“People tend to focus on cameras, but the lens is your opportunity to translate your vision.” This is the thought process behind SeaLegacy Co-Founder and Director Andy Mann’s photography kit as he travels the world to tell stories of conservation. The Sony Artisan's lens choice lets him capture and share his perspective with his viewers, and in this video Andy Mann takes us to the Arctic islands of Svalbard, just 500 miles from the North Pole, to share photography not only with us, but his father too. Watch as the two travel to capture the details in the harsh environment, relying on lenses like the Sony 24-70mm f/2.8 G Master II, Sony 600mm f/4 G Master and Sony 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 G Master.
“As a photographer, there’s nowhere on Earth that’s more beautiful than the Arctic. It’s just full of adventure and beauty and mystique,” Mann explains. “When photographing a place like Svalbard, the lens choice is everything. You get to ultimately paint the canvas however you like.”
While some photographers prefer to tell a story using an entire frame, Mann explains that he prefers to take a different approach. “I love to focus on one emotional section of that frame and let the viewer use their imagination,” he says. “If you’re able to let the viewer go on their own journey, you’re not giving a moment, you are truly sharing a moment.”
Mann’s father is joining him during his trip to Svalbard, and his goal for the trip is to connect with his dad and show him this part of the world that has had a major impact on his life and career. “As a child, my idea of the world was shaped by my father’s experiences, by the stories he told. Up to this point, the life that I’ve lived and the things I’ve seen, have only existed for my father in the stories and images.”
Mann continues, “He’s seen the world through my eyes for so long. And to now write himself into this story and for us to do this together, it's just such a blessing.”
During the trip the two are out looking for polar bears to photograph, and it’s the first time Mann’s father has ever used a full-frame camera or G Master glass. Mann is showing his dad the ropes on how to be a good photographer, all while changing the way he sees the world.
“What sets G Master apart is the versatility. Whether it’s the 24-70mm, 600mm, 100-400mm zoom, the fact that I can mount a lens and handhold it, and go to the roughest, coldest, most-challenging environments and know that it’s going to perform. It allows me to go out and share my perspective with the world. And to me, the gift of photography, to give it to my dad at 75 years old, is probably the greatest gift I’ve ever given anyone.”
See more of Andy Mann’s work on Instagram @andy_mann.
