The Sony Alpha 9 - a true all-rounder
Reading Time: 4 minutes - June 19, 2019 - by Sony Germany & Terry Donnelly
Many professionals start out as all-rounders, photographing all kinds of subjects, but most specialize in one area over time. Terry Donnelly, however, is one of those unique photographers whose passion for photography is to continue to shoot as wide and varied a range of subjects as possible. This in turn helps him to excel in any genre.
This requires a camera that is equally suited to all genres. For these reasons, he chose the Sony Alpha 9 ...
The camera can do all of this
Terry's shots vary greatly. He works in many different genres such as architecture, sports and wildlife, as he has found that one of the key aspects that has contributed to his passion in terms of photography is that he can take shots in many genres. "But," he says, "that also means you need adaptable equipment. The Alpha 9 has everything I need to switch from one style to another without any problems, and I feel I can rely on it completely. It gives me great images, has excellent speed and is easy to use."
Seeing is believing
One of the most important elements of α9 for Terry is the seeker. He says that it has a significant influence on his work. "Being able to see the image before I press the shutter button is absolutely fantastic," he says. "It allows me to work faster and more intuitively and I have a better connection with my subject. With my old DSLR, I always had to press the playback button after a shot to make sure the exposure was set correctly. Now that it's right in the viewfinder, I can maintain that line of sight with the subject. Ultimately, that's what good photography is all about."
High speed and accuracy
Due to the diversity of his shots, it's important for Terry to have equipment that allows him to capture images quickly and accurately.
"When I'm shooting sports, I know I can use the α9's 20 frames per second continuous shooting mode to capture the perfect expression on an athlete's face and the exact drama that a news agency wants," he says. "And I can always be sure that the camera's AF system will always focus perfectly on that subject in every single frame. So I no longer have to hope that the picture with the best pose is sharp - all the pictures are sharp!"
Outstanding motifs
And then there are the still subjects he photographs. Terry says that when shooting portraits, he always ensures "good separation" so that the subject stands out from its surroundings. When he uses selective focus to do this, he says his Alpha equipment really helps.
"Of course I want to work with fast lenses," he says, "and the Alpha system has them in spades, as with the Distagon T* FE 35mm f/1.4 ZA,FE 85mm f/1.4 GM and FE 70-200mm f/2.8 GM OSS.
But fast lenses are useless if you can't focus perfectly. So advanced features like eye autofocus also mean I can shoot at higher apertures for better subject isolation and be confident that the focus will always be excellent."
In connection with the image
Despite all the variety of themes in his work, there is one thing that unites all of Terry's pictures - composition. "Regardless of the subject, I like to offer an unusual angle that stands out," he explains. "That might mean shooting from an unusual height or angle and then arranging the image content in a way that leaves a lasting impression."
And the Alpha 9's display makes it really easy for him. "Not only is it crystal clear, but it can also be tilted for easy frog or bird's eye view options. And of course the ability to use touch AF is essential in these situations," he says.
Terry is a Sony Europe Imaging Ambassador. You can find out more about his work at www.sony.de/alphauniverse.
