Michael Simmons (@distantlightphotos) is a retired first responder who now calls himself a landscape photographer. “Since my childhood, I have always been interested in photography, but after joining the U.S. Army out of high school, photography fell to the wayside,” he says. “Fast forward several decades and while sitting in a hospital waiting room, I picked up a photography magazine and saw a photo of the Milky Way above a mountain peak and I fell in love with it. I now had a goal of trying to capture that type of image myself. Now here I am 10 years later I can travel and do just that." Simmons has been using Sony Alpha cameras and Sony lenses for the last eight years. We saw Simmons’ images and wanted to learn more about the gear he uses to create such stunning scenes. Keep reading as he shares what’s in his bag.
Product Preview – In This Article You’ll Find:
–Sony Alpha 7R V
–Sony 12-24mm f/2.8 G Master
–Sony 24-70mm f/2.8 G Master II
–Sony 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 G Master
–Sony 2.0x Teleconverter
Camera
Sony Alpha 7R V: I’ve had this camera for about a year and a half. I love the focus bracketing the most. It helps me capture a shot that can be blended to show everything in focus, just as our eyes see it. The Sony Alpha 7R V captures this automatically for me and is a huge time-saver. I also use the built in bulb timer a lot with my sky tracked shots. I just set the exposure time and let her rip, no need for an external intervalometer or phone timer. And if I'm being honest, the 4-axis back monitor is also the bomb – no more bending over or kneeling all evening long!
Photo by Michael Simmons. Sony Alpha 7R V. Sony 12-24mm f/2.8 G Master. Foreground: 1/8-sec., f/11. ISO 400. Sky: 330-sec., f/3.5, ISO 400
Lenses
Sony 12-24mm f/2.8 G Master: My go-to wide angle lens. I just love this lens – it gets me really up and personal with my subject but also gives me that 24mm to get a little bit closer to the scene. The Sony 12-24mm f/2.8 G Master is very sharp, and the f/2.8 allows me to use the lens in low light conditions.
Photo by Michael Simmons. Sony Alpha 7R V. Sony 12-24mm f/2.8 G Master. Foreground: 1/6-sec., f/8, ISO 400. Sky: 360-sec., f/3.2, ISO 400
Sony 24-70mm f/2.8 G Master II: My second most favorite lens. I use this for most of my landscape scenes where I want the background to be brought in such as a mountain scene or when I want the foreground to match what I see with the naked eye. The Sony 24-70mm f/2.8 G Master II is a fast lens like the 12-24mm with f/2.8, but the second generation of this lens is lightweight and smaller than the original version. This lens is a great lens for the backcountry landscape photographer.
Photo by Michael Simmons. Sony Alpha 7R V. Sony 24-70mm f/2.8 G Master II. .4-sec., f/11, ISO 80
Sony 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 G Master: My telephoto lens that I have for deep star shooting as well as wildlife shooting. It's a great lens for those events where I’m shooting flowers, but also when the random elk appears. I also use the Sony 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 G Master for deep space photography and recently with the total solar eclipse while it sat on my sky tracker.
Sony 2.0x Teleconverter: I have this for when there is a need to get just a little closer to that deep space object.
Photo by Michael Simmons. Sony Alpha 7R V. Sony 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 G Master + 2x TC.. 1/50-sec., f/11, ISO 100
Accessories
Really Right Stuff Ascend 14L Carbon Fiber Travel Tripod & Ballhead: I don’t have steady hands, so I don’t leave home without my Really Right Stuff Ascend 14L Carbon Fiber Travel Tripod with an integrated ballhead. It's lightweight, tall and has a removable center column.
Garmin 67i Inreach: As a landscape photographer, I'm often off grid and by myself so I carry the Garmin 67i inreach with 2-way communication capabilities and SOS.
Photo by Michael Simmons. Sony Alpha 7R V. Sony 24-70mm f/2.8 G Master II. 1/100-sec., f/8, ISO 200
Petzl NOA+ Rechargeable Headlamp: I love shooting blue hour and Milky Way, and it gets dark very quickly in the wilderness. That’s why I always have my trusty Petzl NOA+ rechargeable headlamp. To get me back out to my car or if I hear a bump in the night.
See more of Michael Simmons’ work on Instagram @distantlightphotos.
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Promos
