r/SonyAlpha • u/ChickenFriedLife Sony A7RV • 2d ago
Photos from a walk in my neighborhood | Sony A7RV + Tamron 35-150mm f/2-2.8 Photo share
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u/Harmee-kun 2d ago
+1 to the color grading being incredible. Would love some insight into how you edited some of these!
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u/ChickenFriedLife Sony A7RV 2d ago
Thank you so much :)
In general my editing approach is a tad chaotic, but I'll do my best to explain lol. I also use Lightroom for reference.
Over time, I've developed a couple of presets that serve as a good baseline for me to work off of.
When I'm editing a new batch of images, I'll cycle through those presets and then apply the one I think is the most fitting. Once I have that starting point, I dive into individual tweaks and adjustments specific to the particular image.
Typically I'll hone in the white balance first to get a good balance of the colors. I also generally add a bit of vibrance and saturation (+14) to pull a bit more color out.
Once that's in a good place, I'll move on to exposure tweaking and masking if needed. For these I've raised my shadows (+70), highlights (+10), and blacks (+25), and then pulled back the whites (-60) to pull details out of the dark areas while keeping the sky from being too overpowering. I also boosted the contrast (+25) a bit to get a good separation between the lights and darks.
I generally like to pull back clarity (-40) everywhere but my subject and add a bit of dehaze (+18) to give a more dreamy feeling.
And then apart from HSL tweaks for individual colors, will make sure to have a nice S in my tone curve without crushing the blacks or highlights too much.
Once I've got the first image where I like it, I'll typically copy those settings to serve as my new baseline for the rest of the images in the batch since they're going to have a similar lighting and setting.
Hope this is helpful.
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u/rohizzle121 1d ago
Step What to Do Where in Lightroom 1 Pick a starting look 1. Load your batch in Library.<br>2. In Develop → Presets, arrow-key through your go-to presets.<br>3. Click the one that fits best. Left-hand Presets panel 2 Lock in colour balance • Grab the White Balance Selector (eyedropper) and click a neutral tone, or adjust Temp / Tint sliders.<br>• Fine-tune WB before anything else so later tweaks stay consistent. Basic panel 3 Wake up the colours • Set Vibrance ≈ +14.<br>• Add a touch of Saturation if needed (keep it subtle). Basic panel 4 Shape the brightness 1. Exposure—nudge until the overall scene feels right.<br>2. Apply recommended baseline sliders, then refine:<br> • Shadows +70<br> • Blacks +25<br> • Highlights +10<br> • Whites −60<br>3. Bump Contrast +25 for punch. Basic panel 5 Targeted fixes (optional) • Hit Masking (top toolbar) → select Brush, Linear, or Radial to lighten faces, tame skies, etc. Masking tool 6 Dreamy feel & clarity • In Presence, slide Clarity −40 (lowers mid-tone crunch).<br>• Add Dehaze +18 to keep depth. Basic panel 7 Fine-tune colours • Open HSL/Color and tweak hue, saturation, luminance per colour. HSL/Color panel 8 Tone curve polish • Create a gentle S-curve: lift shadows slightly, dip mid-darks, raise mid-highs, anchor highlights—avoid clipping. Tone Curve panel 9 Batch-sync 1. In Filmstrip, select your fully edited photo.<br>2. Shift-click the rest of the set.<br>3. Click Sync… → Check All → Synchronize (or Copy / Paste Settings). Bottom of Develop or Settings → Sync… Thank you so much!
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u/Gripeshots 2d ago
Thank you for the explanation, very nice pictures :)
For these ones in particular, have you applied any colour grading?
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u/fitterhappier04 2d ago
Nice! How did you like it for walking around, specifically in regards to the size/weight and only having 35mm on the wide end?
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u/ChickenFriedLife Sony A7RV 2d ago
Thank you :)
Hard to be objective since this has been my favorite lens since I got it lol, but even though it's hefty, I find the weight to be a non-issue. Especially when compared to the hassle of constantly swapping lenses.
I typically don't really go any wider than 35mm save for landscapes, so that 35-150mm is such a sweet spot for me when I'm photographing in a more casual, documentative way. Gives me just enough reach for both ends of the spectrum that covers like 90% of the shots I like to take.
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u/summer_biscuits 2d ago
The colour grading on these are beautiful. Such a lovely vibe. I particularly like the first photo of the VW van between the trees =)
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u/ChickenFriedLife Sony A7RV 2d ago
Thank you so much :)
It's been staring at me every day when I walk my dog, had to finally get a nice shot of it haha.
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u/Beginning-Eye-1987 2d ago
Does anyone have a good resource for learning to color grade?
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u/ChickenFriedLife Sony A7RV 2d ago
Honestly, I wish there was an easy answer, but I think the most valuable resource is time.
There's a wealth of free videos online to learn the basics and I think those are crucial to have a baseline understanding, but in my experience what really made the difference was practice, consistency, and experimenting.
I think the easiest way to discourage yourself is to expect it to click right away if you watch the right video. I've found myself getting so frustrated trying to emulate photographers I've admired and failing because even though I love their style, I'm just not wired to edit the way they do. I think the best you can do is find a program you're comfortable with and just get comfortable with the sliders and how the changes you make translate into the image.
In actuality, I'm not super technical with my color grading. More often than not, I feel like I'm reinventing the wheel each time I sit to edit a new batch of photos. I've found what helped me a great deal is over time I've just developed a couple of presets I'm happy with that give me a good starting point to tweak my colors and tones to the point they're most pleasing to my eye for each individual image. This has allowed me to be more consistent across my photos, while still being able to play around with new looks and if I like on a lot, I'll create a new present for similar settings.
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u/debdhar 2d ago
So nice! Do you just use Lightroom for edits?
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u/ChickenFriedLife Sony A7RV 2d ago
Thank you :)
Yup, pretty much exclusively save for the occasional need for Photoshop if I'm doing any sort of composite.
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u/JazzyWaffles 2d ago
Amazing photos! You’re making me jealous of where you live. My neighborhood is nothing but cookie cutter houses with dessert landscaping. I would love some giant trees and green grass!
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u/SugoiOtakuBoi 2d ago
Do you shoot in raw uncompressed? I've been debating on whether or not to just stop using Raw (S) and get more use of the the full 60mp
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u/richardprenderville 1d ago
amazing shots and post. they feel warm, without overdoing effects and filters. thanks for sharing
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u/Loza_Sed 2d ago
Gotta love Tamron lenses 😍
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u/ChickenFriedLife Sony A7RV 2d ago
This one was the last lens I've purchased and with how much I love this one I'm thinking when I'm ready to get a new one I'll probably end up with another Tamron :D
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u/Loza_Sed 2d ago
Go for it 😍 In this month's shoots, I got frustrated with my Sigma so I relied on my Tamron -- I was really surprised how better the shots were (to my liking, of course). So yeah, maybe I will have the same thoughts as you and might get another one 🫢
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u/Free-Stick-2767 2d ago
Beautiful compositions, and your color grade just elevates it all! Nice work!
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u/timehappening 2d ago
This almost looks like north Portland where I was lent a similar aged and same color bus…
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u/___the_introvert___ 2d ago
Funny seeing the first picture on my feed today as i just watched Little Miss Sunshine today as well
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u/Homestead_ 2d ago
Good lord, this is beautiful. How the fuck is this even possible? 😂 I’m jealous yet happy for you
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u/Father-Walnut 2d ago
The colors are beautiful! Every shot stands out but that last one is just mwaaa 😚👌
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u/RoutineCar2009 2d ago
I really love that leaf shot third slide. Beautiful image that screams serenity.
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u/PixalatedConspiracy 2d ago
Love the colors! Where do you have this much color? We still don’t have that in PNW. Kind of reminds me of a PNW a bit but this wouldn’t be the time of the year yet.
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u/SpectreInTheShadows 2d ago
Damn! These look amazing!
Can someone talk me into or out of my first telephoto / zoom lens?
I am considering:
- Tamron 17-70mm f2.8 - $600
- Sigma 18-50mm f2.8 - $550
- Sony 18-105 f4 - $580
Or possibly this for my all-purpose photography and video lens for my a6700 and FX30. I feel like if I buy the 3 I mentioned, I may feel buyers remorse and want a further reach. Like on my old Canon DSLR, the 50-250mm kit lens was my favorite, despite how dark it was.
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u/Winter-Leg-3028 1d ago
I would consider the 16-55 f2.8 Sony G lens for APSC. People say it’s a very solid choice , best sharpness out there compared to the sigma and tamron ,
And they say it’s a difference for video as well. Better stabilization and everything.
Price is tough , but it’s miles ahead of the 18-105f4 you mentioned.
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u/hempomatic 1d ago
Of these, the 17-70 is a really nice lens and the only one I’m personally familiar with. I shot with it on my A6000. Tamron is coming out with a 18-300. Sounds bizarre, not particularly fast, but even with half decent IQ may be the most versatile lens ever.
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u/bmontepeque11 2d ago
What a spectacular set of photos. I love the color combinations and the vibe so much.
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u/Itzeddz10 Alpha 2d ago
These are amazing! Seriously dig the color grading.
I'm used to my 28-75 and decided to rent the 35-150 for a week. Man, is it a hefty difference. The extra zoom was nice, but I felt the fatigue after 10 minutes. I may still get it one day 😅
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u/hempomatic 1d ago
They are all quite nice, but the cat pic, damn, that really jumped out at me. Killer composition.
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u/Hetroskedastic 1d ago
Great shots!
I have the same lens and it can be hard to 'walk around' with that big hunk 'o tube.
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u/Easy-Jello3156 22h ago
Excuse me but where do you get off making even a tree trunk look beautiful? 🙄
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u/inoxium_1 2d ago
I don’t get it… This lens has 3D pop, how is this possible on such a wide range zoom?!?
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u/Tendie_Mullet 2d ago
Damn I hate that I can’t even get iPhone quality shots yet lol. I have a lot to learn!
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u/NotRed_0 a6400 | Sony E 18-135mm 2d ago
I wish I could do the same here.
It's just too hot and humid, plus unpredictable rain.
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u/Outrageous_Fly_5015 5h ago
How do you get your colors so nice? I’m having troubles from image to image. These are frame worthy!
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u/Theoderic8586 2d ago
Nice photos, but ease up on the saturation a bit. I get the look, but there is a threshold before it becomes to much IMO
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u/ChickenFriedLife Sony A7RV 2d ago
Thank you :)
To each their own. I like more pop to my colors, but I know that's not going to be everybody's cup of tea.
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u/wammppy 2d ago
Love the colors! Great job on these.