iPhone Diaries #644: CNE 2013

Aug 15th.

The Sony Diaries #2: An Introduction to the (Sony) Alpha Mount by Kelly Davis

Read the full text here

A comprehensive, "everything-you've-always-wanted-to-know-about-Sony/Minolta-but-were-afraid-to-ask", two-pager for the intelligent souls out there who will eventually realize the folly of using Canons and Nikons and will switch to Sony.

The Formals

Why not shoot video of the Formals? After all, there is no substitute for a video showing the loud and seemingly free-for-all atmosphere of families getting their group shots. Time deadlines, suited men in a sweltering room in mid-summer, kids running around, as well as family dynamics all add up to organized chaos.

The Stills will show dignified men and women looking at the camera; the Video will show otherwise.

(Note: The Formal shoot in this video went very smoothly... credit to the photographer in control, well-mannered guests, and the bride's sense of organization.

The Guitar

The curse in video is that with any given footage, there's a hundred and one ways to put together a video. By the same token, one can put together a video of anything, the devil is in producing a coherent video. I shot the clips for this video just in case... as fillers, cutaways, etc. It turned out that I shot enough to produce a short video.

Nic, the groom, plays guitar for the progressive heavy metal band, Arkham Awaits, and the use of the guitar for well-wishes is quite appropriate.

I just wished I had used a monopod, instead of shooting handheld. Music by Jack Johnson.

The Sony Diaries #1: An Overview on the Joys of using a Sony

This is the first entry on a new blog series relating my ongoing experience as a Sony (Alpha SLTs, for now) user. Since my switch from Canon (5D2, 60D, L lenses) to Sony almost two years ago, it's been a positive experience, with a very few exceptions. I use Nikons on my 9-5 job, and I get to use a Canon 5D2 occasionally. For my personal commercial and industrial assignments, weddings and events, for both Stills and Video, I use the Sony a57, a65, and a99.

Amongst my community of photographers, in the press scrums that I attend, in the local parks where wedding formals are taking place, and even in the forums that I log on to, the professional who uses a Sony (a professionals someone who gets paid to do something) is a rarity. Almost all use either Nikons and Canons. This is understandable, as the Canikon heritage is vibrant and reliable, with a supply and support structure that has few comparisons in equivalent industries (think Boeing and Macdonnell-Douglas for airplanes, Apple and Samsung in smartphones).

I switched to Sony for one reason: the promise of continuous auto focus in video mode (albeit at f3.5 maximum opening). Very shortly thereafter, I realized the joys of the OLED EVF and screen (now indispensable for me), and the myriad other features that make my Sony truly an artist's tool, an  extension of my mind, an appendage that does what my eyes and mind wills it to do.

It's been said that converts are the most ardent proselytizers; I am an unapologetic one.