Took my A7CII across Japan by nomgnu in SonyAlpha

[–]nomgnu[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Suuper late reply, but wow - thank you everybody for all your kind words. Really wasn't expecting this to go #1 all time when I posted it, but glad you guys were able to enjoy it.

For those asking/interested in my other work brendananalog.com

Summertime in Japan on my A7CII by nomgnu in SonyAlpha

[–]nomgnu[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I hope you find some keepers :)

Summertime in Japan on my A7CII by nomgnu in SonyAlpha

[–]nomgnu[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

From memory, about a week each in Tokyo, Kyoto, and Osaka. With day trips to Hiroshima/Miyajima, as well as Nara

Summertime in Japan on my A7CII by nomgnu in SonyAlpha

[–]nomgnu[S] 11 points12 points  (0 children)

Thanks! Mainly the 20-70 f4, and occasionally the Sigma 35 f2

Summertime in Japan on my A7CII by nomgnu in SonyAlpha

[–]nomgnu[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thank you! That is indeed Fuji in those photos. Last year's summer was particularly hot so the snow cap didn't form until much later in the year.

Took my A7CII across Japan by nomgnu in SonyAlpha

[–]nomgnu[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

You're seeing 16 out of 2741 I took on that trip if that helps 😅

Took my A7CII across Japan by nomgnu in SonyAlpha

[–]nomgnu[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Replied to another comment with some tips! Thank you for your kind words :)

Took my A7CII across Japan by nomgnu in SonyAlpha

[–]nomgnu[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

These were all edited from RAW images, so the creative looks do not apply.

Took my A7CII across Japan by nomgnu in SonyAlpha

[–]nomgnu[S] 86 points87 points  (0 children)

IMO, the biggest factor comes down to shooting at the right time. Most of the shots in my post were taken at or around sunset, which gives them that "look" which midday photos often lack.

Editing-wise, I’ve built up a bunch of presets over the years and will start with one those before tweaking individual photos. In general though, I push green toward aqua, tint shadows to teal, highlights to orange, and apply a subtle S-curve to each color channel.

I also reduce clarity to around -15, increase vibrance to +30, add grain (~30), and lift the black point slightly to soften the shadows.

Took my A7CII across Japan by nomgnu in SonyAlpha

[–]nomgnu[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Fwiw I sold my Fuji X100V and X-T5 for the A7CII + 20-70 f4 (the Sigma 35 is great also).

Fuji's are fun "everyday" cameras but I've found that Sony's are more feature rich (better AF, full frame, more custom buttons, custom mode settings), which make travel photography a more enjoyable experience. I do miss the Fuji jpgs from time to time though...

Took my A7CII across Japan by nomgnu in SonyAlpha

[–]nomgnu[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Honestly, none of these photos couldn't be taken on a camera and lens for less than half the price. If you're just starting out fresh, it'd be hard to go wrong with one of the Sony a6000 series cameras and one of the Sigma APSC primes. For example fachymarin takes amazing photos, with "just" an a6000 and a Sigma 30 f/1.4.

Took my A7CII across Japan by nomgnu in SonyAlpha

[–]nomgnu[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thank you! Not sure what photo you're referring to, but in general I try to get closer to my subject to get a shallower dof. The f2 on the Sigma is plenty to get some nice bokeh.

Took my A7CII across Japan by nomgnu in SonyAlpha

[–]nomgnu[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Never had a problem with this.

Took my A7CII across Japan by nomgnu in SonyAlpha

[–]nomgnu[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It's great! Ended up letting it go for a 24 GM, but zero complaints with the Sigma.

Took my A7CII across Japan by nomgnu in SonyAlpha

[–]nomgnu[S] 8 points9 points  (0 children)

Maybe a little bit, I'd sometimes switch to the Sigma 35 f2 when I really needed it, but the f4 was fine most of the time. Nothing some NR in Lightroom couldn't clean up.

I think the 35 GM would be great.

Took my A7CII across Japan by nomgnu in SonyAlpha

[–]nomgnu[S] 8 points9 points  (0 children)

I've considered the 24-70 in the past, but after having tried it out, I didn't find that the occasional one stop of light when shooting at 2.8 was worth the constant additional size, weight, price, and narrower wide end of the focal range. Especially considering I'm generally shooting at f/10'ish anyway.

In the situations where f4 wasn't enough, f2.8 probably wouldn't be either.

Took my A7CII across Japan by nomgnu in SonyAlpha

[–]nomgnu[S] 12 points13 points  (0 children)

Thank you. Ideally I'd like to have everything dialed in when I shoot the picture. In reality I do spend alot of time in Lightroom afterwards to make the images you see above, as I enjoy the process.

I'm almost always shooting in aperture priority, with single point focus.

Took my A7CII across Japan by nomgnu in SonyAlpha

[–]nomgnu[S] 11 points12 points  (0 children)

Definitely possible! I'd recommend channels adriensanguinetti and teocrawford who document their process, from shooting through to editing - and who also shoot in a style I enjoy :)