For as long as I can remember, the most at peace and inspired I feel is when I’m surrounded by the mountains, forests or the ocean. When I lose myself in these vast natural landscapes, it actually feels more like coming home to myself.
17 years ago, when I acquired my first camera of my very own, I took it with me into the forest and mountains daily, documenting the natural world while simultaneously feeling my mind slowing down, entering that state of inner stillness… also filled with curiosity and inspiration. Soon, I started including myself in my landscape imagery. These nature immersion self portraits became a way to express myself, to capture those feelings of awe and peace I felt when in nature… and to be able to look at the images or videos later and still feel that natural connectedness whenever I needed it. Even now, 15 years later, I still feel most inspired when creating these images out in the mountains and forests, lost in the landscapes for days or even weeks at a time.
Although I’ve always been visually creative, I’ll admit that I’m not the most tech savvy person in the world. In the past, it’s often been a time-consuming process to set up these shots with myself properly focused in them. But… with the Sony Alpha 9 III? It’s a whole different story! Introduced as the world’s first full-frame global shutter image sensor camera, Sony sent me the Alpha 9 III to test out this month, and I’m honestly blown away by the ease of it, for a few different reasons:
Secondly, I’ve been looking for a camera to help capture more video content on my photoshoots… and the Alpha 9 III feels like a powerhouse when it comes to the video mode. To be able to shoot at 4K at 120fps, with un-cropped video no less, is amazing! Being able to shoot with such a high video quality and frame-rate combination is a dream for me, because now I can slow my clips down to 1/4th their regular speed for smooth, cinematic slow-motion magic.
Thirdly… This camera’s ability to real-time track and stay focused on its subjects is out of this world. Because I’m usually in front of my camera for most of my shoots, this has been a real game changer when it comes to keeping the camera focused on me and tracking my movements. Even when I’m far away, or if my face is obscured (which is most of the time), this camera’s high-speed image sensor will track complex motions and predict sudden movements, making the continuous auto-focus faster than ever before. I don’t know how I can go back to anything else now after trying the Alpha 9 III for this reason alone!
All in all, I can honestly say that I’ve never put so much trust into a camera as I do with this one. Instead of losing precious moments of fleeting light to figuring out camera set-up technicalities or becoming frustrated when I can’t get the focus right on the first several tries, the Alpha 9 III has made my photography process so much easier.
Which, in turn, has made it easier for me to be more present in front of the camera… back among the source of my inspiration. Where I can connect with nature and be awed by it, and still easily create and capture these moments that mean so much to me!
I’m a self portrait artist/photographer, originally hailing from British Columbia, Canada, but now based wherever my suitcase happens to be (which is currently in the Rocky Mountains of Alberta). Wherever I am, I feel most at home in the mountains, forests, fields and ocean – all of which are heavily incorporated into my photography.
Capturing these images is like a form of therapy for me… And one of my greatest hopes is that my work can also inspire others to seek a deeper connection with creativity, nature and themselves: to channel emotion through photography, to find value in what’s vulnerable, to find peace in the presence of nature… and to walk forward with more love, gentleness and respect for ourselves and this beautiful earth we call home.
Image Credits: Lizzie Gadd
