Brian Autio is a landscape, wildlife and travel photographer based out of Northern Colorado. His passion and excitement for all things photography means he’s up for anything, and lets the world show him what he should capture next. We saw his Alpha Universe Profile and connected with him to learn more about his work. Read his story below and create your own Alpha Universe Profile HERE for a chance to be featured on AlphaUniverse.com.
We connect with a landscape, wildlife and travel photographer to learn about his approach to nature photography with roots in math and geospatial engineering.
Photo by Brian Autio. Sony Alpha 7R III. Sony 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 G Master. 1/50-sec., f/8, ISO 100
Career Snapshot
I started my passion for photography in high school in a photo club. I began with black and white photography shooting Kodak Tri-X film then developing the images. Black and white was my first love and I still gravitate to it.
From there I went into a 30-year career in geospatial engineering where I did photography adjacent work with aerial photography and satellite imagery. I later taught a course in Photogrammetry – which is the study of using photography to make measurements and evaluations of images based on mathematics and camera/lens/locational geometry. At the same time I tried to hone my skills with general photography as an art form.
During the later part of my geospatial engineering career and especially after retirement from it, I put my photo journey into high gear. My goal is to create a brand for myself that I could potentially market and sell. I then purchased the best Sony gear I could buy and proceeded to shoot over 30,000 images over 20 years with a Sony A350, A850, A99, Alpha 7R II, and now the Alpha 7R III. I was determined to not promote or show any of my images until I felt I had achieved a level of professionalism that I could stand behind. I learned my lesson as a young man about rushing a process and didn’t want to have images out in the world that I regretted. I am lucky to have the luxury of time and resources to give me the freedom to do only what photographically I choose to do. I especially learned to self-edit. You learn to know a good image when you see it.
Photo by Brian Autio. Sony Alpha 7R III. Sony 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 G Master. 1/320-sec., f/5.6, ISO 160
I shoot RAW format and use Adobe Lightroom and Photoshop to develop my imagery. I have to admit that I love the technology with Sony systems nearly as much as shooting images. I have come a long way from that moldy, cinder block basement darkroom. It really has been a fun journey!
Photography Passions & Challenges
I enjoy outdoor landscape and wildlife photography primarily. Ansel Adams, Edward Weston, Alfred Stieglitz, Pablo Picasso, and Georgia O’Keefe were my primary, early artistic influences. National Geographic magazine is also a major influence on photographic direction. I studied their creations and read related books to try to guide my craft.
The most challenging thing for me is accessing remote locations and related weather to get the shots I want. Also, shooting wildlife on the move is difficult as you don’t have much time to set exposure settings and great auto-focus is absolutely critical. I truly appreciate the strides Sony has made with sensor and focus technology. It is a game changer for me - I get images now that would have been nearly impossible 10 years ago.
As far as wildlife imagery – the seasons dictate what I shoot. Birds are my main subjects in summer, fall and winter are large animals like elk, deer and occasionally bears. I am so fortunate to have access to thousands of acres of state and federal forest land and Rocky Mountain National Park is only 40 minutes away.
The Wild Animal Sanctuary in Keenesburg, Colorado is also inspirational for me – both for me as an active supporter and for photography. They rescue primarily apex predator animals that have been abused by people in basements, garages and backyard zoos. The stories are horrific, but the rescue and rehab of the animals are wonderful. There in one place – in large open areas– you can see grizzly bears, tigers, lions, hyena, wolves, foxes, etc.
Photo by Brian Autio. Sony Alpha 7R III. Sony 24-70mm f/2.8 G Master. 1/125-sec., f/8, ISO 100
Overall, I try not to be boxed into a style or particular form of photography. I try to let the situation and the world show me what to photograph – whether it be a grizzly bear, insect, astrophotography or striking architecture. It all interests me and excites me photographically.
Why I Shoot With Sony
Sony cameras and lenses tend to be a bit lighter than most other cameras and when going up a steep mountain trail every ounce counts. I like the Sony mirrorless systems, having begrudgingly switched from the A mount system to the E mount system with my Alpha 7R II purchase. I am happy with the change. I have been using Sony gear for about 20 years now. I gradually upgraded gear to higher end products as my experience and photographic expertise has grown. I feel like my work has grown with Sony over the years. This as Sony sought to better compete with, then move even with or ahead of the other big names in cameras and lenses.
Go-To Sony Gear
My go-to camera is my Sony Alpha 7R III and I keep my Sony 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 G Master lens on most of the time. I have grown to like using the telephoto for landscapes more and more – as well of course for my wildlife shots. It is really nice for macro shots as well. I can keep a good distance from insects or flowers, yielding a larger depth of focus.
Of course, I still love my Sony 24-70mm f/2.8 G Master lens for large landscapes and street photography too - it is a great, fast, sharp lens. Additionally, I have the Sony 90mm f/2.8 Macro G lens for my dedicated macro shots.
Photo by Brian Autio. Sony Alpha 7R III. Sony 24-70mm f/2.8 G Master. 1/100-sec., f/14, ISO 1000
What Photography Means To Me
There are some things in life that you feel you must do everyday and photography is that for me. I work each day on tweaking images in my collection and try to shoot at least weekly. Creating original art from my mind, to the camera, to the computer, to a print, is very exciting! My photography is not driven by monetary considerations – I tend to let the seasons and where I travel point me to my potential subjects.
Being part of the Sony community gives me a sense of belonging and that feeling that Sony is on the artistic journey with me. The innovation and leadership, especially in mirrorless cameras, has proven Sony to be a great choice for me and my art form.
I choose to be a photographer now. I don’t really like the label distinctions of amateur, professional, hobbyist, etc. I simply am a photographer.
You can see a sample of my work on my website: nocokuva.com. "NOCO kuva" is my photo brand. NOCO stands for Northern Colorado and “kuva” is image in the Finnish language (a nod to my Scandinavian roots).
See more of his work on his Alpha Universe Profile and create your own HERE.
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