Nino Rakichevich is a professional fashion photographer, street photographer and Sony Artisan. Though he is now primarily known for his high fashion work, he got his start in photography in photojournalism, and street photography allows him to continue his creative pursuits of capturing fleeting moments. With his various genres of photography, Nino finds himself reaching for different cameras to suit specific needs. Since adopting the Sony system, Nino has always preferred to use Sony ultra-high-resolution full frame cameras for his photography. In 2022, Sony announced the Sony Alpha 7R V, a new high-resolution imaging experience with an AI-based autofocus system and Nino quickly added two of the Sony Alpha 7R V camera bodies to his kit, in addition to his Sony Alpha 1 and Sony RX1R II and he's now using the Sony Alpha 7CR. As the Sony cameras have evolved, Nino has found himself drawn to the 61 megapixels. He explains that it works well for his styles of photography, both fashion and editorial work as well as street photography.
Photo by Nino Rakichevich. Sony Alpha 7R V. Sony 35mm f/1.4 G Master. 1/2000-sec., f/1.4, ISO 100
Photo by Nino Rakichevich. Sony Alpha 7R V. Sony 35mm f/1.4 G Master. 1/2000-sec., f/1.4, ISO 100
Photo by Nino Rakichevich. Sony Alpha 7R V. Sony 35mm f/1.4 G Master. 1/2000-sec., f/1.4, ISO 100
Fashion Photography Considerations
For his fashion and commercial photography work, Nino often has to print his images quite large. For that purpose, he has come to rely on the Sony Alpha 7R V and its 61 megapixels. “For commercial and my editorial fashion work, the Sony Alpha 1 and Sony Alpha 7R V are top of the line. And I don’t need 30 frames per second, 10 frames per second is plenty. So I find myself reaching for the Sony Alpha 7R V more and more.”
With the announcement of the Sony Alpha 7CR at in August of 2023, Nino was intrigued to have the potential of an R Series camera in a compact body. He had the opportunity to try out the camera and purposefully tested its ability to crop, its handheld stabilization and its dynamic range. After evaluating the images and the camera's performance in all three categories and he decided the Alpha 7CR would find a place in his kitas his go-to camera for street photography and its high resolution will even come into play for his fashion work.
Street Photography Considerations
Dynamic Range: “The most important feature in a camera, for me, is the dynamic range. It’s more important even than megapixels. Because I try to shoot mainly with available light, so it’s really important to preserve the shadows and the highlights.” Nino goes on to say that this is especially important in street photography. He has always been impressed with his Sony cameras' ability to capture dynamic range, especially so with the Sony Alpha 7R V and Sony Alpha 7CR.
For this test below, I purposefully went somewhere that didn’t have great light. And the ISO was pretty high, I think at 1600. And still, the Sony Alpha 7R V held up great. Then, just for fun I cropped in extremely tight to see how it held up – and it was great too! Still super super sharp.”
Photo by Nino Rakichevich. Sony Alpha 7CR. Sony 35mm f/1.4 G Master. 1/1600-sec., f/1.4, ISO 1600
Photo by Nino Rakichevich. Sony Alpha 7CR. Sony 35mm f/1.4 G Master. 1/1600-sec., f/1.4, ISO 1600
Photo by Nino Rakichevich. Sony Alpha 7CR. Sony 35mm f/1.4 G Master. 1/1600-sec., f/1.4, ISO 1600
Internal Stabilization: Nino frequently shoots on the streets of Paris, and Paris has strict rules about photographing in the city. If you don’t have a permit, you cannot use light stands or tripods. For this reason, as well as the ability to remain agile, Nino mostly shoots his street photography handheld. “The seven stops of image stabilization are amazing. It allows me to capture even darker areas where I have a longer exposure handheld.”
High Resolution: “With street photography, you have to be on the lookout, moments come and go so quickly,” Nino explains. He goes on to say that there is not always time to line yourself up with the perfect composition. For that reason, Nino is a big fan of cropping images to hone in on the moment that captured his attention while he was shooting.
He continues, “With 61 megapixels, I can crop easily and a lot and not worry about image quality. There’s nothing wrong with cropping, it’s another way to achieve your photo.”
Autofocus: Again, Nino explains the fleeting nature of street photography. “Sometimes you just see things and you react, there’s no time to mess with settings.”
That is why the dedicated AI processor in the Sony Alpha 7R V and Sony Alpha 7CR are so appealing to him. “You cannot miss focus, and that is really exciting.” Nino also told us that he frequently shoots wide open, since he tends to use available light. So having an effective autofocus becomes even more critical to capturing the shots.
When Nino had the chance to photograph with the Sony Alpha 7R V for the first time, at Sony Creative Space in New York City, he tested it out on the streets of the city. As he was walking around, he saw this woman smoking, and immediately lifted the camera to capture this split-second moment. “The high resolution was able to handle this crop and make the image. And the autofocus reacted so quickly.”
Photo by Nino Rakichevich. Sony Alpha 7R V. Sony 35mm f/1.4 G Master. 1/320-sec., f/3.5, ISO 800
Photo by Nino Rakichevich. Sony Alpha 7R V. Sony 35mm f/1.4 G Master. 1/320-sec., f/3.5, ISO 800
Keeping A Low Profile & Making People Comfortable
For Nino, street photography is all about capturing moments that appear and vanish in a split second. And to really be a fly on the wall, he prefers a small, inconspicuous camera. Nino says that when he got his hands on the Sony Alpha 7CR, the first thing he noticed was the size, “I thought it was great because it's so small and I can have it wherever I go. I knew the specs of it too, so knowing that it has everything I’m looking for and then seeing how tiny it was – I was just really impressed.”
Frequently, Nino is asked for advice on street photography and one of his top pieces of advice is to be casual and comfortable. “Most of the time, people don’t even see me taking the photos. And if they do, then I just smile. It's all about having a casual and comforting demeanor.”
Nino has previously told us that being a street photographer is all about being observant. “You’re taking in everything happening around you and you have to trust your instincts when something catches your attention. Sometimes it’s the way someone is moving or how a person is juxtaposed against a building. Sometimes it’s just a face. Sometimes when it happens you just take the picture and figure out why afterwards.”
Over the past year, Nino has found the latest Sony Alpha "R" series cameras to be invaluable additions to his gear. The dual-genre photographer has found his work growing and improving with the new features and is excited to use his Sony Alpha 7R V and Sony Alpha 7CR together for his work. “I always have a camera with me, wherever I go. So I’m really excited to have these cameras and always take them with me in my kit.”
See more of Nino Rakichevich’s work on Instagram @nino_rakichevich and on his Alpha Universe Profile.