Although JB Perraudin (@jbperraudin) had an early interest in landscape photography from his time scaling mountians, that interest waned when mountain climbing became incompatible with his other passion in life, playing music. When he became inspired by architecture and interiors, he did research and asked other photographers for suggestions on a camera system that could excel in challenging low light and backlight situations. "Believe it or not, the answer was always the same: Sony Alpha," he says. "It was clear I was fascinated by the texture of the photo, the perfect balance between definition, colors and something I could call mellow, or velvety, or downy. So in September 2019, I bought a Sony α7R III and my first lens, the Sony 16-35mm f/4.” We connected with Perraudin to learn more about the Sony Alpha gear currently in his kit for capturing interiors, architecture and more.

Camera

Sony α7R III: The α7R III is really a fantastic camera especially for what I do: pictures of palaces, museums and castles. Even I like to take photos of the outside (gardens of palaces), but I’m mainly a photographer of the inside. The main problem with being an inside shooter is we need a very efficient camera, especially for low light. The Sony α7R III does the job fantastically! With it I always find a way to take crisp pictures even when I am in a palace at sunset or during the night. I also don’t need to push the ISO to its limits to get a good picture.

The Hall of Mirrors, Versailles Palace. Photo by JB Perraudin. Sony α7R III. Sony 12-24mm f/4 G. 1-sec., f/7, ISO 800

Lenses

Sony 16-35mm f/4: As I am mainly focused about the interior of the castles, I wanted to catch the feeling of space and the big size of the rooms. I thought a 16-35mm was a good compromise to start this new adventure. This is the lens I would always take when I did a visit to a palace for the first time because I was sure I could deal with the size of the rooms with that lens. This lens has a great response and I can trust it in all situations.

Hotel de Lauzun in Paris. Photo by JB Perraudin. Sony α7R III. Sony 16-35mm f/4. 1-sec., f/7, ISO 800

Sony 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6 G: Even though I like to catch the massive size of the rooms, I was frustrated to not be able to photograph some of the details on the inside of the palaces. I quickly noticed I could not take photos of gardens the same way I took photos of the Hall of Mirrors. A 16-35mm is probably great if you want to take a panoramic view of the Grand Teton National Park or the buildings in New York City. But here in France, there is very little relief in the gardens of castles. So a picture of a garden taken with a 16-35mm might look more eventless or dull. The 70-300mm was really the solution to me. I could say I discovered the way to photograph gardens with the help of the 70-300mm.

The Versailles Gardens. Photo by JB Perraudin. Sony α7R III. Sony 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6 G. f/8, ISO 250

Sony 24-105mm f/4 G: The 24-105mm f/4 G is the lens I take generally if I decide to take only one lens (that’s very rare, most of the time I bring two) and if I know I will shoot outside AND inside. Of course if the 16-35 is great because of the wide angle, and the 70-300mm is fantastic for detail or things far from me, so the 24-105mm is the in-between. I took this photo with my 24-105mm f/4 G, as I had access to this museum by night I also used a tripod. It’s very rare we are allowed to have this tool in the museums because of the risk of breaking something by a random motion. That’s why I was able to photo a part of the staircase and the tapestry on the wall, all of that surrounded by the special feeling of intimacy/privacy, due to the fact the picture was taken during the night.

One of the most beautiful museums in Paris, Jacquemart-André. Photo by JB Perraudin. Sony α7R III. Sony 24-105mm f/4 G. f/8, ISO 400

Sony 12-24mm f/4 G: I needed a new lens with a wide angle to experience photos I couldn’t take with the 16-35mm. What an amazing lens the 12-24mm f/4 G is! I’m very interested in one day checking out the 12-24mm f/2.8 GM, but I got the G version in lockdown and took a ton of photos with it - it’s really amazing. I had used other wide angles lenses from other companies in the past but the Sony one is far better – especially about definition and geometrical corrections.

The Hotel de Lassay, an unknown palace (even for people living in Paris) but one of the most beautiful! Photo by JB Perraudin. Sony α7R III. Sony 12-24mm f/4 G. f/5.6, ISO 800

Accessories

I typically travel pretty light - with just my gear and my bag. If it’s a special occasion like mentioned above where I’m allowed to use my tripod, I’ll include that with my kit too.

The Fontainebleau Palace. Photo by JB Perraudin. Sony α7R III. Sony 12-24mm f/4 G. f/5.6, ISO 1600