After several years of flirting with the thought, I finally made the switch to a mirrorless camera. Not just any mirrorless camera, but a Sony. Having used a Nikon DSLR since the start of my photography career, this was a big deal for me. Not the camera purchase per se, but the switch to an entirely different camera brand.
Prior to the purchase of my own Sony camera, I shot with the one my colleague owned for a few times. And while I particularly enjoyed my experiences from those sessions, I don't know why I struggled with adapting to mine.
The switch ensured that I had to train my mind to learn and adapt to the color science of the Sony. Trust me, the difference in color science between a Nikon and Sony is huge. With my Nikon I was comfortable shooting at high temperature values; 5880 Kelvin and even more sometimes. With the Sony, I didn't like the results I got when I shot with the same temperature level.
Another issue I faced was colorgrading with the presets I had created while I shot with a Nikon. When I shot with a Nikon. I had created several presets that matched the backgrounds I mostly shoot against. So editing was faster. None of those seemed to work well with the photos I shot with the Sony.
To resolve my new found problem, I tasked myself to do loads of personal shoots with the Sony and get comfortable with it before I used it for paid jobs. So I invited my friends to the studio and took photos of them. One of my first muse was Latoya. She came around the studio after lectures wearing a simple yet beautiful polka dot gown. I told her about the issue I was facing with my camera and how I needed to practice with it. After she rested a bit, we got to shooting.
While shooting, I shot at different temperature settings to find the one that worked best for me. I figured out that shooting at cool temperature levels gave me better results SOOC. Well, that also depended on what I was shooting.
I loved the results from the shoot with Latoya. With the photos from the session, I was able to create a new set of presets that match my favorite brown backdrop. I love the chocolatey feel and a lot of people loved it too.
It's been a few months since the switch, and I can confidently say that I've gotten the hang of the camera, with respect to how I love my pictures to look and feel. I've shot over 10 weddings with it, and I couldn't be more happier with the results I get. Sometimes they are so good SOOC that I do minimal to no edits at all. I've also been impressed by the low light capabilities of the Sony, and the efficiency in focusing on subjects. I'm glad that the switch made sense at last.
It's been a pretty long time since my last post on Hive. My absence is due to the high volume of activities offline. Fortunately, I get to rest this month with less bookings. I hope I'm able to spend more time here and also share the amazing photos I've been able to create with the Sony so far. Until then, enjoy these photos of my good friend Latoya.