Portrait Day Out

   Last week I had the opportunity to catch up with my friend Kristen, who I haven't seen in almost a year. We were looking for something to do, when I suggested we take some portraits by the river. She readily agreed, and so we headed over to the park.

"The Royal Port" Sony A99  28mm, f/9, 1/125, ISO 100

   This was my first time doing non-candid portraiture, as well as my first time out with the A99, so I had my work cut out for me when it came to light-sensitivity and depth of field! I set up my gear at the edge of the park, and we headed over to the docks. As we walked, I surveyed the scene and decided that I wanted to use the shallow depth of field of my 50mm f/1.7.

"Kristen and Barney" Sony A99  50mm, f/2.8, 1/640, ISO 400

 

  Kristen had brought her dog Barney, and so we decided to incorporate him into our photographs. He was very energetic, and so I need to boost my ISO so that I could get the shutter speed that I needed to freeze his motion. As we sat at the dock, we talked. During our conversation, Barney settled down and I was able to capture the following photo of the pair:

"Dog and Owner" Sony A99 50mm, f/8, 1/250, ISO 400

Observing that the light was fading fast, we decided to move across the park towards the historic downtown. As we walked, we passed a planted section of the park full of flowers. Once again, the magic of the 50mm was needed to turn the bright colors of the flowers into a bokeh wonderland. I think my focus must have been slightly in the wrong spot due to the sharpness of her sleeves, but a lovely photo nonetheless.

"Kristen" Sony A99, 50mm, f/1.7, 1/250, ISO 50

Not wanting to miss out on the fun, Barney jumped right in:

"Barney the Wonderdog" Sony A99, 50mm, f/1.7, 1/800, ISO 200

Working our way into town, we passed a backstreet with a crumbling brick wall. Kristen told me she wanted a photo in front of it, and I obliged.

"Kristen at the Wall" Sony A99, 50mm, f/3.5, 1/800, ISO 400

Still wanting to try out my new 28-85mm lens, I reattached it to the camera and we headed further into town. Passing a bank, I noticed a very interesting night deposit box. I decided that that would also be a good place for a photograph. The light was rapidly fading, and I was forced to boost my ISO to 1600. On an APS-C camera like my A57, this would have introduced much unpleasant grain. Luckily the A99's FF sensor took it like an absolute champ:

"The Night Depository" Sony A99, 40mm, f/6.3, 1/400, ISO 1600

Since it was getting dark, we decided to head back to the car. as we passed the bridge, I saw an opportunity for one final photo. Switching to my 70-210 lens, I directed her to look down the river at the setting sun. I opened up the aperture as wide as I could to separate her from the distraction of the trees behind her. The final image came out quite nicely.

"Kristen on the Bridge" Sony A99, 150mm, f/4, 1/800, ISO 800

 Overall, I think the trip was a great success. We both had a marvelous time, and Kristen and Barney seem pleased with their portraits. If you would like to see the full sized images, head on over to my Flickr.  Zach's Flickr