Photographing in Nepal - it will definitely work with this equipment
24.3.2017
Translation: machine translated
Whether it's breathtaking landscapes or impressive portraits. Nepal has a lot to offer. In this article, Tolis Fragoudis explains which cameras he had with him, which lenses he used for this project and why it's worth editing his images.
What kind of camera do you use?
I am often asked this question. Counter question: Have you ever looked at a painter's painting and then asked him what kind of brush he uses? Probably not, unless you are a painter yourself and want to talk about the properties of the brush. Basically, it doesn't matter to me what brand of camera you use. For me, it's about how you handle the camera and what you make of it. I've already seen some photos from cheaper cameras than mine and was no less impressed. Of course, cameras from different manufacturers have different strengths and weaknesses, but the important thing is how you use the camera.
A sports photographer probably has different needs than a landscape photographer, it's kind of obvious. But what it really comes down to is controlling the light. This is what unites all cameras in the world. If we translate the word "photographer" from ancient Greek, it means "to draw with light". This is exactly what photografie is all about. The essence is to control the light input of the camera and play it in your favour. Anyone who is familiar with aperture, shutter speed and ISO knows that these three attributes do exactly that in the first instance: they regulate the sensitivity of the light. Of course, advanced photographers also know how to use the side effects such as depth of field and long exposures to their advantage and what effects high ISO numbers have. They are also aware of the character strengths of different lenses - but let's leave it at that.
Ok, but which camera?
As a photographer and filmmaker, I have my needs and preferences and I choose my equipment accordingly. To say it up front: I wouldn't presume to claim that my cameras are better than others, because that would be arrogant. I simply own the cameras that I know from my own experience have the greatest potential to realise my projects the way I imagine them in my visions. There is also the familiarity with the camera. I play with the camera like a practised guitarist who blindly knows where to find the notes on the guitar. A camera is "only" a tool to create something that can enchant people. Whatever the camera, inspiration and passion are reason enough to take photos. Without inspiration and passion, even a more expensive mirrorless camera won't help you.
Sony, Canon, Nikon, Pentax, Fujifilm?
Well, now I should probably let the cat out of the bag. I work on the ground with two cameras: the Sony Alpha 7R II and the Sony Alpha 7S II. A drone is used in the air - more on this in the next article. Don't let anyone tell you that the camera with more pixels is the better one. More pixels does not mean better photos! The two system camera flagships from Sony have different strengths and excel on different levels.
I use the Alpha 7R II mainly for taking photos and mostly during the day. I use the Alpha 7S II when the lighting conditions are difficult. But that's not always the case, there's no rule without exceptions! I film with both Sony Alphas. However, I prioritise the A7S II because it makes post-processing easier. There are whole books on this. I'll try to summarise it very simply: I use the new Picture Profile Slog3 on the A7S II. The A7R II can work up to Slog2. With Slog3, I have a little more dynamic range in the shading and brightness, which in turn leads to better highlight results. Provided that I didn't overexpose or underexpose too much during the shoot. The format is a little flatter than Slog2 and therefore offers even more creativity in colour grading. However, it is also very time-consuming, as it involves extensive post-processing.
But what about the pixels? I am not a technical specialist and therefore do not go into the mathematical area distribution of the pixels on the sensor. In simple terms, the noise behaviour of the Alpha 7S II in dark light is significantly lower than that of the Alpha 7R II with a higher pixel count. My experience is that more noise reduces the quality of sharpness.
This implies that the A7S II has more sharpness in the dark even though it has fewer pixels? I think everyone should let that correlate with their own experience and make up their own mind. For me, the A7R II clearly has its strengths in landscape photos in normal light. Especially if you want to print posters or simply need to crop your portrait photos afterwards, the A7R II shows its strength. But for me personally, the most important criterion of the A7R II is the dynamic range. I'm always amazed at how much underexposed and how much overexposed you can save.
Why doesn't anyone ask about my lens?
As I mentioned before, people ask me a lot what kind of camera I use. They never ask about my lens. The same camera can deliver completely different results with two different lenses. There are also big differences in the quality of the images.
A good lens can differ enormously from others simply because of its own character. Whether prime or zoom is then more a question of use. I mainly employ prime lenses. Fixed focal lengths mean a lot more work, as you are constantly changing lenses and sometimes miss a spontaneous scene because the wrong lens is mounted. But the results are very convincing, not to mention the creativity you get with large apertures. For me, it was the lenses that decided whether I would develop to "next level" or not.
Over time, you start collecting lenses like stamps, because there are so many cool things that inspire your creativity. But it must be mentioned here too: Prime is not automatically better, just different. There are insanely good zoom lenses that I myself really appreciate and that do a better job in certain circumstances, such as the Sony FE 16-35 mm and the Sony FE 70-200 mm.
Postproduction - the post-processing
I'll start like this ... I don't send out a single image that hasn't been through post-production. In other words, it has been edited in one software or another. For me, this is just as essential as the camera or the lens itself. I shoot exclusively in RAW for the greatest possible dynamic range and use picture profiles in the camera to keep the images as flat as possible and thus realise their full potential in post-production.
In other words ... I always operate the camera fully manually (M mode) and don't let the camera decide what the picture should look like. I always set the sharpness, saturation, colour tone, clarity, shading, brightness and much more myself! Personally, I prefer to have total control over every image and therefore post-processing is essential. There is no right and wrong here, everyone should decide for themselves whether they feel comfortable with post-production or without (straight from the camera). Everyone should also find out for themselves how far they want to go in post-production, because that is the artistic freedom that everyone can and should take.
Whether a photo ends up looking realistic, unrealistic, creative or uncreative should be up to you. The question is simply, what makes you happiest? This is exactly the type of photography or post-processing you should be doing. The one that visually appeals to you the most.
Photography is art ... and art means total freedom! "My only goal is to live my life at my fullest potential."
Tolis also had the following lenses in his camera bag
Want more? Leave a little heart, or write me in the comments
There is the possibility of more articles from me. For example, my drone videos. What do you think, would you be interested in that?
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Header image: Tolis Fragoudis: "My only goal is to live my life at my fullest potential."
I am an audio-visual artist, photo and videographer. I photograph and shoot videos for sports, events and image campaigns. Once a year I take the liberty of travelling the world for two months. Here I create my very personal film projects. My roots come from Greece, I grew up in Graubünden and now I have been living in Zurich for many years. You can find more about my projects on <a href="http://www.tolisart.com/" target="_blank">tolisart.com/</a>.
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