Help Me Reach My Dreams & Goals of Photography
Donation protected
Hello, my name is Adam Messler
I am just an average guy trying to follow his passion and dreams of becoming a successful concert photographer.
Growing up and throughout my life, it has always been a struggle in many ways. You see, I was born legally blind with eyesight of 20/200 in both eyes. With Ocular Albinism and a combination of Macular Hypoplasia, Iris TransIllumination, and Pendular Nystagmus, I was told by all the “experts” I wouldn’t be able to do many things in life. So, of course, that’s like telling a kid they can’t have candy. In my case, I still did many/most of the things I’ve always wanted to do. It was just that much harder and a struggle to get them done.
Back in 2009 one of my challenges was to fly halfway around the world to Tanzania, Africa to hike the tallest free-standing mountain in the world – Kilimanjaro, which stands at 19,341 feet. This also wasn’t your average challenge. This hike involved helping/guiding a group of visually impaired children and adults who attended the Foundation for Blind here in Phoenix, Arizona. With that being said, I can tell you we all made it while setting many records along the way.
Back to photography and why I created this GoFundMe page. Back in 2013, I started to dabble in photography. I started off easy (or so I thought) with some basic studio photography. I figured with being able to control the lighting, settings, placement, and such, it would be pretty easy. Boy was I wrong :). I was a Canon shooter back then and was using the Canon 5d Mark III. It was an amazing camera and I captured some amazing stuff, but I felt I could just do better.
Having to rely heavily on the Auto Focus (AF), I would miss my mark in many cases because of my eyesight. I used this camera for a number of years before upgrading to the latest and greatest - which was the Canon 5D Mark IV. Below you can find a few images while using the Canon cameras.
In 2018, Sony cameras caught my eye (pun intended). The two models I looked at were the Sony a9 and the a7 III. They seemed very similar but the a9 was much more expensive. So, I did what many do and headed over to the internet to compare, but could not find a clear distinction between the two or a clear advantage to the more expensive one.
I then made a post in a Sony help group on Facebook to see what others had to say about each. About a week later a Sony rep messaged me saying he was surprised about how much interaction there was on the post. We started to chat a bit and the rep asked more about what type of photography I did why I was looking into Sony and some other general questions. Another week went by and the rep asked if I have any shows/gigs coming up. I mentioned to him that I have a festival in Vegas coming up and he asked what type of Canon gear I had and used. He then asked for my address and contact info.
About a week later (a few days before the festival) a case shows up at my home from the Sony rep. What was inside shocked me. It was not only both Sony cameras that I was comparing but six Sony lenses of the same type I used with Canon. I was still in disbelief that someone who didn’t really know me would just send all this gear, following a simple Facebook post. Either way, I was happy. So, not knowing much about Sony, it was like going from a PC to a Mac - trying to learn everything in a matter of a couple days. Unfortunately, I couldn’t figure out much with the a9 (I’m sure it was some dumb setting that was messed up. But after using the Sony a7 III and the lenses provided, I was hooked. Shooting one of the bands from across the photo pit and using the 100-400mm lens you could see the veins in his eye that’s how clear it Was.
Sadly, after arriving home from the festival, I had to pack up all the Sony gear and send it back (as it was just a loaner). Once I used it and looked at the images I was hooked and sold my Canon gear to convert over to Sony. I picked up the Sony a7 III and a couple of standard lenses as that’s all I could afford. Since then, I have been able to produce better images using the Sony gear. With that being said, this is where I come to ask for help.
I am not the type of person who likes asking for help. I’m a stubborn guy who usually will just struggle with things to get it done on my own. But, this time it’s more than what I can usually accomplish on my own; and so I taking a huge step out of my comfort zone and am asking for your help.
The new Alpha 1 camera release from Sony, is an extraordinary piece of photography equipment and would dramatically increase my ability to produce professional-grade materials – leveling the playing field for me and enable Adam Messler Photography to become truly competitive with photographers who have normal vision.
I felt sharing some info/specs on the new Sony Alpha 1 would help people understand why I’m going this direction for this camera.
Sony Alpha 1 Camera
50MP Full-Frame Exmor RS BSI CMOS Sensor
Up to 30 fps Shooting, ISO 50-102400
8K 30p and 4K 120p Video in 10-Bit
4.3K 16-Bit Raw Video Output, S-Cinetone
9.44m-Dot EVF with 240 fps Refresh Rate
759-Pt. Fast Hybrid AF, Real-time Eye AF
5-Axis SteadyShot Image Stabilization
Dual Drive Mech. Shutter, 1/400 Sec Sync
5 GHz MIMO Wi-Fi, 1000BASE-T Ethernet
Dual CFexpress Type A/SD Card Slots
Many/most of you may not understand many of these specs, but here’s a short breakdown:
Being able to photograph in low light much easier.
Being able to shoot at a faster speed with a faster shutter to capture movement easier.
Also, being able to shoot and produce much better videos with the 8K options.
Here is a link to the video Sony Alpha Video
Of course, being such a fan of Sony equipment, I bought the new domain name I Shoot Sony already set up with a basic landing page which also leads to my direct website Adam Messler Photography with my photography work.
I hope this helps you understand some of the key aspects and features this camera offers and the advantages I will be able to gain to better complete with 99.9% of photographers who don’t have the significant vision challenges I’ve faced all my life.
Thank you for your time and consideration!!
I am just an average guy trying to follow his passion and dreams of becoming a successful concert photographer.
Growing up and throughout my life, it has always been a struggle in many ways. You see, I was born legally blind with eyesight of 20/200 in both eyes. With Ocular Albinism and a combination of Macular Hypoplasia, Iris TransIllumination, and Pendular Nystagmus, I was told by all the “experts” I wouldn’t be able to do many things in life. So, of course, that’s like telling a kid they can’t have candy. In my case, I still did many/most of the things I’ve always wanted to do. It was just that much harder and a struggle to get them done.
Back in 2009 one of my challenges was to fly halfway around the world to Tanzania, Africa to hike the tallest free-standing mountain in the world – Kilimanjaro, which stands at 19,341 feet. This also wasn’t your average challenge. This hike involved helping/guiding a group of visually impaired children and adults who attended the Foundation for Blind here in Phoenix, Arizona. With that being said, I can tell you we all made it while setting many records along the way.
Back to photography and why I created this GoFundMe page. Back in 2013, I started to dabble in photography. I started off easy (or so I thought) with some basic studio photography. I figured with being able to control the lighting, settings, placement, and such, it would be pretty easy. Boy was I wrong :). I was a Canon shooter back then and was using the Canon 5d Mark III. It was an amazing camera and I captured some amazing stuff, but I felt I could just do better.
Having to rely heavily on the Auto Focus (AF), I would miss my mark in many cases because of my eyesight. I used this camera for a number of years before upgrading to the latest and greatest - which was the Canon 5D Mark IV. Below you can find a few images while using the Canon cameras.
In 2018, Sony cameras caught my eye (pun intended). The two models I looked at were the Sony a9 and the a7 III. They seemed very similar but the a9 was much more expensive. So, I did what many do and headed over to the internet to compare, but could not find a clear distinction between the two or a clear advantage to the more expensive one.
I then made a post in a Sony help group on Facebook to see what others had to say about each. About a week later a Sony rep messaged me saying he was surprised about how much interaction there was on the post. We started to chat a bit and the rep asked more about what type of photography I did why I was looking into Sony and some other general questions. Another week went by and the rep asked if I have any shows/gigs coming up. I mentioned to him that I have a festival in Vegas coming up and he asked what type of Canon gear I had and used. He then asked for my address and contact info.
About a week later (a few days before the festival) a case shows up at my home from the Sony rep. What was inside shocked me. It was not only both Sony cameras that I was comparing but six Sony lenses of the same type I used with Canon. I was still in disbelief that someone who didn’t really know me would just send all this gear, following a simple Facebook post. Either way, I was happy. So, not knowing much about Sony, it was like going from a PC to a Mac - trying to learn everything in a matter of a couple days. Unfortunately, I couldn’t figure out much with the a9 (I’m sure it was some dumb setting that was messed up. But after using the Sony a7 III and the lenses provided, I was hooked. Shooting one of the bands from across the photo pit and using the 100-400mm lens you could see the veins in his eye that’s how clear it Was.
Sadly, after arriving home from the festival, I had to pack up all the Sony gear and send it back (as it was just a loaner). Once I used it and looked at the images I was hooked and sold my Canon gear to convert over to Sony. I picked up the Sony a7 III and a couple of standard lenses as that’s all I could afford. Since then, I have been able to produce better images using the Sony gear. With that being said, this is where I come to ask for help.
I am not the type of person who likes asking for help. I’m a stubborn guy who usually will just struggle with things to get it done on my own. But, this time it’s more than what I can usually accomplish on my own; and so I taking a huge step out of my comfort zone and am asking for your help.
The new Alpha 1 camera release from Sony, is an extraordinary piece of photography equipment and would dramatically increase my ability to produce professional-grade materials – leveling the playing field for me and enable Adam Messler Photography to become truly competitive with photographers who have normal vision.
I felt sharing some info/specs on the new Sony Alpha 1 would help people understand why I’m going this direction for this camera.
Sony Alpha 1 Camera
50MP Full-Frame Exmor RS BSI CMOS Sensor
Up to 30 fps Shooting, ISO 50-102400
8K 30p and 4K 120p Video in 10-Bit
4.3K 16-Bit Raw Video Output, S-Cinetone
9.44m-Dot EVF with 240 fps Refresh Rate
759-Pt. Fast Hybrid AF, Real-time Eye AF
5-Axis SteadyShot Image Stabilization
Dual Drive Mech. Shutter, 1/400 Sec Sync
5 GHz MIMO Wi-Fi, 1000BASE-T Ethernet
Dual CFexpress Type A/SD Card Slots
Many/most of you may not understand many of these specs, but here’s a short breakdown:
Being able to photograph in low light much easier.
Being able to shoot at a faster speed with a faster shutter to capture movement easier.
Also, being able to shoot and produce much better videos with the 8K options.
Here is a link to the video Sony Alpha Video
Of course, being such a fan of Sony equipment, I bought the new domain name I Shoot Sony already set up with a basic landing page which also leads to my direct website Adam Messler Photography with my photography work.
I hope this helps you understand some of the key aspects and features this camera offers and the advantages I will be able to gain to better complete with 99.9% of photographers who don’t have the significant vision challenges I’ve faced all my life.
Thank you for your time and consideration!!
Fundraising team (2)
ADAM MESSLER
Organizer
Phoenix, AZ
Peter Bordow
Team member
