Image Focus

These types of shoots are always a game, or like a dance, between the actor and me. When we work really well together, as I did with Jason Isaacs, it is like a gift to me; it makes it so much easier to capture great portraits.

I was in Switzerland as part of a two-day advertising shoot for the Swiss chocolate brand Cailler. There was a large team of around 30 people, but I had a three-hour slot booked with Jason to take some portraits and close-ups without the entire production crew around. I like to have that smaller, closer atmosphere. That is always the best environment as I can get close to my subject, talk to them and see something behind their face. You often find that actors have the same facial expressions and character as they play a role. I want to get behind the curtain a bit more and see them.

On a shoot like this, the Sony Alpha 1 II is the perfect tool. It has a great 50.1 megapixel resolution. I always shoot using the viewfinder, so having a 9.44-million-dot EVF is vital to me. And the autofocus works perfectly. All of this together makes it the best camera for me.

When I am shooting portraits, I am constantly moving around, and so is my subject. I can get special expressions from being mobile, and I shoot quickly so that I can capture every moment. I need the autofocus to be quick and accurate because of all the movement. With the Sony Alpha 1 II, I don’t even need to think about autofocus, as I can be certain it is on point.

I took the shot with the FE 24-70mm f/2.8 GM II lens. I usually shoot with a fixed lens, either a 50mm or 85mm lens, but for this shoot, I needed to capture a lot of different things in a short space of time. That is why I chose the 24-70mm lens – it gives me the freedom to zoom or go wide when I need it, without losing time changing lenses – it is a safety thing.

I also shot at f/11. I nearly always shoot portraits at f/11 because I want the depth of field to keep everything sharp. It is my style – I want to keep the whole person in focus. I don’t like it if the nose is out of focus or the eyes are in focus but the rest of him is out of focus. And for this shoot, it was obviously important to keep the chocolate and branding in focus as well.

The shoot was a lot of fun. Jason was absolutely charming and open-minded. And his expression – it is amazing, perfect. There were loads of great shots for the client to choose from, and they were happy, which is always the biggest compliment that I can get.