How to Shoot Tethered with the Sony a900 in Lightroom

There are pros and cons to everything almost.  Today many clients like seeing photographs come up on a computer monitor as the photographer shoots.  I've never really liked this trend but it is client generated and it can have, in my opinion, a negative impact on the shoot.  At the same time viewing images on a computer monitor helps the client see the moment as it happens and gives them a sense of knowing they have the shot.

Shooting tethered these days however can hinder the creative process and slow down a photographer shooting, resulting in missed images that may never happen again.  I have always loved capturing "the moment" and being tethered slowed down, or in some cased prevents you from capturing the moment.  When possible, I try to get away from being tethered, but in todays shooting environment this is very hard to do.  

Once upon a time studio photographers were connected to a strobe pack via the sync cord, then came the remote strobe triggers like the pocket wizards and they became the standard.  Finally we were free to more anywhere without having to worry about becoming unplugged.  Then digital came and we are again restricted in our movement.  Hopefully soon this will change and we will be able to transfer images in real time to a computer monitor without being tethered.  There is software available today to do this but its too slow to work in a commercial environment when we are shooting large files quickly.  

If you want to shoot tethered with the Sony a900 I'd suggest a few things.  First get a locking device to secure your data connection port.  I like the TetherBlock III because it's smaller than others I've seen and works great.  The cost at Samy's in Los Angeles is around $80.00, but it is definitely a must when shooting in this manner.  Secondly, you will want to read how we tethered the Sony a900 while shooting my "Fashion and Beauty" class for CreativeLive.  To view the notes which include images from my shoot simply click the following link.  How to Shoot Tethered with Sony a900.

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