Florence, Italy is an amazing photography destination with its cobble-stoned streets, Renaissance art and iconic landmarks like the Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore. Jason Frankle (@worldpins) of the Alpha Collective recently had the chance to capture this city on a rainy day with the new Sony Xperia 5 IV and Sony Alpha 7R V. Keep reading as he takes us on a walk through the streets of Floreince while sharing the behind-the-scenes and final images from his trip.
See how this traveling content creator and Alpha Collective member makes use of the new Sony Alpha 7R V and Sony Xperia 5 IV to capture a locale's richness.
I started off my photo trip by traveling to the famous Piazza del Duomo in the morning to capture a close-up view of the Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore. The recent rain caused puddles to form in the middle of the street so I took out my Xperia 5 IV and opened Photo Pro. I set the phone to Manual Mode and in raw image format so I could capture as much data as possible when editing. I also switched to the ultrawide 16mm lens in order to get a full view of the street with the Duomo in the background.
Photo by Jason Frankle. BTS of Sony Xperia 5 IV.
I put the Xperia 5 IV close to the ground in order to capture the entire reflection. The Xperia 5 IV is perfect for this because I can capture unique angles with its compact size that would be difficult to accomplish with a larger camera and lens.
Photo by Jason Frankle. Sony Xperia 5 IV. 1/100-sec., f/2.2, ISO 100
After walking further away from the Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore, I came upon an interesting composition with two Italian flags and the iconic Duomo in the distance. I switched to the 24mm wide angle lens on the Xperia 5 IV and framed the shot while waiting for motorbike to enter the scene.
Photo by Jason Frankle. Sony Xperia 5 IV. 1/500-sec., ISO 100
Later in the day, I found a small shop with leaves on the terrace that overlooked the Cathedral. I got out the Alpha 7R V and 16-35mm f/2.8 G Master lens and set the aperature to f/2.8. I then framed the composition in order to bokeh the leaves in the foreground and focus on the cathedral in the background.
Photo by Jason Frankle. BTS of Sony Alpha 7R V.
I used the Alpha 7R V’s new four-axis LCD monitor to angle the screen so that I could frame the shot with the camera directly next to the plants. This monitor is great for framing compositions from unique perspectives.
Photo by Jason Frankle. Sony Alpha 7R V. Sony 16-35mm f/2.8 G Master. 1/640-sec., f/2.8, ISO 250
After this, I attached the Xperia 5 IV to the Alpha 7R V with a USB-C cable in order to use it as an external monitor. This allowed me to review photos and videos more easily and to check to make sure everything was in focus.
Photo by Jason Frankle. BTS of Sony Xperia 5 IV with Sony Alpha 7R V and Sony 16-35mm f/2.8 G Master.
At the end of the day, I hiked up to Piazza Michelangelo which offers an incredible panoramic view of Florence. I switched to my Sony 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 G Master lens in order to capture detailed shots of the city including the famous Ponte Vecchio bridge and Duomo. I used fall colored trees to frame the compositions and set the focus to the buildings in the background.
Photo by Jason Frankle. BTS of Sony Alpha 7R V and Sony 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 G Master.
Photo by Jason Frankle. Sony Alpha 7R V. Sony 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 G Master. 1/320-sec., f/5, ISO 100
Photo by Jason Frankle. Sony Alpha 7R V. Sony 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 G Master. 1/320-sec., f/5.6, ISO 100
See more of Jason Frankle's work on Instagram @worldpins.
Learn more about the new Sony Alpha 7R V HERE.
Learn more about the Sony Xperia 5 IV HERE.