Photographer Adam Schultz uses three Sony a9 cameras to photograph Joe Biden
Talks difficulties of shooting during a pandemic
Here’s a fascinating article — Barney Britton from DPReview recently interviewed Adam Schultz, and though he may not be a household name, you’ve most certainly seen his work. That’s because he’s the photographer inside the Biden campaign that’s tasked with capturing the former VP who is currently running for the Presidency.
As noted by others, years ago, the idea of Alpha cameras being used by journalists would have been laughed at. Now, here is Adam capturing perhaps one of the most important presidential races of our lifetime using not one but three Alpha cameras.
I have three Sony a9 II bodies, about twelve batteries, and four lenses, including the three I mentioned earlier. The Sony FE 16–35mm F2.8 GM, the FE 24–105mm F4 G OSS, which is mostly a backup, then the FE 85mm F1.4 GM, which is a great lens, and the FE 100–400mm F4.5–5.6 GM OSS. For me, it’s tricky because I never know exactly what kind of an event, or situation I’m going to walk into. So having those three bodies and those three main lenses gives me a really wide range of possibilities.
Though this could be chalked up as his personal preference and nothing more, it’s worth remembering that the Associated Press is switching their entire workflow for photos and video to Sony cameras as well.
Alpha has certainly come a long way in the last decade where it’s now Canon cameras that run the risk of overheating while Alpha’s offer unlimited record time in 4K. It makes you wonder if there’s a formula here for Xperia to follow.
There were a couple of months when we were figuring out our COVID testing, and there were a lot of unknowns around what was safe, and what we could do. Questions like ‘Can we fly?’ And first and foremost, the campaign — and vice-president Biden — has said ‘safety first’. Wear a mask, get tested, all that stuff. There were a handful of times when I saw vice-president Biden before we started rigorous testing, but now, every day before I see him I get tested. So that’s definitely an extra layer, operationally, which has to be built into the schedule.
If you’re at all interested in high stakes photography, the entire, albeit short interview is worth your time.
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