So the other day, Dionne Mascunana hit me up about coming out to the OC with some gear for him to test shoot with. He likes to gather at Cafe Lu but I rather be productive and get some work done in the little bits of window I get. Seeing the nice hard working ladies is always nice but I ain't got no time!
So I put some pressure on him to find some cars to shoot that same day. He told me that Phat Nguyen from Royal-Origin was down to meet up around 10pm. So I ended up rounding up some gear to shoot with along with what Dionne wanted. Photographers have it so easy compared to what video guys have to lug around.
Here is what I packed:
1. Sony A7R II
2. Canon 24-70mm 2.8 Mark II
3. Metabones EF to NEX adapter
4. Westcott Ice Light
5. Canon 1ds Mark Ii (for backup)
What I packed for Dionne:
1. DJI Ronin 3 axis gimbal
2. Sony FS700R
3. Canon 16-35mm 2.8 Mark II
4. Metabones EF to NEX adapter
The DJI Ronin case is huge. I should have taken a photo of it in the Fiat 500e but I didn't so I apologize. The rest went into my Pelican 1510 Case and off I went to meet up with Dionne and Phat.
We ended up meeting in front of Rod' Liquor in the Orange Circle. When I arrived, there was the Phat in his Cayman and Ashton Carlise in a 997 Carrera with a GT3 kit. Originally my intentions were to shoot it down the street at a self car wash joint but when we got there, it was as great as I imagined it. I took a few snaps there but ended up leaving.
I will have to find another spot to shoot the car wash shot... one day I willl
I noticed on the way to the car wash there was nice brick work the street before so we just headed that way. It was a nice quiet street so we ended up unpacking and getting the shoot on the way. I shot a month ago down the street with two NSX's so I wanted to break up the shot by having one of the cars looking like its exiting the garage. Ashton's car is so low that it ended up ripping off the front lip from the bumper but we ended up getting it managed.
Sony A7R II... first time using it on a real shoot. It's looking hopeful
Dionne fiddling with the Sony FS700R since it was his first time using it. He ended up dumping the Ronin since he didn't have time to balance it. So glad I could bring the whole thing out for you to just leave it in the car lol
I have been wanting to really nail down a lifestyle driven portfolio for cars and people but I will let time take its course. In hindsight, the only thing I wish I could have done was shot the guys acting to get back into the cars. Just to add the human element. Since this shot was rushed, I will save it for another day.
We were at this location for 30 mins or so. Just enough for me to get the shots that I needed. I took about 8 different exposures and I light painted for 4 frames. There was way too much light for proper light painting but it was enough for me to get what I needed.
Since Dionne didn't have a way to stabilize the shot with the Sony FS700R, we decided to do rolling shots. So we all got into a camera car and had the two Porsches follow in the adjacent lane. I wish I had better shots to show you guys but I was driving, Dionne was out the window and there were tons of cops on Main St in Santa Ana. But you can get a gist of what happened below.
Being an artist or being reckless? Only you can decide... lol
Lined up at a red light before they took off and blasted their sweet exhaust notes.
Somehow we ended up in Irvine off Jamboree. Since I was in the Fiat 500e, my battery was getting low and needed to recharge but nope, the Metro station didnt have one. So we just kicked it at a 76 Gas Station to fuel up. Ended up calling it a night cause these guys had to work in the morning and it was already 1:30am.
Electric at a gas station?! What in the world?
Here is the shot again so you don't have to scroll up. Hope you enjoyed it!
So the Sony A7RII was spectacular for me. Even in low light, the camera didn't hunt for focus. Had so many more options than any Canon I have ever used. I still have to wait until I can get to know all of the features but I am excited to use them. I think I am converting for sure.
The resolution is so high that it took me a good deal of time to scroll from different parts of the image. I guess that is a good and bad thing but with the Canon 24-70mm 2.8 Mark II, the image was crisp and didnt suffer any issues that I could see as of yet.
I like colors and I like contrasting colors in my images. Although it looks close to a render, I am happy with the results. I know some of you are curious about the "satellite" looking thing on top of the building. I could of taken it out like I did with the trees but I like it for some reason. Breaks up the sky so I left it. I spent 2 hours on the edit, could of done another few hours but time is money and I ain't got no more time. So on to the next!
Let me know what you think in the comments below and share!
Thanks
Andrew Manley
Orange County Automotive Photographer