My α Journey: What I Use My Camera For

With my Sony Alpha A200 DSLR camera, I now snap a lot more photos compared to when I had a digital point and shoot camera. The A200 feels so much easier when taking photos because of the speed it has and also due to the fact that it offers better lens choices.

So what do I shoot?

Candids
I usually carry my A200 with the Minolta 50mm lens when I go out with my friends, gatherings, or parties. The 50mm lens is short and it makes my A200 very small and portable and it allows me to be part of the action and also be the photographer.

Concerts and Gigs
This is the main factor that made me buy the A200. The point and shoot compact camera is just too slow to take concert photography. The lighting at concerts is not always bright and the slow shutter speed will blur the musicians as they play with their instruments.

I gained most of my experience in shooting concerts where it taught me how to use a larger aperture to capture more light, allowing me to set a faster shutter speed in order to capture a sharp image of the musician. Besides that, a concert has a lot going on, the crowd reaction, individual band members actions, stage instruments, lighting, stage crew, and the stage props. From there, I can choose from so many subjects to compose my shot.

Toys
One of my main hobbies is collecting toys. I started collecting toys when I started working (no money, no toys) and my collection grew bigger as my paycheck grew bigger. I collect Transformers, Star Wars 3″ figures, Bearbricks, 12″ figures (both movie characters and military figures), small die-cast cars and some occasional odd toy every now and then.

Using my Minolta 50mm, I can easily create bokeh shots, making the toy stand out from the background and clearly focusing on the toy’s details. The A200 has made my toy photo shooting much more easier.

Holiday Trips
Well, since I have an A200, why not bring it along for a holiday trip? I attach the Minolta 50mm on to the A200 when I’m walking on the streets to make it more portable. When I am carrying a backpack, I will bring along the SAL1870 kit lens so that I can capture wider angle landscape shots. Some times, with a little planning, I can judge what I will be shooting, and will bring along the most appropriate lenses.

Experimental Shots
Sometimes when I get bored, I will just take my A200 for a round of random shooting, whether in my room, my living room, in my garden, on the streets, or maybe just Kuala Lumpur city. Since I’m not shooting a specific subject, I can be creative and capture whatever that strikes me at that certain moment, be it a street sign, rubbish thrown on the floor, an electric transformer on a pole, just random subjects.