The Phoblographer recently published an article on 5 photographers that are getting the most use out of the Sony A7R4, and I am grateful to be one of the featured photographers.
I have shot on numerous cameras in the past, including Canon, Nikon, Olympus and Sony. I even shot on Pentax during the film days. Recently I made the switch to Sony from using primarily a Nikon D850. I had a Nikon D850 that I shot most of my wildlife with using the 500mm f4 lens, but when Sony came out with the 400mm f2.8, I decided to make the switch to full Sony. I shot with the Sony A7R when it first came out, and I noticed in looking at my prints over the years, the best ones seemed to come from that camera. That’s not the only reason, but was a big part of the switch.
Other reasons include the following:
- Mirrorless cameras are smaller, more compact, and lighter
- Video functionality is better and easier to work with in the field
- Faster autofocus and silent shutter
By the time you add a 400mm f2.8 to the A7r4, it may not be that much lighter, but they are more compact, and make it easier to travel with, especially if you are traveling internationally.
Video function was a huge part, as with a DSLR you had to switch to live view, and shooting with longer lenses, a tripod was absolutely necessary. It is so much easier with the mirrorless cameras to switch back and forth and catch video in the field. Most of the time, that video opportunity will not last long, so you have to be able to switch quickly. The only downside with that is that with SD card buffer rates, you often have to wait for the buffer to clear before you can start video.
Mirrorless have both phase and contrast detection and can offer faster autofocus, which is a relatively new feature. DSLR’s used to be faster. The silent shutter is awesome to shoot with as well, as don’t have any mechanical movement if you are shooting longer exposure images. It is also nice to be close to wildlife and not have the constant loud mechanical shutter going off. It can present some opportunities that you might not get otherwise.
Please be sure to check out my instagram @jmdarter if you don’t already follow me!
I was excited to be able to share the video that @kindlingprods did for @okccombat earlier today. If you haven`t seen it, check it out! I have known and trained with @brian_picklo @travisserna1 @thejameshead and @the_juan_brush for over 20 years now, and I can`t think of a better group of men to be in business with. When we started kicking around the idea of opening up a new training center back in 2021, it made it a lot easier knowing that these guys were going to be involved, and I am so grateful for each and every one of them.
If you have ever had a desire to try martial arts, I’d like to invite you to come try OKC Combat Sports. You won’t find a better group than this. And I’m not only talking about the owners, I’m talking about everyone who trains there. All around, an amazing group of people! #whosenext #judo #jiujitsu #boxing #martialarts #okccombat
I got some good range time in with @justincollettphoto over the weekend. We got some good stock photos for @ccwsafe and also got some great night shots on the range!
We set up one flash on a remote trigger, with the settings of f/6.3, 1 second of shutter, and an ISO of 1000. We would count down, trigger the flash, and as soon as the flash went off, I immediately fired. With the one second of open shutter, we were able to capture these images. #ccwsafe #nighthawkcustom #knightarmco #rolex #senestudio #edc
Help me wish my youngest, @aysadarter a happy birthday today! I’m so proud of you, and I just couldn’t do this life without you! You are beautiful, strong, smart, caring, and important. Have the BEST birthday! #happybirthday #daughtersarethebest #daughtersbirthday #prouddad
After shooting the horses last week with flash lighting, I returned to my catalog from Camargue, France and started going through my unedited work.
I recommend to people often to go back through old catalogs to see what they can find. Usually three are some great images in there that we overlook the first, or even the second time. I think this is one of those images. Honestly, I am not even sure that I ever got through all the images from that trip. I’m glad I took the time to do it today, because I really like this image. Let me know your thoughts! #horses #horse #camargue #camarguehorse #sonyalpha #horsephotograpy
Another shot from the horses in Yukon, Oklahoma the other night. Looking forward to shooting some more horses soon! Thanks to Aaron, Reba, and Joe for providing the horses, and thanks again to @bryan_pearson_photography and @trawickimages! #horsephotograpy #horse #horsesofinsta #flashphotography
I’ve wanted to photograph horses for a long time now in a flash setting that looks like studio portraits. I recently got an opportunity to do that, and my friend Bryan Pearson and I were able to get some great Westcott lighting from Robert Tarwick. This video goes over the process that we used to get some really fantastic images! Pt. 3 #horse #horses #flashphotography #westcottlighting #sonyalpha
I’ve wanted to photograph horses for a long time now in a flash setting that looks like studio portraits. I recently got an opportunity to do that, and my friend Bryan Pearson and I were able to get some great Westcott lighting from Robert Tarwick. This video goes over the process that we used to get some really fantastic images! Pt. 2 #horse #horses #westcottlighting #horsephotograpy #flashphotography