Hailing from the Philippines, Pilar Bonnin is a renowned wedding photographer with well over two decades worth of experience in wedding photography. Being drawn to stories and human emotion, Pilar believes that weddings are a monumental milestone of every couple’s journey that ought to be preserved for a lifetime.

The experienced photographer is dedicated to capturing every scene in rich detail and aiding her in her quest to preserve these memories is the all-new Alpha 7R V. Equipped with a highly-reliable AI-based autofocus system and enhanced subject recognition capabilities, the Alpha 7R V was able to keep up with Pilar’s demands and fast pace of work, delivering stunning photos that capture every moment as it unfolds.

Tracks subjects like never before

The magic of a moment can unfold in a split second and Pilar needs a camera that can keep up with her quick workflow, capturing a scene from all angles as quickly and as accurately as possible. The Alpha 7R V’s reliable autofocus and subject recognition capabilities have proven to be extremely helpful in this aspect. The dedicated AI Processing Unit identifies and tracks Pilar’s subjects tenaciously through Human Pose Estimation, allowing her to capture moving subjects in high clarity even when they are not facing the camera, especially during wedding veil shots.

“The eyes of the bride are often obscured from their veil and it can end up tricking the eye AF but with Sony’s Alpha 7R V, this has become a problem of the past,” Pilar said.

One challenge that wedding photographers often face is keeping the focus on the bride and groom when there are many people within the frame. Thankfully, the Alpha 7R V’s ability to pre-register human subjects ensured that the bride and groom were always in focus, thus easing Pilar’s workflow significantly. 

Pilar’s choice of lenses for wedding photography

In order to keep up with the speed at which moments unfold during a photoshoot, every wedding photographer will find themselves in need of lenses that work seamlessly with their cameras for precise autofocus control.

For this photoshoot, Pilar used these lenses with her Alpha 7R V:

• FE 16-35mm F2.8 GM
• FE 24-70mm F2.8 GM II
• FE 85mm F1.4 GM
• FE 70-200mm F2.8 GM OSS II

With wide apertures, reliable G Master resolution and smooth AF control from her camera, the lenses allowed Pilar to capture her subjects in breathtaking detail, with minimal to no image distortion. Be it gorgeous background bokeh to sharp detail reproduction at every corner, Pilar was able to broaden her creative expression by choosing to show her subjects lost in their own world or being in harmony with their surroundings.

Love captured from every angle

When taking wedding photos, the photographer is telling a story of the newlywed couple. Far from being a one-dimensional affair, it is important for wedding photographers to capture their shots from a variety of angles. The Alpha 7R V comes equipped with a 4-axis Multi-angle LCD monitor, which allowed Pilar to explore new creative perspectives. 

Being a hybrid camera, the Alpha 7R V allows the photographer the flexibility of switching to video mode for a more dynamic medium to tell a story. The Alpha 7R V’s improved Active Mode allows for greater stabilisation when shooting videos, particularly when handheld for shake-free, smooth footage throughout.

Having a massive resolution of 61MP made a huge difference in the resolution of Pilar’s photos as it allowed her to crop her photos closely without compromising image quality. This gave her greater flexibility in her photography as she can choose to show more of the background or get up close with her subjects in post.

Imaging intelligence redefined

With a newfound ability to bring out the bride and groom’s blissful expression on their special day in extreme precision, the Alpha 7R V has given Pilar the confidence to try out many new techniques to tell a romantic story through visuals.

“To be given the trust to capture their special moment brings me joy,” Pilar said. “A great responsibility to deliver results of the highest caliber and standards comes along with that trust. The Alpha 7R V has given me greater confidence in my work as it assured me that precious emotions can be retained through time.”