<![CDATA[SHEM AGUILA PHOTOGRAPHY

<![CDATA[SHEM AGUILA PHOTOGRAPHY - Blog]]>Tue, 14 May 2024 01:19:30 -0700Weebly<![CDATA[Update Needed]]>Wed, 30 Sep 2020 19:25:12 GMThttp://shemaguila.com/blog/update-neededThis website needs to be updated. I realize there isn't much traffic on this sight but that not what's important to me. I have enough for to keep me occupied and a family to feed and love. However the weddings page is especially in need of great assistance. Hopefully in the next few months I can update the pictures and information.

Time just flies so quickly especially if one is busy. With the situation of Covid -19, the need for services online has become more demanding. Therefore my work load has increased almost by 2 fold. Yet I am thankful to have work. May God help those who have been negatively affected by Covid-19.
]]><![CDATA[Sony 70-200mm f2.8 GOSS Lens]]>Fri, 31 Jul 2020 12:18:33 GMThttp://shemaguila.com/blog/sony-70-200mm-f28-goss-lens

I've used this lens for about a year now and it has just been great! The images are sharp and clean even when zoomed out at full focal length. I also use this with the 2X tele converter and it gives me twice the focal length and zoom distance. So my 70-200mm becomes a 140-400mm lens. The only disadvantage to this is that the f stop gets dropped down to f5.6. With good lighting this isn't a problem and I can even hand hold the shots however my shutter speeds are >1/500 of a second. For lower light conditions, I certainly have to use a tripod.

This is an excellent portrait lens because the compression is so smooth and the background is soft. I was really debating if I should get the Sony 100-400mm f4.5-5.6 lens. However I'm happy to have gotten the shorter focal length. It suits my needs better. With the 2x tele converter I can get the same effect of the 100-400mm. This is an expensive lens but well worth the money especially if you are doing portraiture. However for nature photography the 100-400mm is probably a better choice.

]]><![CDATA[Busy In Media]]>Sun, 31 May 2020 03:20:27 GMThttp://shemaguila.com/blog/busy-in-mediaSince this Covid-19 pandemic has affected the world, I have been so busy with creating media. It's unbelievable as my workload has increased significantly. There are several reasons for this.

1. My supervisor and I have undertaken a large film project. It will probably consist of 30 episodes - each being longer than 1 hour. The reason why I say probably is because it's still being written as we go. It's educational in nature. I am learning a lot and getting a chance to grow my video and audio skills.

2. We've been on lockdowns for 3-4 days every weekend for the last month. This gives me a 4 day work week rather than 5. The amount of projects to manage have also piled up.

3. The children have been home doing all their schooling during this lockdown. This means they are needing more help for homework and completing their assignments. This in turns affects my productivity as the workload at home has also increase. My wife is busy teaching them so she herself is carrying a full load.

4. Due to the lockdown, I've been the only one running additional errands for our family to minimize any contacts outside the home contacts.

5. Another thing is I've been commuting consistently to and from the studio on my bicycle. This is great except that it just take time.

6. Mixing my work life versus my personal life has really blurred the boundaries. Especially when I run into media problems. It's been a nightmare because I have deadlines to meet. Lost of late nights and not enough sleep.

However on the bright side of things, I'm learning so much on my NLE workflow. It's great! I really love it. Lots of technology especially in the world of video/audio. I also finally bought an Adobe 1 year subscription cause I could no longer do without it. My only complaint is that it's very expensive. However I do use it alot and will continue to do so. I always want to keep learning new things so I don't get stuck in a rut of mediocrity. Davinci Resolve has also been excellent although I've had to redo projects because I didn't have my settings in the correct format to begin with. It was heartbreaking when I would have to rebuild a project timeline from scratch all over again. But I did it. Another bright spot for me about this is I've been home more with my family more than ever. It's good bonding.

Lastly this pandemic has caused me to study deeper into prophecy and the times we live in. My priorities have been reassessed and realigned to match my goals. This is the good that's come out of this.

]]><![CDATA[Able to Focus]]>Sun, 29 Mar 2020 21:23:49 GMThttp://shemaguila.com/blog/able-to-focusLast month I mentioned how I was having trouble getting the GH5 cameras to keep and maintain focus.....Well, the last time I used the cameras, I used the native Panasonic lenses and they both seemed to work without problems. They stayed in focus to my surprise. I didn't do anything different except that I conscientiously and deliberately took the time to set my focus properly and turned the switched to manual. It worked! Hopefully it will work every time. So I was very happy about this. I hope it'll be this easy everytime.

The current big thing that's happening is this corona virus pandemic. It's affecting so many things of daily life. I think when this is over, the world that we once knew will never be the same again. Both from an economic point of view as well as an increase amount of surveillance. I also feel that an increase amount of monitoring worldwide will become the new norm. It' s sad but I think it's a very real possibility. So many things will be affected. However it isn't over yet. Hopefully life can get back to the routine as soon as possible. For those who are in the frontlines with helping the sick, I pray for you and your safety.

Everyone, please stay well!

]]><![CDATA[New Skills]]>Sat, 29 Feb 2020 18:45:29 GMThttp://shemaguila.com/blog/new-skillsI'm trying to make it a point to update my current work. It's just not so easy as life gets so full of other things.

One of my frustrations lately with the Panasonic GH5 native lenses is the inability to stay focused on a subject. This has been happening for the last month. I've used different lenses and there was no problem. But when I've switched back to the f 2.8 17-35 mm and the f2.8 35-100 mm Panasonic lenses the problem is still there. So what I do is zoom out all the way to get the focus right. Set the auto focus for facial recognition, switch the auto focus back to manual. At this point the focus is bang on. Then when I zoom out wide, say back to 70 mm, the focus on the subject has been lost and someone else's head gets into focus. I'm so frustrated. This is making my job more difficult. I cannot figure out why this is the case. I've changed lens and kept all the settings the same. When I do this, the focus is right on. No problems. But when I go back to the Pany lenses, the same problem returns. I need to get to the bottom of this.

A new skill I'm learning to develope is in the field of leadership. This year I'm starting the training on becoming a leader and not just a manager. I don't know if I'm really cut out for this---meaning with all the people stuff. I'm really praying about it. We'll see what happens.

]]><![CDATA[It's Been Too Long...]]>Fri, 31 Jan 2020 14:25:36 GMThttp://shemaguila.com/blog/its-been-too-long]]><![CDATA[Summer's Over]]>Sun, 09 Sep 2018 11:22:40 GMThttp://shemaguila.com/blog/summers-overMan, I cannot believe the summer's already over. Time just flies so fast.

Lots of things have happened since my last entry. First of all I'm glad that my Sony 28-135 mm G OSS lens finally sold. That was a big relief! It was working as it was serviced by Sony. However I didn't want to risk using that lens and failing on another job. Also the picture quality was not satisfactory for a lens that can utilize 4K. In my humble opinion it would be better to use a f2.8 lens by Sony when compared to this 28-135 mm cinema lens.

I was accepted into the MFA program by National University but I turned it down due to my conviction of keeping the Sabbath holy from Friday sundown to Saturday sundown. I've considered an alternative university but after much emails and phone calls, Coventry University in the UK as NOT an option. I would have been happy to visit the actual campus as we took a holiday in London last month. But they didn't even offer the program for a Masters.

This past week I rewired our office network, sound system, alarm system and overall wireless connections. It's a lot of work but I'm so thankful to have some young Brazilian friends who helped me out. The task is not yet complete but will continue on to this week. I also want to connect our TV's to an Apple TV unit for wireless presentations.

]]><![CDATA[No Regrets]]>Tue, 03 Apr 2018 10:14:02 GMThttp://shemaguila.com/blog/no-regretsAs I'm looking at the near future I am looking to attend university to obtain my MFA in cinema production. I feel strongly compelled to do this as it is my opportunity to grow in my field. Furthermore it will give me more authority to speak on the subject and become a qualifed expert. We'll see what happens.

https://www.nu.edu/OurPrograms/School-of-Professional-Studies/Journalism-Film-and-Entertainment-Arts/Programs/715-506.html?reftab=flt

This past weekend I had a greater sense of clarity as I was able to speak to someone a out an alternate graduate progrm I have been seriouly considering. While speaking with them they mentioned to me that they were looking for faculty that had an MFA degree. They didnt knmow all thw specifics but had just mentiomed it within my hearing. That pearked my interest greatly. So it is with renewed interest amd fervor that I get a graduate degree.

Furthermore I may have a replacement at my job that.could.allow me to pursue this degree.

Gotta go as the plane will be bparding in a few minutes.]]><![CDATA[Two Companies]]>Fri, 16 Mar 2018 12:58:26 GMThttp://shemaguila.com/blog/two-companies

My two favorite mirrorless camera systems are from Sony and Panasonic. They are both superb camera systems. They each have their strengths and weaknesses.

In my experience the Sony cameras are really good for lowlight and shallow depth of field. The photo images captured from the Sony systems are just outstanding and the bokeh is just beautiful. I also like the fact that they use an e-mount system which opens up the camera for cinematography glass without the use of adaptors. If you are primarily thinking to shoot still photography then I highly recommend using the Sony A7r series. The A7s systems which is more a video camera than a still camera are also very good for lowlight situations especially if all you have is ambient lighting. It is an excellent choice for night shots and capturing astral timelapses. Unfortunately I don't have this camera so I can speak only from what I've heard and read.

The biggest disadvantage for the Sony mirrorless systems is the user experience. What do I mean? In order to change settings such as EV, ISO and focus you must dig through the menu to change the setting. Sure one gets more efficient with more use but you still have to go through the menu. There may be a few exceptions but it really is a downside to the Sony systems. So if you're thinking you want image quality, reliablility. autofocus and low light performance then the Sony mirrorless camera system is the best choice. Sony also captures video in 4K mode but has limited recording formats.

Panasonic micro 4/3 systems are aimed more towards videographers and filmmakers. The ease of use and intuitive user interface is a real winner. The physical buttons and multiple file formats is night and day difference compared to Sony's. However autofocus can be problematic for Panasonic. But most videographers use manual focus anyways so this is not a deal breaker for some. But for others it is. I've found a work around this as mentioned by YedaYeo's YouTube video below:

I've not fully tested it yet but from what I've seen by reviewers it seems to be faster and more dependable.

The lens selection for Panasonic is more limited without a speedbooster. However if you get an adapter or speedbooster then a world of lenses opens up. The Panasonic GH system is incredibly amazing as the color bit and color profiles can tolerate heavy grading. The image can tolerate this as the color information is present in the file. The 10 bit 4:2:2 and the 400 MB/sec read speed is impressive. Furthermore this can all be captured on 4K.

The Panasonic can also create shallow depth of field and produce beautiful images both for stills and video. It all depends on the glass or lens you use. I've found that when I use a fast lens and capture from F1.2-2.8 it can really create a more film-like image. If you are a filmmaker and occasionally shoot stills then I highly recommend the Panasonic GH camera mirrorless series.

I do both photography and videography so I've opted to purchase both camera systems. And I simple use the camera that best fits the event.

With all that said, if you strictly do photography and no video than I would recommend using either Canon or Nikon. I was formerly a heavy Nikon user and using all Nikon glass. But with the work I do now and the smaller footprint and improved imaging systems of the mirrorless cameras I've made the switch. And I don't regret that decision.

]]><![CDATA[Panasonic GH5]]>Wed, 28 Feb 2018 19:23:32 GMThttp://shemaguila.com/blog/panasonic-gh5Here's the bottom line: The more I use it the more I like it. The Panasonic GH5 is an awesome video camera. Especially once the hack of 179• shutter angle was discovered along with the angled synchro scan--the auto focus just seems to work better. I'm really happy about this as it makes things just so much easier for self shooting. In addition I really like all the physical buttons available rather than digging through the menu. I still do manual focus for the most part and that's where the focus peaking comes in so handy. Beside the slow motion on the GH5 is great!

The GH5S sounds like a great camera as it's designed more for low light. I'd like to get this camera but I'd rather invest in better lighting and sound equipment. So that may be in the distant future.

I also use the Sony A7R2 along with the A6500. These are great cameras as well but the user experience from a video perspective means alot of digging through the menus. When the moment is fleeting I can't adjust the camera fast enough to catch the moment. It's so frustrating. Perhaps there's a customization button which I still need to learn.

So for my video needs I use the Panasonic GH5 and for all my photography needs I use the Sony system.

Panasonich GH5

Panasonic GH5S

Sony A7Rii

Sony A6500

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