My journey started with me taking pictures of everything. Eventually, I found myself taking photos of people because I also got to know them more along the way. My photography style now focuses on portraits of people, emotion, movement and style. My goal isn’t to make photos beautiful, but to capture the beauty that’s already there. There’s just something special about portraits and the stories they tell. You get to immortalize a moment with that person that will live forever. You capture something they can look back on and cherish. Now, in this article I will be sharing what is typically in my gear bag for these portrait photoshoots.
My Camera
Sony Alpha 1 Mirrorless Digital Camera
I’ve shot with various camera bodies throughout my career. I started out with a Nikon d3100, then moved to the Nikon D7000, then the Canon 6D. Fast forward to now, I’ve been using the Sony Alpha 1 for all my photos. The A1, to me, is more than enough and has been very reliable in providing me with 50mp resolution. The quality is amazing and captures all details.
Some of the things I love about this camera is its 30 fps continuous shooting, in-body stabilization, eye auto focus, and high megapixel count. All of this allows me to shoot at a higher ISO with less grain. This camera is mirrorless, so you can look through the camera and see what the sensor sees.
My Lenses
Sony Distagon T* FE 35mm F/1.4 ZA Full Frame E-Mount Lens
I use a Zeiss 35mm 1.4 lens. This is my go-to for all photos because of the size, focal length, and sharpness. I love this lens because it makes me think and move for the shot I want versus using a zoom lens. With an F stop of 1.4, this allows me to shoot in darker areas as well.
Zeiss 85mm f/1.8 Batis Series Lens
The Zeiss 85mm 1.8 is another camera that I absolutely love for close-up portrait shots. This lens has an amazing shallow depth of field and beautiful bokeh. It shines when you’re photographing someone in front of a busy background, or separating the subject from the background by a few feet. I don’t use this lens often because of the focal length. Although, when I bring it out for close-up portraits, it never disappoints.
My Accessories
Since I like to shoot with very minimal equipment, I don’t really depend on a lot of lighting. My goal is to photograph in natural light, then bring some designs on top of the photograph.
Freewell 82mm Kaleidscope Prism Filter
But some things I’ve used for several shoots have been: a Ziplock bag, tissue paper (white), prisms, and filters such as the Kaleidoscope Prism Filter. I use this to give a hazy effect to my photo.
Using some of the accessories mentioned have allowed me to explore different perspectives and vantage points that I wouldn’t have been able to have otherwise.
My Editing Process
Honestly, my editing process starts way before I take my pictures. I usually make a moodboard of poses and ideas as well as colors, patterns, textures, etc. Once I have all of that down, I use Photoshop and then move into editing, which is really my editing and design phase.
Once I photograph my subjects, I go into the Lightroom and edit the RAW file. I tweak things like color, split-toning, contrast, and brightness. I then bring it into Photoshop to remove blemishes and begin my design process. This is where my creative imagination takes control.
What makes my process so fun is that, while I’m photographing my subjects, I’m always thinking of how I would design it in Photoshop. This helps me shoot with the end product in mind. It works 90 percent of the time. Other times, I come up with something completely different when I begin designing.
I sometimes start off in Photoshop on my desktop, and then move into Adobe Fresco on my iPad. It’s been so seamless since the documents are saved on the Cloud. Adobe Fresco has some amazing brushes that I tend to use from time to time. Photoshop on the iPad has also been a huge help as well. It allows me to really draw with ease.
Check out more of my work in AdoramaTV’s new docuseries, THE MASTERS.
