Sony Alpha Imaging Collective member Stan Moniz lives in Southern California where, after an epic rainy season, the desert wildflower blooms erupted with ferocity. While photographers flocked to Anza Borrego State Park to shoot photos, Stan decided to do something a little different. Using his new RX100 V, he decided to shoot some super slow-motion, creating a slow-motion portrait of person moving through the landscape.
We spoke with Stan to learn more about how and why he went with this approach.
Alpha Universe: How long have you been using the RX100 V?
Stan Moniz: I’m a big fan of the RX100 III and I’ve owned it for quite some time now. When I heard about all the new features in the RX100 V, especially for video, I had to jump right on it! I've had it for a few weeks now and I’ve been loving it.
Alpha Universe: How did the Borrego Springs shoot come about?
Stan Moniz: I've had this vision of a slow-motion scene through a field of flowers for quite some time now. Knowing how awesome the spring bloom was this year and how rare of an event it was at this magnitude out in Anza Borrego, I knew this was the time to make that dream a reality. I live within driving distance and I was keeping an eye on reports about the wildflowers so I could be there at the best time.
Alpha Universe: Why did you shoot in slow mo?
Stan Moniz: First off, I've fallen in love with that instant slow motion gratification when using the Slow & Quick function while in movie mode in my α6500. The RX100 V is similar to that but at much higher burst rates. I couldn't wait to see slow motion in 240fps! There is something so cinematic and intriguing about slow motion if used for the right scene.
Alpha Universe: How did you set up the camera?
Stan Moniz: The slow motion setting at 240fps looks absolutely stunning! I shot this short film with a picture profile set to Cine2 / Pro. Saturation and color phase set to zero. In my opinion, this profile made for a perfect palate to color grade later in Adobe Premier Pro CC. The video quality had a ton of dynamic range.
I’m so pleased with the final film. I am really impressed with the image quality from the RX100 V. Other than the footage being slower I’m not sure I’d be able to tell if this was shot on my α7S II or the RX100 V. I have a filmmaker friend who saw the footage and he actually called me asking if it was shot on one of my α7 cameras.
I'm now waiting for some big surf to hit the California coast line to use the RX100 V to shoot a wave curling at 960fps from the water. That has to be breath taking!
