Adventure photographer and Alpha Collective member Anthony Castro (@anthonys.adventure) says he is called to any adventure life has in store for him, while capturing every epic moment of it. When Castro recently took a trip to France to explore as much as he could within a three-week timespan, he knew exactly which two lenses he wanted to take to pair with his Sony Alpha 1: the Sony 24-70mm f/2.8 G Master II and the Sony 70-200mm f/2.8 G Master II. “Those were literally the only two lenses I used and the only two I needed, really,” he says, “because the 24-70mm covered everything close to mid range, and then everything long distance or if I wanted to do portraits was with the 70-200mm.” We caught up with him to learn more about what he captured using the second-generation G-Masters.

Photo by Anthony Castro. Sony Alpha 1. Sony 24-70mm f/2.8 G Master II. 1/100-sec., f/13, ISO 100

An adventure photographer shares how he traveled light with a versatile range using a Sony 24-70mm f/2.8 GM II & Sony 70-200mm f/2.8 GM II and a single body.

Showing The Magnificence Of A Scene

One image Castro took while in France was of him sitting in front of the historical Mont Saint-Michel. He credits the Sony 70-200mm f/2.8 G Master II for helping him capture the scene in an interesting way. “The castle is actually really far away,” he explains, “but using a telephoto lens, it’s nice to make the size comparison. When you have a subject closer, it really shows the magnificence of the Mont Saint-Michel or whatever it is you are shooting.”

Photo by Anthony Castro. Sony Alpha 1. Sony 70-200mm f/2.8 G Master II. 1/320-sec., f/4, ISO 50

He also used the 70-200mm to capture himself standing in front of the massive cliffs in France, giving the same effect. “The cliff was actually quite far from me, and when I tried to shoot it with the 24-70mm it just didn’t look as significant as it did with the human eye. So the 70-200mm really helped portray the significance of that cliff and what the size really looked like for a human.”

Photo by Anthony Castro. Sony Alpha 1. Sony 70-200mm f/2.8 G Master II. 1/640-sec., f/2.8, ISO 100

Focusing On A Tighter Frame

When Castro was in tighter spaces, like his image inside of a cave, he needed the Sony 24-70mm f/2.8 G Master II to capture the scene the way he wanted. “There were so many shots from the cave that I definitely couldn’t use the 70-200mm for,” he says. “So the 24-70mm was good for different framing of shots that were a lot closer.”

Photo by Anthony Castro. Sony Alpha 1. Sony 24-70mm f/2.8 G Master II. 1/1600-sec., f/5.6, ISO 200

He found himself happy to have both lenses to capture the varying attractions and landscapes of the country. “Both lenses were incredibly fast and really good at tracking. So when I was doing those shots, especially the portraits, it locked on almost immediately. I didn't have to focus anything on my own really. That plus I love how light they are, and the resulting images are very crisp with excellent color.”

Photo by Anthony Castro. Sony Alpha 1. Sony 24-70mm f/2.8 G Master II. 1/500-sec., f/3.2, ISO 200

Solo-Shooting When Traveling

How does Castro capture images that include himself in the scene when traveling? He says he either uses interval shooting or the remote shutter from the Imaging Edge App, depending on his distance from the camera. “If I’m standing further away from the camera, I’ll use interval shooting to trigger the shutter. If I’m close range shooting, I'll pretty much use the app. It lets me see where I am in frame and I can completely adjust my position while being in front of the camera.”

Photo by Anthony Castro. Sony Alpha 1. Sony 24-70mm f/2.8 G Master II. 1/800-sec., f/7.1, ISO 100

See more of Anthony Castro’s work on his Alpha Universe Profile and on Instagram @anthonys.adventure.

Learn more about the Sony 24-70mm f/2.8 G Master II HERE.

Learn more about the Sony 70-200mm f/2.8 G Master II HERE.