Photography
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westcott rapid box xl
Jason Lanier photographs Emily Rinaldo in an abandoned hotel in Kauai, Hawaii using the Sony A7Riii and Godox Ad600 Pro modified by the Westcott Rapidbox XXL. Jason shot this with the Sony Zeiss 50 mm f/ 1.4 lens and Sigma Art 20 mm f/ 1.4 lens. Let us know what you think in the comments below. Thanks for viewing!
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
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 get the Sony FE 85mm f/1.8 lens on loan from Sony to be able to take out and test in the field. When my followers found out I had the lens one of the first things they asked me to do was to compare the new lens against the sought after Zeiss Batis 85mm f/1.8. Below is a video of the shoot took place doing this very comparison:
The Zeiss Batis was the first Auto Focus 85mm lens available to Sony Mirrorless users and I fell in love with the lens about two years ago. I must have done at least 20-30 videos on Youtube using this lens that I just loved.
Then Sony released the 85mm G Master f/1.4 lens and that thing is a BEAST. It is definitely a pro level top of the line lens and while the Batis is amazing, it can't keep up with the G Master. BUT, the G Master also comes at a premium price and due to that many Sony users still consider going for the Zeiss Batis because it's about $600 less than the G Master.
Then earlier this month Sony announced their own FE (Full Frame E Mount) 85mm f/1.8 lens. What made this a game changer for many is the fact that it's $600 less than the Zeiss Batis and over a $1000 less than the G Master. Hence, that's why I received so many requests to compare it to the Zeiss Batis. Because if it's even CLOSE to the Zeiss Batis it's definitely a lot more affordable.
So we went out to Salvation Mountain in the California desert and I did a straight apples to apples comparison between the two lenses. Both lenses were shot on a tripod using the Sony A7Rii with the exact same settings and lighting. All images were developed using Lightroom only using the exact same settings via Batch Processing. So the results are identical.
As you'll see in the video and or the images you are viewing below, I was pretty stunned on just how the shots look identical. If I didn't know any better I would swear they are the same lenses in different shells lol. Take a look below for yourself:
Set 1- Sony FE lens- 85mm, f/1.8, 1/2500 sec, ISO 100
Set 1- Zeiss Batis- 85mm, f/1.8, 1/2500 sec, ISO 100
Set 2- Sony FE- 85mm, f/1.8, 1/2500 sec, ISO 100
Set 2- Zeiss Batis- 85mm, f/1.87, 1/2500 sec, ISO 100
Set 3- Sony FE- 85mm, f/1.8, 1/2000 sec, ISO 100
Set 3- Zeiss Batis- 85mm, f/1.8, 1/2000 sec, ISO 100
Set 4- Sony FE- 85mm, f/1.8, 1/1600 sec, ISO 100
Set 4- Zeiss Batis- 85mm, f/1.8, 1/1600 sec, ISO 100
**Links to Gear:
Thanks for coming by and checking out this post. Don't forget to subscribe to my Youtube Channel and also this blog for future posts!!
Thanks,
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.
**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.
**Links to Gear Used:
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
