Sony a7S photography – North to South

June 27, 2016May 5, 2019

Puffin Watching on Iceland’s South Coast (Dyrhólaey, Iceland)

Puffin Watching on Iceland's Southern Coast (Dyrhólaey, Iceland)

So you’re dying to see puffins on your trip to Iceland, eh? I’m no bird watcher, but that was me, on our inaugural trip to Reykjavik this summer. Unfortunately, we discovered, they’re not as common as horses and sheep, and we almost went our whole 6-day trip without finding them.

Once we did, however, it was magical! We saw upwards of 80 birds swimming, fishing, flying and waddling, and there were always around 10 of them a short 3-5 meter distance away. If you’re visiting Reykjavik during puffin season and don’t mind a 2+ hour drive, read on for our simple tips for locating these beautiful birds and the photos we captured once we (finally) found them.

August 28, 2015June 22, 2017

[VIDEO] Just Released: Burning Man 2014 Caravansary — Now Who’s Ready for Burning Man 2015?

A year has passed since last year’s burn, so it was high time we buckled down and finally edited our footage from Burning Man 2014. And with Burning Man 2015 starting tomorrow, maybe the timing is perfect after all. Hope you enjoy!

Burning Man 2014 Video by Ian Norman

Cameras: Sony a7S | Sony a6000

Lenses: Sony E 20mm f/2.8 | Voigtlander 21mm f/4 Color Skopar | Voigtlander 40mm f/1.4 Nokton

Unfortunately, we somehow lost one of our memory cards last year, so we’re missing out on some memories, but I think we still had a good amount left. Don’t you? Continue reading “[VIDEO] Just Released: Burning Man 2014 Caravansary — Now Who’s Ready for Burning Man 2015?”

August 10, 2015June 22, 2017

Proof that PHOTOS Make the Best Souvenirs: 9 Awesome Travel Portraits to Capture on Your Next Vacation

9 Awesome Travel Portraits and How to Capture Them on Your Next Vacation

Are you a serial souvenir collector? Always gotta grab something from the gift shop to remember your trip?

What if I told you there’s a better way to remember that vacation than shelling out money at souvenir stands? This trip, say no to souvenirs and take a more active (and fun) approach to capturing memories: photography.

Here we’ve put together a collection of our favorite travel photos, complete with how-to instructions for capturing a similar shot of your own. Whether you’re city-, beach-, or outdoor adventure-bound… we’ve got a photo idea for you. You DON’T have to be an expert photographer, either. Almost all of these shots are beginner-friendly.

So grab your camera and put on your best face for your very own vacation portrait shoot! Continue reading “Proof that PHOTOS Make the Best Souvenirs: 9 Awesome Travel Portraits to Capture on Your Next Vacation”

February 3, 2015June 22, 2017

Shot of the Week: Desert Shenanigans (Jawbone Canyon, USA)

Shot of the Week: Christmas Tree Burn in Jawbone Canyon 2015

What do you get when you combine fire, truckloads of Christmas trees, ample libations, a 10-ball roman candle, Santa, a full-size school bus, an acoustic guitar, and a ton of people you know — plus even more you don’t know — summing up to a crowd of (probably) over 100 people? (Did anyone count?)

A recipe for disaster? Maybe. But we survived. And the answer’s not Burning Man, either. But it’s similar… (read on to find out!)

The above photo was taken with the Sony a7s and Sony E 10-18 f/4 OSS. Continue reading “Shot of the Week: Desert Shenanigans (Jawbone Canyon, USA)”

January 24, 2015June 22, 2017

Shot of the Week: Hump Day Jump Day (Malibu, USA)

Shot of the Week: Diana jump at Zuma Beach in Malibu, California

The two of us have been keeping VERY busy this week prepping for the launch of our new photography website, The Photon Collective. As a result, we’ve visited a variety of landscapes. Lake Tahoe over the weekend, Rocky Peak on Monday… And on Wednesday, it was the beach, in my old college town of Malibu, California.

This week’s photo is a shot of me jumping as the daylight faded away at Zuma Beach. We’d just finished capturing some footage for our website’s video teaser, which we cut together last night! (Keep reading for the video at the bottom of this post.)

The above photo was taken with the Sony a7s and Sony 55mm f/1.8. Continue reading “Shot of the Week: Hump Day Jump Day (Malibu, USA)”

January 15, 2015June 22, 2017

Shot of the Week: Bonsai Beach Winter Sunset (Lake Tahoe, USA)

We’ve been spending this past week up around Lake Tahoe, and it’s been amazing! Since it hasn’t been brutally cold this trip, we’ve enjoyed the outdoors quite a bit: skiing, flying in a seaplane, taking photos… it’s been super relaxing. (And our little Yaris is doing just fine with no snow or ice on the roads!) When choosing this week’s photo, I wanted to share the chilly, calm feeling of winter in Lake Tahoe, and I think this shot captures it perfectly.

This week’s shot is a photo of me that Ian took this afternoon. We were out shooting photos near the infamous Bonsai Rock along the eastern shore of Lake Tahoe. (Said rock is the large rock on the left side of the photo. It’s hard to see with the lack of light, but there’s a small tree growing out of the top of the rock, giving Bonsai Rock its name.) While Ian took photos, I had a good time rock-hopping like a 5-year-old! And with the low lake level this season, my favorite winter boots kept my feet dry when I landed in the water near the shore.

The above photo was taken with the Sony a7s and Sony E 10-18 f/4 OSS and edited with the Down preset from The Quantum Collection, our free pack of Lightroom presets available beginning February 10, 2015 on our new photo website, The Photon Collective.

Continue reading “Shot of the Week: Bonsai Beach Winter Sunset (Lake Tahoe, USA)”

January 9, 2015June 22, 2017

Shot of the Week: Love and Traffic in Los Angeles (USA)

Ian and I have set forth on a new photo challenge for the new year — a 365 project — with the goal of taking one photo each day for a year. And guess what that means for our shot of the week post series… This year it’ll be even better!

Our first choice is actually not one photo, but two. It’s a combination of a long exposure image of the 118 freeway at night in L.A. and a silhouette image of the two of us just before sunset on the Rocky Peak Trail in Simi Valley.

Both photos were taken with the Sony a7s and Sony 55mm f/1.8, and we combined the two using Adobe Photoshop. Want to learn this photo technique? Ian will soon be posting a tutorial on our new creative photography website, The Photon Collective, launching next month! Continue reading “Shot of the Week: Love and Traffic in Los Angeles (USA)”