LIVE AMA with Dane Isaac

[alpha-jessica-a]

Dane Isaac is a New York City-based commercial, portrait and street photographer and a Sony Brand Ambassador. You can check out some of his work on his instagram.

Dane will be participating in a text based AMA here on the forums on May 16th at 6pm ET!! Dane will be answering any questions about commercial, portrait and street photography, working with commercial clients, gear, editing, and lighting. We'd love to have you join us for the AMA.

 

[alpha-jessica-a]

We’re excited to have Dane Isaac in the community for this live AMA. This is a great time to learn and connect with Dane on his work, ask questions about how he got to the level he is at today and any tips or tricks you’d like to know! Please be patient, as Dane will be typing responses out as questions come in.

[Dane Isaac]

Hi! My name is Dane Isaac – I am a New York City-based commercial, portrait, and street photographer who focuses on the usage of light for storytelling. I am also a Sony Brand Ambassador. I’m excited to be here with you today. We can talk about anything including street and portrait photography, lighting, editing, gear, and more. I will be typing these answers in real-time, so please be patient with my responses!

[alpha-jessica-a]

Let's start off with a question that came in via email: Do you ever get nervous approaching people on the street?

[Dane Isaac]

Let's start off with a question that came in via email: Do you ever get nervous approaching people on the street?

Great question! Short answer: yes. I don't approach people on the street as much but if I ever have to I think about icebreakers to help drop the guard of that person. A solid ice breaker is a compliment. (keep is classy)

[etgar]

I'd love to know how you come up with your concepts for portraits?

[Dane Isaac]

I'd love to know how you come up with your concepts for portraits?

Hey Etgar, nice to meet you! I try to let the concepts come from the person or people I am shooting. It could be where they are from, their energy, their passions etc

[nodav]

How do you capture authentic moments so quickly?

[Dane Isaac]

How do you capture authentic moments so quickly?

Lots of practice. I believe that repetition helps you get more efficient in how you work.

[sowil]

Do you use presets? If so, does it help you stay consistent when editing bigger batches of imagery?

[miar]

What's your go-to camera?

[Dane Isaac]

Do you use presets? If so, does it help you stay consistent when editing bigger batches of imagery?

I have a bunch of my presets saved. I reference them when I start a new edit but I like editing from scratch.

[Dane Isaac]

Do you use presets? If so, does it help you stay consistent when editing bigger batches of imagery?

But usually, I use that edit to batch edit a session

[Dane Isaac]

Quote

What's your go-to camera?

Currently its the a7rV, used to be the a7riii

[EJohnson]

What's your go-to camera?

And do you have a go-to lens?

[Dane Isaac]

Quote

What's your go-to camera?

24-70 GM! but my favorite lens is the 35mm GM

[alpha-jessica-a]

Another question from email: How do you attract corporate clients? I would love to build that up more but I don’t know how to get started with companies!

[EJohnson]

What do you like about your Sony setup?

[Dane Isaac]

Another question from email: How do you attract corporate clients? I would love to build that up more but I don’t know how to get started with companies!

Build up a portfolio of work. Clients would prefer to reference a body of work before they hire you. Instagram counts as a portfolio but it's limited. I would also advise to build a website.

[Dane Isaac]

What do you like about your Sony setup?

It's reliable and versatile!

[Dane Isaac]

What do you like about your Sony setup?

I hardly ever feel like there's a situation I am unable to capture.

[avmil]

If you could give advice to a creator who is just starting out, what would it be?

[Dane Isaac]

If you could give advice to a creator who is just starting out, what would it be?

Create! The more you experiment the quicker you'd find your voice. Also, become a student of the game and be open to learning new things, forever.

[LLSmith]

Does your lighting setup change when you’re shooting in black and white?

[alpha-jessica-a]

Question from email: What is your typical lighting setup?