Over the past year there’s been thread upon thread of compelling creative chatter taking place on the Alpha Universe Community Forums. Between the live AMAs, polls and challenges, discussions on gear favorites, pro advice and inspiration, the Forums have grown into an exciting place for the creative community to connect and learn. Below we take a look back at some of the highlights from our Forums in 2023 - take a look and click back through the threads to catch up on anything you might have missed. Be sure to hang out in the Alpha Universe Community Forums in 2024 – there’s a lot coming your way, starting with a Live AMA with Niah Aldrich on January 8, 2024 from 10:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. PST. 

LIVE AMAs

This year we hosted a Live AMA with creator Matt Hernandez – a senior and athlete photographer known for his dynamic lighting and strong portraiture. Throughout the AMA Hernandez answered questions and shared his advice on everything from getting started in sports portraits, to shutter and lighting techniques, and even tips for creating BTS videos of your process to add to social media. Catch up on everything from the conversation HERE and check out some of Matt’s work on his Instagram (@matthernandez).

We also hosted a Live AMA with San Diego-based landscape and commercial photographer Ryan Ditch, who is deeply passionate about community and education. He answered all of our questions about landscape photography, working with commercial clients, gear, editing, and building community around your photography work. See all that he had to share with us HERE and see more of his work on Instagram @RyanDitchPhoto.

Another AMA from this year featured creator Suzi Pratt, who focuses on event, food and restaurant photography. She is also known for her tech reviews as Gemini Connect on YouTube. Learn more about how she styles food to look its best, how she gets creative with lighting and more. Catch the conversation HERE and see more of her work on Instagram @suzipratt.

Polls & Challenges

We also hosted a “Grandscapes” challenge on the Forums this year, asking members to share their larger-than-life landscape photographs with the community as well as the story behind the shot. It was inspiring to see the monumental scenery Sony shooters were able to capture. Check out some of them below and see the rest in the thread HERE.

We also chose to poll our members this year asking, “How many lenses do you own?” Members weighed in and the majority responded with the option of, “Five or more because you can’t have too many.” We agree. Check out the complete poll results below and see which lenses Sony shooters include in their kits in the thread discussion HERE.

Bests & Favorites

What is your favorite Sony Alpha camera feature? Sony Artisan Tony Gale posed this question in our Forums, and the answers ranged from Eye Autofocus, to the new AI Processor, to ISO settings, Brightness Monitoring and lens selection. See what everyone had to say HERE and contribute your thoughts – it’s never too late to add your own to the mix!

In another thread this year, member Joey Austin asked what the best microphone is for vlogging, and the Sony community came through with their thoughts. Sony Artisan Andrew Geraci chimed in saying the Sony ECM-B10 is his favorite on-camera mic, and Sony Artisan Patrick Murphy-Racey likes to use this one too in addition to the Sony ECM-B1M, which he says can’t be beat. See more of their thoughts HERE.

Looking to get into video editing? Sony Artisan Caroline Jensen asked for thoughts on creators’ favorite basic video editor to easily crop short videos to size. Video shooters shared their thoughts on programs like DaVinci Resolve, Final Cut, Adobe Premiere Pro. Have your own thoughts? Help Caroline out and add them HERE.

Stay tuned to the Alpha Universe Community Forums in 2024 and join us for our Live AMA with Niah Aldrich on January 8, 2024 from 10:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. PST.