Creative inspirations, equipment selection

On our travels, we're at mother nature's mercy - you can check weather forecasts, but you can never really predict conditions when you reach your destination. That's part of the excitement of shooting travel videos! There is one certainty whenever and wherever I travel though - I always pack my FE 16-35mm F4 ZA OSS Lens and Alpha 7C camera.

The magic of a zoom lens on your travels

Here's a fun fact - many of my favourite travel videos were totally unplanned and shot along the way to my intended destinations. That's the magic of travelling with equipment you love. By design, a zoom lens has a variable focal length, and this gives you amazing versatility.

To tell vivid stories with your videos, having variety in your framing is key. And a zoom lens empowers you to create a wide variety of shots, without having to physically move yourself.

The FE 16-35mm F4 ZA OSS Lens, in particular, is spectacular for capturing everything I want in my travel videos - the vastness of wide-open landscapes, my subject (i.e. the main character in my video/story), and all the beautiful details that create a more immersive and believable visual experience for viewers.

My favourite shots: Behind the scenes

Scene 1: A time-lapse moonlight in Thailand (00:02)

The opening scene for this video was a time-lapse of the evening sky. Generally, the sky is pretty clear in February (the month I shot this) in Thailand, which was great for a clear shot. Also, the moon cycle was ideal for shooting between 8pm and 6am (i.e. the moonlight wouldn't affect the time-lapse shot).

The focus of this shot was a tent that I pitched. At first though, the shot looked flat. So, I decided to place a lantern inside to create a more intriguing visual - and I really like how it turned out!

Behind the scenes, the star performer was my FE 16-35mm F4 ZA OSS Lens. This lens does remarkably well in low light. Although there were strong winds that shook the camera throughout the night, the FE 16-35mm F4 ZA OSS Lens's built-in Optical SteadyShot (OSS) ensured that the shot was crisp and beautiful.

Scene 2: Artistic reveal of a pine forest (00:12)

This video was shot in a pine forest, during the morning hours. One of the interesting aspects of this shoot were the many pinecones that were scattered along the ground. They added interesting layers of texture and detail and enhanced the storytelling element of the video.

I felt that a great way to showcase the environment was a slow reveal of the forest. To accomplish this, I sat on the ground and created a tilt shot that started by focusing on a single pinecone - before slowly tilting my camera upwards to unveil a wide shot of the majestic pine forest.

Using the FE 16-35mm F4 ZA OSS Lens's 0.28M close-up capabilities, the pinecone looked sharp and in focus, while being surrounded by natural-looking bokeh. The lens features a smooth and precise autofocus, which made the transition from pinecone to forest, very fluid and natural.

Scene 3: A stroll through a forest (00:22)

This is another of my favourite scenes - a character walking through a forest. I love how wide this lens is, as it really showcases the towering pine trees and their cascading shadows they create. This scene was really beautiful in real life, and the wide angle of the FE 16-35mm F4 ZA OSS Lens captured the scene perfectly - creating an immersive visual experience for viewers.

Scene 4: Dusty roads and a hidden landscape (00:44)

Along one of my drives, I chanced upon a unique landscape that was hidden amidst a mountain. It was a hill that was full of stones that gave the environment an otherworldly impression - absolutely ideal for storytelling in a video. I asked my subject to walk across the hill and followed her journey with my camera.

This shoot took place at the beginning of the country's drought season, so the environment was very dry and dusty. While these conditions can cause concerns for some other equipment, I shot was confidence with my dust-proof FE 16-35mm F4 ZA OSS Lens, which easily held up to the challenging conditions.

What made this particular scene even easier (and more fun) to shoot, was the lightweight combination of the FE 16-35mm F4 ZA OSS Lens and Alpha 7C camera - which are really convenient to carry anywhere, and very easy to handle.

Scene 5: Capturing the beauty of Mae Hong Son (00:50)

This is a popular shot as it gives viewers the impression that they're in Jurassic Park! In actuality, I shot this in Pai Lan Split, which is a tourist attraction in Mae Hong Son. Pai Lan Split is a canyon that's full of beautiful ferns, and I decided to showcase the breathtaking view with a panning shot that shows off both the detail of the foliage, as well as the awe-inspiring canyon in the background.

Here's where the FE 16-35mm F4 ZA OSS Lens's autofocus shines! The transition between the two distances - the foliage and canyon - was handled with ease and smoothness (and without the "jumpy" or jarring transitions that can happen with some other lenses).

Scene 6: Tranquil scenes (00:35)

Here's another unplanned shot that's in my personal "top 8". I was driving past a stream and was absolutely captivated by its beauty. The depth, colours and nature textures in the scene - embodied by the rocks, stream and mountains in the background - felt like stories within stories. The environment captivated me.

I wanted to capture every minute detail in this scene, and with the FE 16-35mm F4 ZA OSS Lens, I could. Combined with a CPL filter, I was able to shoot this picturesque scene in high-resolution clarity, and with vibrant colours that truly bring viewers into the scene - almost as if they were standing there with me.

Scene 7: A piece of heaven, hidden on earth (00:29)

This was another hidden spot in Mae Hong Son that I had to capture with my camera. The endlessly expansive grassy hill and curved lines of the country road seemed to go on forever - making you ponder on the expansiveness of the mother nature and appreciate the world around us a little more.

Once again, this shot was taken during the drought season - which meant lots of dust adding an interesting element to the shot, and the need for equipment that I could count on in harsh environments like this.

For this shot, I used a 16mm focal length, which gave the scene added depth and immersion.

Scene 8: The Cascading Mork Fa Waterfall (00:34)

Chiang Mai (Thailand) has many beautiful waterfalls, but the Mork Fa waterfall has to be among the most gorgeous ones. When shooting waterfalls, be prepared for low-light, high-moisture situations and choose your equipment wisely!

You already know my favourite zoom lens is the FE 16-35mm F4 ZA OSS Lens, and for good reason too. Not only does it take amazing photos and videos (as you've seen above), it's also moisture-proof and has built-in Optical SteadyShot (OSS), which makes it perfect for shots in locations like waterfalls and other high-moisture or windy environments.

Finding your unique inspirations

I'm mostly inspired by watching great filmmakers and video creators' work, and really enjoy going "behind the scenes" - understanding their thought processes, lens choices, and how these creators tell stories and invoke emotions through their art.

For me, everyday life can feel mundane at times - but travelling to different locales and being with nature rejuvenates and inspires me!

If you're ever feeling "stuck", maybe a helpful question to ask could be, "What brings fun, fulfilment and meaning to my life?" That's where your inspiration lies.