How Long I’ve been doing Photography
Connie & Ken’s wedding 7/26/24 — Sony A7IV — FE 28-70mm 3.5-5.6 OSS
Would you believe that the photo above was one of the first photographs with a DLSR camera. Sure everyone has taken pictures off their phones, but this was one of the official photos I took with my Sony A7IV. This was shot on 7/26/24. On the kit lens which was a FE 28-70 3.5-5.6 OSS. Its a JPG image and I had a little knowledge of photography at this point, and couldn’t tell you the difference between a JPG image vs. a RAW image. Funny enough I was hired to video a wedding for a dear friend of mine, and I snapped a couple photos, but I went in with a video mindset and I was half prepared for the wedding.
Luckily it was a very lowkey wedding for her mom and her future dad-in law but with intensive research I was ready for the job. But as fate would have it, I thought I was shooting on certain settings until I came back and checked the footage and found it wasn’t shot how I wanted it. I didn’t have anything for audio, no microphones, nothing to damp the noise going around. It was really amateur work, but all-around it was a great experience, and what I returned back in editing made up for the lack of equipment.
My first photo with RAW settings on my Sony A7IV — Yasmin & Brooke 8/4/24 — FE 28-70mm 3.5-5.6 OSS.
This 2nd photo is my first “good” picture in RAW settings, that was shot on 8/4/24. As you can see a little bit of better quality, but not great lighting. You could argue my JPG image is better. I still had my kit lens which was the FE 28-70mm 3.5-5.6 OSS. Which is a decent lens but as you see later, had a lot of limitations. As my time in photography grew, my knowledge grew as well, from different events and opportunities, I was getting better and better.
COPFCU Christmas Party 12/4/24 — Sony A7IV — Viltrox 135mm F1.8 LAB
Now with the new knowledge of lens importance, and what F stop meant. I bought my first lens which was the Viltrox 135mm 1.8 LAB series. This was my baby, until I went out into the field and realized how far I had to be for 135 mm. Perfect for headshots, but it has its limitations for sporting events such as basketball. This is because it simply couldn’t reach all the way down, and of course you’re missing the close shots.
Nashville Trip 10/13/24 — Sony A7IV — Tamron 35-150mm F2-2.8 Di VIII
Sense the 135 wasn’t a zoom lens I was missing out of close shots for it was impossible to get. Thus I started renting lenses, which is where my journey took me to the amazing Tamron 35-150mm F2-2.8 Di VIII. If I never bought the 135 this would have been my go-to lens. The versatility of this lens was unmatched, until with the help of my pops. I got my current baby.
CHS vs. Princeton 1/24/25 — Sony A7R5 — Sony FE 70-200mm F2.8 GM OSS II
My dad help me purchase a new camera and lens that fast-tracked my growth in photography. I was blessed with a new Sony A7R5 and a Sony 70-200 GM II lens as he supported my entrepreneur growth.
This combo alone opened many doors and turned into tremendous opportunities. The A7R5 is a 61 megapixel sensor which provides insane detail, even if you have to crop. Mix in the versatile zoom from 70-200mm, It’s a do everything setup! All of this, with the knowledge of flash photography has turnt into some of the most beautiful photos and moments.
Joselynn & Jasiah Nolan 10/18/2025 — Sony A7R5 — Sony FE 70-200mm F2.8 GM OSS II
This is my latest and greatest, so as you can see, I’ve only been shooting for a year. Whole lots of hours spent on Youtube, but also plenty of hours actually taking pictures and applying what I’ve learnt. I’ve learnt your camera is only as powerful as your lens, you can have all the megapixels in the world, but if your lens can’t do the heavy lifting you won’t see the results your intended.
