Drew_Geraci

I recently got the opportunity to work with a good friend showcasing her talents and abilities and it was really fun getting to see how we each worked. It was a first for me (I usually work independently) but it was refreshing to learn some new tips and tricks (as well as share some of my own tips and tricks too). I highly recommend collaborating with other artists to help expand your skill sets. One of the things I learned was using 'Haze in a can' which, when added to natural light, can make for some incredible compositions for both photo and video! What are some things you've learned from others while on the job?

Cityscapes, Urban Exploration, Epic Landscapes.

Welcome to the family! Love your maternity photos!

I've had focusing issues (for Video) on almost all of my lenses but re-attaching the lens often fixes it. Not sure if it's the lens or the body. It can definitely be frustrating.

Easiest way to make a good comp! Tripods are your best friend (as is constant lighting).

Was super excited for it... until the clouds came in, haha

Realistically I don't think there's much traffic going to those portions of the website and likely why this new 'Alpha Communities' page was set up. Way more interaction happening here and easier to use!

Welcome to the community! Great to have you! Love your mix of landscape/portraits.

One of the biggest challenges (as I see) for photographers and cinematographers is coming up with new and interesting compositions. I've recently started to use more graphical lenses (35mm, 50mm) to film a lot of my shots so they're more compact and robust with what fills the frame. I find if the shot isn't wide enough I'll just back my camera up vs grabbing a wider lens. I'm also a huge fan of looking for interesting shots that aren't always right in front of you. Reflections are my jam! What about you? What do you look for to create new and interesting compositions?

Fog is probably one of the best things to photograph for a landscape photographer! Hope you get some good fog soon!

I'm just excited about the focus stacking and the new monitor!! Everything I ever wanted in a camera 🙂

The amount of light might indicate why the focus is going crazy but to put it bluntly the 90mm Macro is one of Sony's first lenses and doesn't have the same AF technology you would find in their newer lenses. I think we're all waiting on pins and needles for a new Macro to launch (and hopefully soon!). For the time being, I would recommend using more light (so it can see the contrast needed to find focus) or use manual focus and a micro-adjuster ball head so you can move mm back and forth for the perfect focus.

I agree! I think both S-Cinetone and SLog3/S-Gamut3.cine are the two best options to choose for the best color grading options.

Awww those look so cute!!

Love how the water looks and feels in that middle shot!

A question I get at least 2 or 3 times a week is 'what type of monitor' should be used for the best processing of color when it comes to grading photos and video. While there's no one model or brand that I will say does it all (cheaply, with solid color, and future proof) some things you want to look out for when getting a monitor would be the following; Make sure it has at least 98-100% of the DCI-P3 color space, 100% sRGB, 100% AdobeRGB. If you're planning on grading professional HDR video, also make sure it has at least 1000 nits and a BT.2020 color range of at least 80-85%. Another important aspect is the type of monitor screen you select, it goes (in terms of quality) LCD < LED < IPS < IPS BLACK < OLED. In terms of screen quality OLED will almost always beat out anything else on the market, followed by the new re-designed IPS BLACK which is kind of like the goldilocks of screen types as it has characteristics of both OLED and IPS (and it is usually cheaper than OLED). The last aspect to look at is how easily the monitor can be calibrated by multiple color calibrators. Certain manufacturers don't allow for 3rd party color calibration (mainly Apple) which is usually why major production houses steer clear of those types of monitors due to their inability to match industry standards (for video). An aspect that's really a personal choice at this point would be screen resolution; while 1080p is still great and usually means it's cheaper, a 4k or even 8k monitor will afford you more pixels and workspace; allowing you to see your final images in ultra crispy detail. So the question is, what kind of monitor(s) are you using now and do you plan on upgrading anytime soon?

Race days are always fun, so many fun people to capture!

Beautiful photos my friend! Love the tones and compositions!

If I know I'm going to be staying on location somewhere (for an extended period of time) and then venturing out during the day to film, I'll bring WAY more than I need so I can switch my bag up on site, that way I can still travel light and bring what I need, but switch my loadout if the day calls for something different. AKA, I'll bring my 70-200, 12-24, 50mm 1.2, 200-600, 16-35, and 24-70 but when I actually leave to shoot I'll only bring 1/2 of that. I also make sure that I can fit everything in my carry-on which isn't too hard, it's just heavy!

I've always found primes to be my favorite types of video lenses because it forces me to move around my subject and my scene, rather than using a zoom to recompose and reframe. That being said, I think my all-time favorite video lens is the 24-105G, simply because it's like a jack of all trades. While it's not the fastest, it IS super sharp and the color/image quality looks divine. I'm also partial to the new 50mm 1.2GM because WOW, it makes everything look so good! What about you? What are your favorite lenses to use for video?

In that same vein are you comfortable with how AI is using photography to create scenes that don't actually exist as long as it makes you say WOW? Much like how sky/particle/light/subject replacement is used in some other types of photography?

NYC definitely has one of the best! I'm also partial to San Franciso and DC 🙂

The problem is how the camera actually connects to the internet/wifi. At this point, it's super cumbersome and takes a bit of time to do. They would need a dedicate wifi/connection button that could easily connect to a network and disconnect without requiring you to log in each time etc. Hopefully, in the future, this will be the norm though! We'll see.

The web-swab kits from Amazon are amazing and it's super easy to do yourself. Like everyone else is mentioning a blower is the #1 choice, followed by a sensor brush and then wet-sensor cleaning. I do my cameras at least once or twice a month.

In a pinch, trashbags work great!! Otherwise, I use a variety of rain gear from Kata - surprisingly cheap and super effective.