"Tres Hermanas" Photo Shoot - Three Beautiful (models) Sisters from Juarez, Mexico

Before we get into the photo gallery, let me give a big shout out to these three amazing models. I had posted a couple of "teaser" photos on my various pages to get people excited to see the photo gallery and neglected to post their links, so let me just get that out of the way, right up front and up top. To see more of these girls on their personal Instagram accounts just visit the following links:

Keyrah Dayana https://www.instagram.com/keyrahdayana_95/
Barbie Zulay https://www.instagram.com/barbie_zulay/
Betzaira - https://www.instagram.com/betzaira_m/

Also my hair and make up artist, Cynthia https://www.instagram.com/cynthiafu2/
And of course Jorge who was shooting video and also shot some of the photos https://www.instagram.com/pictureyouthis/

From L to R: Barbie @barbie_zulay Betzaira @betzaira_m Keyrah @keyrahdayana_95

I knew there was something special about these girls when I met them at a recent photographer / model meet up https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Izbm0bgcen4, but I had no clue that they were sisters, three of them no less! I was impressed to see that their mother had accompanied them to that photo shoot, after all, no only are they youngsters, just teenagers really, but they come from across the border in Juarez, Mexico. Aspiring models like them definitely need a chaperone and who better than a parent.

Both parents came with the sisters to our photo shoot, not only was it a pleasure to meet them but a blessing also because as it turned out, their father had the same exact eye surgery that my dad is having tomorrow and he was able to reassure my dad about the procedure. It had gone well for him, which was news to my fathers ears because he was feeling a little apprehensive about having someone cutting up his retina or whatever they are going to do to it.

Now then, back to the photo shoot. Some people might think these three sisters are too skinny, but for the modeling world, they are just right. These beautiful young ladies were dropping jaws left and right in their bikinis and I think you'll enjoy the photos as much as we enjoyed the photo shoot.

Needless to say, I look forward to working with these girls again soon.

Cameras:

Sony A7II
Sony A99

Lenses:

Sony Zeiss 24-70mm f/2.8 a mount
Sony Zeiss 55mm f/1.8 e mount

Betzaira - @betzaira_m

Barbie - @barbie_zulay

Keyrah - @keyrahdayana_95

Stay tuned for more!

Minolta 100mm Macro f/2.8 on Sony A7II with LA-EA4 Adapter

One of the few A mount lenses I kept to use on my E mount mirrorless cameras (having sold ALL of my A mount cameras) is Minolta 100mm Macro f/2.8 lens. Admittedly, I haven't shot very much macro photography, if at all, but I really want to shoot more. I know I have a lot to learn in this area of photography. But one of the things I do know, is that you either need some macro extension tubes OR a really good macro lens.

For those of you who don't know, macro lenses allow you to focus for extreme close up shots. This is used a lot to photography insects, flowers etc.

I sold nearly all of my A mount lenses when I switched over to mirrorless digital cameras exclusively, but this Minolta survived the cut.

I was watching "Das Boot" for about the 40th time tonight, had buried my sorrows in a tub of Baskin Robbins Chocolate Chip ice cream and was generally bored. One of the luxuries of owning a sizeable inventory of cameras, is that I am never at a loss for a photography subject. So, I grabbed one of the all time classic cameras, the Leica M3 and dropped a simple, one light set-up so I could capture some sample shots with the Minolta Macro lens.

As you can see below, the results are impressive. Consider this, all photos were taken HAND HELD using only one small LED light. Imagine the possibilities when it's done right, with a tripod and plenty of lighting!

Naturally, you'll want to use manual focus when shooting macro but just for your peace of mind, the auto focus works flawlessly with the LAE-EA4 adapter.

Sony A7II with Minolta 100mm Macro f/.28 lens and Sony LA-EA4 adapter

Close up of a Carl Zeiss Lens Hood on a Zeiss Planar 50mm f/2. lens.

Film advance lever and shutter speed selection dial close up.

 

The classic Leica M3 double stroke.

On the Street with Sony Zeiss 35mm f/2.8 and Sony A7II

From what I've experienced so far with the Sony A7II I'm seriously considering selling off all of my A Mount glass and Sony DSLR's and completely switching over to mirrorless E Mount. The quality is off the charts, and the camera bodies are smaller and lighter, so are the lenses for that matter.

I don't out my Sony A7II often enough, normally that's because I'm shooting stuff for the army most of the time and that can be a harsh, rough environment. I tend to throw my Sony A77's in the bag for that kind of work. Don't mind getting those bodies roughed up a little. But this A7II is like a Mercedes Benz. I just want to keep a cover on it, wash and detail it every weekend.

But, cameras are for shooting, so this weekend I have a pass and am spending my liberty down near Ansan, South Korea doing street photography (and picking up a Sony RX100 IV from my dealer).

I just got back to my hotel room and wanted to share some quick snap shots from a short walk on the streets around my hotel.

This camera and lens combination is awesome and versatile. 35mm is a good focal length for street photography but I think I prefer the 50 because I can get in a little closer when it counts without disturbing the subject.

Here are a few shots from the Sony A7II mounted with the Sony Zeiss 35mm f/2.8 E Mount. These images are straight from the camera, untouched. .jpg / fine Approx 6mb file size.

Hotel lobby. ISO 6400. Wow, great in low light, just like the A6000.

The images above and below are cropped about 75%. Still maintains tremendous detail!

Sony Zeiss FE 35mm f/2.8

I haven't shot with it nearly enough, and the only reason I can think of why is that I have been shooting photos for my job in the army more than anything else, and there is NO WAY I am ever taking my Sony A7M2 out of the bag to shoot army stuff. There's far too much dirt and dust and it just wouldn't be smart to expose a camera like this to possible damage in a military shooting environment.

That being said, by far, it's the best digital camera in my inventory. I'm not really that keen on spending close to $3000 for the new A7RII and I don't have a practical need for a 42mp camera at this time. My A7II does everything I need and produces extremely high quality images BUT (here's the rub) I don't have a lot of native lenses for this full-frame e-mount camera. I do have the Sony LA-EA4 adapter, and that's great that I can mount all my a-mount glass, but as far as native e-mount glass, I'm limited. 

I have the 28-70mm kit lens, and it's pretty good, but not spectacular. I also have the outstanding Zeiss Loxia 50mm f/2 but it's manual focus only. So I wanted a high-quality, versatile, auto focus lens that wouldn't break the bank. The Sony Zeiss 35mm f/2.8 fit that bill. 

I bought this one used from my number one camera dealer in Korea for $540. I always buy from this particular supplier whenever possible because when I buy a used item, it is always in like new condition and he always throws in a few free goodies like a filter and lens cloth.

The Sony Zeiss 35mm f/2.8 lens is small, light weight and compact and is fitted with a unique, sort of funny looking lens hood that kind of grows on you after a while. I've only had it for a day and just shot a couple quick images with it. Please note: the sample images below were taken with a Sony A6000.

Please note: the sample images below were taken with a Sony A6000 with Zeiss 35mm f/2.8

Sample Images - Hasselblad Carl Zeiss Planar 80mm Lens Mounted on Sony A7II

I posted a photo of my Sony A7II the other day with a Hasselblad Carl Zeiss Planar 80mm lens using the Kipon adapter. Someone wanted to see more sample images so, finding myself somewhat bored today, I grabbed my camera and went on a little street photography adventure.

I recommend shooting in full manual with this type of set up. It was a bright day so I set my ISO at 100 and shutter speed of 1/500 and a few at 1/1000. For shots taken in the shade and indoors, I slowed the shutter speed down to 1/125 and I think one or two shots at 1/60.

Hasselblad Carl Zeiss Planar 80mm lens mounted on Sony A7II with Kipon adapter.

Buy the Kipon adapter at Amazon...