My Travel Tech Gear... Mainly Sony

Anonymous Art Model, Copyright 2014 Terrell Neasley

I've often been asked lots of questions about my travels and I've run into several amateur and 2 professional photographers in these four months so far. Three or four questions just about always come up and the most persistent ones have to do with my travel photo and tech gear. So I'll take a blog post to detail what I carry and why.

BODIES

I shoot Sony and I rock with two camera bodies and currently 3 lenses. The body that is pretty much my workhorse is the Sony a6500. It does everything I need. I like the smaller body-style, yet the thing is a powerful beast of a camera. Here...click the hyperlink to check ==> THE SPECS <==. I've got images stabilization and 11 frames per second when I need it. Its weather sealed with a great 24mp sensor. I actually turn off the touch screen functions. Paired with the 16-35mm f/4, it gives me a crop sensored normal perspective zoom.

Art Model Mary, Copyright 2007 Terrell Neasley

My second body is the Sony a7R2. ( ==> THE SPECS <==) Why is this body not my primary, you ask? Its because the majority of the work I'm doing doesn't require the 42 megapixels this camera uses. I save this for the work that will capture my fine art images while the a6500 will take care of my documentary work, which is about 70% of all the shots I take. I almost upgraded this body to the a7R3, but I'm glad that I didn't. At least not yet. Tempting, for sure! But here's the deal. I don't want to upgrade until I also get two new bodies. I don't want to upgrade this camera and then have to carry another battery size. Right now, both my cameras use the same battery so I can interchange them. Upgrading to the a7R3 would mean another set of 6 batteries, minimum, plus two more chargers. Can't say that's a good fit for me at the moment.

Now if I also upgraded my a6500, (which I'm not sure I'd do), the a7III uses the same battery as the a7R3. That's plausible. But even so, I'm STILL not sold on  selling my a6500. That's how much I love this camera. So basically, I'd likely carry THREE bodies, even though that's not a goal. But here's the deal. I'm not entirely sure I'd want the a7III. Its selling like hotcakes, but I think I'd rather hold off to see what Sony does with the a7S3 which is likely due soon. That would suit me better than the a7III. So I wait and practice my patience lessons. At that point, I'll decide what to do with the a6500, especially if the a7s3 is pushing 10fps at a minimum.

Anonymous Art Model, Copyright 2010 Terrell Neasley

LENSES

As for glass, I'm primarily a prime guy. I mentioned having one zoom, the 16-35mm f/4 already. I'm not upgrading to the 2.8 version because I already get killer shots with this lens. For my purposes, the G-Master version gives me no added benefit. With that, the Sony 55mm f/1.8 is super bad for my portraiture work. The smaller size is more conducive to my travel work. I did not find the 85mm G-Master to be a better lens. The 55 is the best portrait lens I have ever owned even over my Canon 85mm 1.2.

Finally, I have Sony's 90mm f/2.8 Macro lens. There is not a better one on the market, in my opinion. Its one of the sharpest lenses made for DSLR or Mirrorless. And yes, I say that knowing that I've been quoted as saying Sharpness is over-rated. Here's the deal. I needed a macro lens and Sony made one. Its not my fault that it happens to be one of the sharpest optical instruments to ever don a camera mount. I will likely also add the Sigma 20mm f/1.4 if I can make that happen when make another trip stateside. This will be my primary astro-photography, night time, and landscape lens. So I'll have 4 lenses that I travel with. Notice, there's nothing on the super telephoto front. That means that the longest lens I'll have is the 90 on my a6500 which will make it effectively a 135mm 2.8. This is purposeful. My primary perspective is wide to normal. I don't really work in the super-tele range as much.

Art Model Katherine, Copyright 2008 Terrell Neasley

PERIPHERAL

Along with those, I pack two Sony HDR-AS100V Action Cams. I use these also for documentary purposes as well as time-lapse. These are older systems, but again...no need to upgrade. These things work great for what I need them for. I use them on a table top tripod, a clamp-style grip, and a regular-size travel tripod. Its the only other battery/charger system I have and I carry six batteries for them. My iPhone 7 Plus gets a lot of work as well, both handheld and with a cellphone holder that I can mount onto a tripod. I'm still doing snap shots and video for social media with it. I have one speedlight with me. Its a Canon 430EX II that I mount with Phottix Ares wireless transmitters.

Art Model Jacinda, Copyright 2007 Terrell Neasley

I currently have no laptop I can edit on. I have never edited on one...ever. Since this is an extended travel, I don't have the choice of waiting until I return. So...I'm wracking my brain on what to get later when I come back stateside this summer (just for a few weeks). The lead candidate is the MS Surface Book 2, (maxed out 15" version) but DAMN! I do not want to pay $3500 for that thing (and accessories). Runner up is the Gigabyte Aero 15x. A bit more reasonable, but still over the $2K I'd much rather spend. Hell, maybe even that's too much. So I'll have all that sorted out by the time I return. Maybe something else will come out that meets the spec sheet and features I'm interested in. The main thing...speed. I don't want to have to wait forever rendering videos, images, or anything. Speed, but versatility, future-proof, and battery longevity.

That's it for camera tech in my bag. Looking forward to the additional gear this summer. I'll post on the new additions and eventually post on their performance.

Art Model Covenant, Copyright 2015 Terrell Neasley

The Month of August

Birthday dinner with Dana and Jacob, Boulder, CO

Street performer, Boulder, CO

What can be said about this month of August? Its probably been the strangest birthday month to date. Good things...not so good things. Four main parts to this month have been the most significant. First and foremost, I had a birthday. So that was definitely a good thing. Another day above ground is always cool. Along with that, I took a trip to Colorado. This is where it gets a little tricky, but I won't bore you with the details and specifics. Suffice to say, I didn't get to shoot any models. I didn't get to see many of the friends I went there for because I had to cut the trip short. Time was limited for the friends I did get to see. And to really put the crown on the cake, my car suddenly took a dump. It began spitting coolant everywhere.

Street performer, Boulder, CO

It took me about 16 hours to drive back and about 5 gallons of coolant. I went straight to the dealership but they could not even find a problem after keeping the car for a day. It was believed that a gas attendant I saw along the way might have fixed the issue by releasing air pockets through a bleeder valve. Well, I lasted another week before my ride started spitting coolant again. This time, my buddy Felix and his life-long friend Art came over to look at it. Art found a leak in the water pump and thought it might be wise to change out the thermostat as well. He agreed to work on my car the NEXT MORNING. What I didn't know til after I got over there was that it was HIS BIRTHDAY and we spend from 7am to almost 5pm taking apart, replacing parts, cleaning parts on my car. We took apart the entire coolant system almost and flushed both the engine and the radiator. We replaced all the hoses, installed a new water pump and thermostat, and he made my throttle body look like new again since we had to remove it to get to the thermostat. Sadly the car is STILL spitting coolant. I'm giving it a few more days to see if it may have just been overfilling it or something simple. So the jury is still out on that one. Long story short... Papa needs a brand new ride.

The deaf cat

So yeah, its been a weird month. So much so that I've got friends asking me where I've dropped off to. Photo-wise, its been mainly catching up on edits. As soon as I got back, there were two projects waiting on me still and the primary one was from a volunteer session for NILMDTS I had done a week before I left for Colorado. I did more edits on that project than any NILMDTS session to date. I didn't get many shots from Colorado either. Most of my time was spent hanging with friends and when I did try to head up into the mountains, I got stranded on the side of the road while heading up some mountains waiting for my car to quit steaming. And this has probably been the month with the most VA appointments ever!

Street Performer, Boulder, CO

But this month has definitely been a blessing too. Despite the car, I honestly can't complain. Well, maybe a little with the knee and my back, but other than those things all together, its been a blessing. I got to see 3 friends that I hadn't seen in 25 years. The only regret was that I did't get one shot of me with Kev, Jay, or Susie! I spent the majority of my time at Kevin's house and despite the 3 times we went out... not one shot. I only got to see Jay and Susie only briefly but still, not even a camera phone photo. I also to see two former models of mine that I hadn't seen in 5 years. I spent the night with one of them, Dana, (another shot of Dana) and since I wasn't going to get to do any camping, I took my sleeping bag out on her patio that was covered by a big crab-apple tree. Her boyfriend was also a former photo classmate of mine from college in Murray State University in Kentucky. They took me out for a birthday dinner that night.

I haven't done any more nudes since working with Viki Vegas in early July. So I need to change that. I think my next concept will be a little more edgy and possibly dark. Any takers? I've been doing safe and conservative for a little too long so I definitely need to spice it up a little. Come to think of it, I hadn't been doing much hiking either. Its too friggin' hot to do stuff locally, but I could easily head out to Mt Charleston or maybe something out to Utah. My last hike was with Aletha and friends in mid-July and that was Mt Charleston's Big Falls. Before that it was in June where I also camped out and did Little Falls that night and Big Falls that morning. I guess I never posted any pics from any of those hikes.

Well, the month isn't over so there's still lots I'll still have to report on. I gotta finish this thing up quick. Got another VA appointment on the other side of town. Hope the car holds up!

Mary, Katherine... Sorry I didn't get to drop in on you guys in Gunnison, CO. I'll be back that way, though... PROMISE!

Is the US Really a Parasite?

"Debt, n. An ingenious substitute for the chain and whip of the slave-driver." - Ambrose Bierce

"What can be added to the happiness of a man who is in health, out of debt, and has a clear conscience?"
- Adam Smith

"Be assured that it gives much more pain to the mind to be in debt, than to do without any article whatever which we may seem to want." - Thomas Jefferson, In letter to his daughter.

Model, Katherine

Great civilizations have come and gone since man first decided to live in a community by a water source. Nimrod built some of the Earth's great original metropolitan sprawls. Babylon, Persia, the Greeks, Rome were all powerhouses and at one time centers of the planet. The Dutch East India Company was the first to become a publicly traded corporation when they issued the first share of stock in 1602. Following this several European countries became centered on expanding their influence in colonies around the globe. The superpowers back then centered on Great Britain, France, Spain, and Portugal.

Today, that map of superpowers has to be redrawn a little bit. A paradigm shift relocated the influence away from Portugal. Most kids today couldn't find Portugal on a map and the other nations sort of keep to themselves.   The ability to maintain a space program became somewhat of a defining prerequisite to be a member of the superpower club. And right now, the United States of America can boast a superior position in this exclusive members only club. So let me get to my point. Actually, its more of a question.

How long does America have before its membership expires?

All the aforementioned great civilizations had its time, but did not sustain. The U.S. is still fairly young and I submit that we may be burning too brightly, and could potentially have a shorter life, comparatively speaking. The larger the star, the shorter the life because the immense pressures to maintain that size causes it to burn up its  hydrogen at a much faster rate than say a star like our sun. So what is America's hydrogen....CASH!

Model, Katherine

If there is any one thing with the potential to kill our nation and reserve our spots in the history books, its our national debt and the lack of cash. In one of my first Econ courses during my undergrad years, I had a professor who encouraged us to simplify huge problems by imagining them on smaller scales. The National debt and the totality of how we pay our bills is too much for me to wrap my brain around. I used to say in High School that I'd be Treasury Secretary one day. Just in case you were wondering, it didn't happen. But what I can do is model the debt crisis after me. The model and principles are still the same. I have bills to pay and I know what happens if I don't generate revenue to pay them. I also know that credit cards have to be paid off at some point. I understand full well the consequences of the transfer strategy whereby a balance is simply transferred to a new card instead of paying it off.

It took the first 204 years of our Nation's history to accumulate $1 trillion in debt. And now we are doing that every 2 or 3 years. - Jim Cooper

Model, Katherine

We have a new deadline, and it looks like congress and the president have staved off disaster by finally reaching an agreement to pay our bills. I don't see a success at all. I see a delaying tactic. Raising the debt ceiling by 2-something trillion so we can increase debt, in exchange for making cuts that will equate to that same amount, but over 10 years?? Its not sustainable.

Here's my prediction. Obama is not soley responsible for all this. Our two-party system is essentially failing us. The weight of the sun in debt plus a government that can never come together for meaningful resolutions is the perfect storm. Wait... we're missing one last element. A perfect storm is always characterized by at least 3 elements that come together to create the uber-mega effect. I think that 3rd element will be the rest of the global community coming together to effectively stifle our influence on world markets. Chiefly, this will be done by devaluing the dollar, but I believe other international policies will come into effect that curtain our ability to conduct business as normal. In the same way we create oversite and regulatory divisions after something disastrous happens (Federal Reserve, OSHA), so will the international community create a governing body who's prime directive is to keep any one country or government from becoming a cancer to the rest of the nations. Who started the housing debacle that crashed the economy? We did. Who else felt the effect because they bought our debt? The World. Putin just said it, and I can't say I disagree with the man.  "Putin says U.S. is 'parasite' on global economy", By Maria Tsvetkova | Reuters – Mon, Aug 1, 2011. America is only 235 years old. In the life-span of a nation that's teen-age years. Would you give your kid a credit card?

Model, Katherine

Sorry about talking on matters that have nothing to do with photography. Had to get this one out though. Photo next time, okay? Congrats to Katherine who got married recently.

"Ten million dollars after I'd become a star I was deeply in debt." - Sammy Davis, Jr.

"Blessed are the young for they shall inherit the national debt." - Herbert Hoover

"Neither a borrower nor a lender be; for loan doth oft lose both itself and friend, and borrowing dulls the edge of husbandry." - William Shakespeare, Hamlet.

A Girl, Her Dog...and her HAWK!

This week was such a good week, particularly on Wednesday and Thursday. On Wednesday, I had a few meetings with a promising model and another that held some promising opportunities. On Thursday, I got to meet and shoot with my friend, Katherine, who's on a road trip at the moment clocking some serious miles. She was only in Vegas for a few hours as she was passing through, but she swung by to do a shoot with her pet red-tailed HAWK. We got several images in the 3 or 4 hours we shot. Then as quickly and suddenly as she blew in...she was gone.

Let me give you just a little history on Katherine and I. I met her almost two years ago, while hiking in Colorado with my friend Mary, whom I was scouting a location to shoot. Katherine and another friend were at the bottom of a trail in the Black Canyons camping out for a few days and fishing. Mary and I met them at the end of the day and they welcomed us into their camp and fed us fresh caught rainbow trout and I think some chili. In the course of conversation, Katherine asked what were were out wondering the mountains for. I made mention of my intention to shoot Mary and she asked if she could be in it as well. I came back out to their campsite the next day and hung out til it got warm enough to shoot. As the temp rose, Katherine lost her clothes. Before long, she was catching fish and cleaning them naked.

I am not sure how it got started but we all ended up skinny dipping in some of the most frigid waters imaginable. This was snow melt, fresh off the mountains. I got to shoot Katherine and had a great time doing it. My entire spontaneous week in Colorado happened to be one of the best experiences of my life. Getting to meet Katherine was a thrill even if we hadn't gotten to shoot. The weather almost didn't cooperate. It rained the day before she got here and the day after. I had a great time with her and might get to shoot her again as she makes a return trip upwards again to Colorado. These are a few of the images I did a quick edit on. It may be a while yet before I get them posted in a gallery on my site, but I wanted to share with you all, anyway.

You will for sure see more of this girl.

Childhood memories

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