Last week, Sony unveiled their new campaign, entitled “Be Alpha”. For the uninitiated, the term “Alpha” is a brand holdover from the legacy Minolta days and their line of ground breaking Alpha SLR cameras. When Sony purchased the Konica Minolta camera business in the mid 2000s, the Alpha product name came along for the ride.
A few weeks ago I received a message from Sony Artisan of Imagery Gene Lower, team photographer for the Arizona Cardinals. Gene is one of those guys that gives freely of his knowledge and has been offering up very special opportunities to shoot NFL games to his fellow Sony Artisans. As an advisor to the Tokyo based product team, he was also an unsung force in the development of the acclaimed Sony a9. So when Gene presented the chance to shoot the Cardinals at their away game in Houston, I didn’t hesitate.
You know that moment when it’s time to pack your camera bag and you can’t decide what to take so you grab everything? I know this feeling well but this time I committed to the simplicity of one camera, one lens.
My default vacation lens kit usually consists of a traditional 35mm, 50mm and 85mm combo. To pare down to one lens, I would choose either the 35mm or the 50mm; but, what if there was a magical fov somewhere in between, say a 40mm? And what if that 40mm was also super fast, like f/1.2 fast? Luckily, the new Voigtlander 40mm Nokton f/1.2 manual focus lens does exist and it graced my doorstep just a few days before leaving for a quick recharge at Hotel San Cristobal outside Todos Santos, Baja California Sur.
This is how it happened – three days of love and music at El Cosmico in Marfa, TX.
In 1988, The Sugarcubes debut album “Life’s Too Good” was getting heavy rotation in my cd player and served as an introduction to the quirky band’s native Iceland. Over the years other Icelandic bands like Sigur Ros and Of Monsters and Men, continued to sonically and lyrically paint an enticing canvas of their native homeland, further cementing the small country on my bucket list of places to visit. So this fall, while friends planned their winter vacation to warmer climes, I pitched the family on an adventure in the land of Ice and Fire. My wife has come to accept my odd predilections and the kids were just happy to get passports so we booked the flights and began our planning.
Inaugural trip to Columbus (and Granville) Ohio this labor day weekend for a good friend’s birthday. As a native of upstate NY, the Columbus area feels a lot like home with its rolling hills, big oaks and maples, and corn; lots of corn. As always, the Sony RX1 was the perfect travel companion, always on my shoulder but never conspicuous.
I always enjoy spending time in Tacoma, the under appreciated step sister to nearby Seattle. Walking the streets after dinner with my trusty Sony RX1 revealed the lonesome nature of her streets; the wide open spaces and artful public architecture sparsely affected by humans. Maybe it was the time of day and week or the particular district, but I couldn’t shake the feeling that I was walking a lovely ghost town.
Click below for a small gallery
For the weary business traveler, the road often loses its promise of excitement and newness. The camera can reset and shift that jaded perspective.
Chad Wadsworth | Photographer 