julia trotti | youtube photography tutorials
Using vintage lenses is a fun way to capture interesting images. For this portrait photoshoot I am using the Sony A7IV with the 7 element Super Takumar 50mm f1.4. To be able to use this lens on my Sony A7IV, I am using an M42 to Sony FE adaptor. This particular Super Takumar is quite yellowed. It caused a mixture of results on the day.
This is the last part of my mammoth blog series from my time in Prague, Czech Republic. I have recently been loving shooting on 35mm film again, specifically with point and shoot cameras. I brought the Contax T2 and Olympus Mju-ii with me on this trip and I used both those cameras to take the photos in this blog post. I used 2 film stocks including Fujifilm C200 in the Mju-ii and Portra 160 in the Contax.
Our final day in Prague included another sunrise start. The best way to capture stunning shots of a city in the middle of summer is to get up before everyone else does haha. This morning we decided to head to the Prague Old Town Square. WOW it was beautiful with the bright, sunrise light streaming through the buildings.
Unlike our first day in Prague, on day 2 Dan and I managed to wake up at sunrise. Since we are here in the middle of summer, it gets extremely busy during the day. In order to be able to capture photos of the city, we need to get up as early as possible! The bonus side to having quiet streets is early in the morning, you also have beautiful soft light to work with as well.
After a busy first day exploring Prague under the summer sun, Dan and I took some time to relax and do some shopping. We ended up at FotoSkoda to take a look at the film cameras and I also bought a cross body camera strap in green. Having a camera strap around my neck is too uncomfortable during long days shooting! It's been a long 4 years since I've travelled anywhere so I'm learning all over again along the way.
It was a slow, rainy 5 hour drive from Poznan, Poland to make it to Prague, Czech Republic. We arrived in the late afternoon and checked into our hotel. It was one of the only hotels left in the city with parking which was a tight squeeze to get into. We dropped off our bags and wandered around the streets of Prague during the light afternoon rain which felt so fresh in the middle of summer.
The Samyang V-AF 75mm T1.9 is a full frame, Sony E-mount lens. For photography, I am using this prime lens on the Sony A7IV and the A7sIII for video. This V-AF 75mm T1.9 is part of Samyang's new video lens line up.
The Tamron 50-400mm f4.5 - f6.3 is a full frame, Sony E-mount lens. For this portrait photoshoot I am using this lens on the Sony A7IV. This Tamron 50-400mm is a zoom lens with an incredible amount of versatility.
I thought I would share my street photography separately in this post instead. I captured all these photos with my Sony A7IV + GM 35mm f1.4.
Finally, the travel blogs are back!! It's been 3 years since I went overseas, my last trip being to Scotland to do photography for a wedding. Now that the Australian borders have opened again, Dan and I decided to head back to Gdansk, Poland to see his family. By the end of our first whirlwind week we were ready to head off on our month-long road trip. First stop - Poznan, Poland!
The Samyang 85mm f1.4 AF mkII is a full frame lens for Sony E-Mount. For this review, I am using the Samyang 85mm f1.4 II on the Sony A7IV for photography and the Sony A7sIII for video. In this review, we are checking out how the Samyang 85mm f1.4 mark 2 performs in a real-world setting at a portrait photoshoot. This Samyang 85mm f1.4 II is a moderately priced lens with a fantastic balance between sharp image quality and character.
The Sony A7RV is a full frame, 61 megapixel camera for stills and video. The A7RV weighs 723g, almost as heavy as the flagship Sony A1 which weighs 736g. The Sony A7RV received a huge overhaul to Sony's well known eye AF. The A7RV now uses an AI processing unit to improve the camera's subject recognition capabilities. The new AI processing unit allows the A7RV to have better accuracy with autofocus and more variety in autofocus subjects. These autofocus subjects include humans, animals, birds, insects, trains, planes and cars. Watch my Sony A7RV real world review video below. I share real time human, animal and insect subject recognition examples in stills and video.
The Tamron 20-40mm Di III VXD is a wide angle zoom lens with a fixed aperture of f2.8. This is a full frame, E-mount lens so I am using for this portrait photoshoot on the Sony A7IV. Watch my review video below to see unedited, straight out of camera photos at 100% crop. Throughout the video I share comparison images with lenses of similar focal ranges.
The iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max features a main camera of 48 megapixels. Throughout this review, I am capturing photos in both JPG and RAW. When in JPG mode, the iPhone 14 Pro produces 12 megapixel files. To access the full 48 megapixel sensor, you need to shoot in Apple ProRaw.
The Google Pixel 7 makes use of a 50 megapixel Quad Bayer sensor. This is the same sensor we are seeing in the Google Pixel 7 Pro. The main camera of the Pixel 7 is the full frame equivalent of 24mm and makes use of autofocus. During this Pixel 7 camera review I am shooting with RAW + JPG.
The Google Pixel 7 Pro features a 50 megapixel Quad Bayer wide camera. This is in the phones default camera, which has an aperture of f1.85 and is the full frame equivalent focal length of 24mm. Throughout this portrait photoshoot I am shooting with both raw and jpg simultaneously. This is a feature I have always appreciated about Pixel devices. It's great to have the option between a ready to go JPG or a RAW .dng file to edit to your liking.
The Google Pixel 6a has a 12 megapixel ultra wide rear camera. It has an aperture of f2.2 and has a 114° field of view. The ultrawide camera has rich and true to life colours. The example photos I am sharing below are all unedited JPGs from the Pixel 6a. I really like the dynamic range of the ultrawide camera, there is plenty of detail and colour throughout the entire photo.
The Tokina Firin 100mm f2.8 Macro is a prime lens for Sony E-mount. I am using this lens on the Sony A7IV in the studio. I wanted a minimal look for today's beauty shoot so I am using the Silvertone backdrop from Superior. I styled Bella in an off the shoulder top so we don't have any outfits or fabrics distracting from the portraits.
During this photoshoot on the streets of Sydney, I share 5 composition tips to improve your portraits. I take you through my thought process when taking portraits in busy locations and share what to look out for to capture beautiful portrait of your subject.
The Samyang 35mm f1.4 mkII is a prime lens for Sony E mount. I am testing this lens out on location to see how it performs in the real world at a portrait photoshoot. I am using the Samyang 35mm f1.4 II on the Sony A7IV for photography and on the A7sIII for video tests.
