Drew_Geraci

Wildest moment for me was when we did a setup in front of the US Capitol and we had an entire tour group swing by and watch us film for the entire 3 hours which was fun. We had an audience the entire shoot! They even applauded when it was completed

What's up Scott! 😉 Good to see you mate. Finding that right timelapse location is all about finding (3) elements of motion. The more motion and more complex the scene is the better it will read on the big screen. I'm a huge fan of reflections and symmetry so that's what I look for a lot when I'm out shooting. Appreciate you taking the time to stop by and asking a question 😉

Staying up with all the digital trends is one of the most challenging but also most fun aspects of the job! I make an effort to see what trends are happening in the industry and then find ways to adapt my projects to those trends, keeping them up to date

From Instagram: "Any wild moments while filming the House of Cards intro?"

Great to have you here!! What's your favorite thing to shoot?

One of the best client/projects I've worked on had to be a very recent one with Steven Spielberg - he's been my Hollywood idol as a director for my entire life and getting the opportunity to work with him was pretty incredible. It's not every day that you get to work with these elite guys and working with him and the rest of the team on Westside Story was a thrill.

Giggity!! Hey everyone, I’m Andrew Geraci (@drewgiggity) – I am an award-winning photographer and cinematographer. My timelapse work has appeared in shows and advertisements produced by the NFL, HBO, Redbull, Apple, Nike, Discovery Channel, and more. I am a Sony Brand Ambassador and I’m thrilled to be chatting with the Sony Community today. I am happy to answer any questions you might have. I will be typing these answers in real time, so please be patient. Let’s kick things off with the first question!

Giddy up!! Can't wait. 🙂

I took my A7RV out into the wild this weekend and decided to shoot (or try to shoot) the Milkyway in northern Virginia (60 miles west of Washington, DC!). Despite the smoky haze on the horizon the RV + 24mm 1.4 was able to clearly capture the Milkyway and made it looks fantastic before a storm rolled in! I really didn't think I was going to be able to get a clean image off of the large resolution sensor but I was totally wrong. You can and it looks fantastic!! Would love to see what you've done with your RV and astro 🙂 REEL 32.mp4

It may have 16-bit internal recording but there aren't any external recorders on the market that even record in 16-bit, they just do 16-bit linear raw output into 12-bit log. 12-bit is usually the limit for external recording with external recorders. Maybe we'll see a true 16-bit soon though (for the consumer market)!

If you're looking for lenses with 'character' to really give you that cinematic feel, try renting a set of Tokina Vista 8k Primes, Cooke S4/5, or a variety of rehouse vintage glass from the 70s or 80s. It really just depends on what your budget is and the type of look you're going for. I personally love the anamorphic's from Atlas - they give a SUPER cinematic look and they're reasonably priced (for cinema lenses, haha). That being said, you can't using some of Sony's primes like the 50 1.2GM, 135 1.8, and 85 1.4. They have a more sharpened look but produce incredible cinematic imagery with the right lighting.

(This goes for both photo AND video; if you're on a tripod or gimbal turn off ALL image stabilizers (internal or on the lens)).

Hi Becky! Yes, it's good practice to turn off internal image stabilization if you're on a tripod; what you'll see happen if you leave it on is a bit of rubber banding where the sensor is trying to keep up with the motion of the tripod etc. Since the camera is already secured you can rest assured the image will look great if you turn off IS. The same is true if you use a gimbal. Hope that helps!

I try to use natural light in my portrait photography whenever possible but I will say, having a small portable light that can fill in some of the backlight really makes a difference when I'm out shooting! What's great is if you're shooting at golden hour you really don't need a powerful light source to have it show up in your frame. I'm using a simple Rotolight AEOS2 that only has about a 2-3ft throw but it adds just enough pop to really make the shots stand out and look natural at the same time! What kind of systems do you prefer to use out in the field to make your fill light pop? Shot these on my A7RV with 50mm 1.2G (My favorite combo!!)

I don't believe so, but if you have Adobe Photoshop you can combine them in just a few clicks. Hopefully, there will be some development for that feature inside of IE at some point!

I've been trying to find the best and most efficient way to do self-portraits and I'm wondering what everyone else is doing. My current setup is studio based, 3-4 lights (Aputure 300DII / 600C's), my Sony A1/A7RV, 50mm 1.2GM, and a 32" monitor for viewing via HDMI. Would love to know what YOUR workflow is!

One of the best combos I've used for urban exploration is the Sony A7RV + the 12-24mm; especially when you only bring 1 body and 1 lens with you. Most of these rooms were 90% pitch black but I was able to shoot at f2.8 @ ISO 6400 on the 7RV and WOW WOW WOW can that camera handle the dynamic range and resolution! Honestly, I didn't expect the A7RV to perform as well as it did in low light but the amount of detail left in the shadows and mid-tones really makes me a believer!! What are some of your favorite pieces of gear to shoot with if you're out on an urban exploration?

I mean technically the Sony Airpeak IS a consumer drone. Do you mean a smaller, more portable drone?

Great question! Probably going to be hush-hush again, but fingers crossed, maybe it'll be open to the public! We'll have to wait and see. Definitely a great event!

Education and licensing (video) is where my bread and butter comes from... but even that's slowing down these days, ha.

Lovely captures!! That lighting is magical 🙂

You can only add aspect ratio MARKERS to your alpha cameras, minus the FX3/FX30/FX6 (which will shoot in true 4:3 aspect ratio) otherwise you're only going to be able to physically film in 16:9 on most Alpha cameras.

Finding hidden gems around your city or town can lead to some incredible opportunities for backdrops when it comes to portraiture and even video. For me, I've lived in Virginia for almost 20 years and never knew it had a 175-year-old train tunnel that's perfect for filming in! Go out and explore because you never know what you can find. This particular location is Wilkes Street Tunnel in Old Town Alexandria, VA. Where are some locations that you like to shoot that might be hidden away?

I've been trying to vary my lenses up more when shooting with my Alpha 1, and I have to say that I'm loving the 14mm 1.8 + 50mm 1.2GM combo! You get an excellent spread of wide and tight from just those two lenses and the sharpness is incredible! What are some of your favorite lens pairings when it comes to shooting portraits?

One can hope! I suspect it won't be any time soon though.