Brett Brown on Finding Fresh Perspectives

Brett Brown is a self-taught photographer who has long been a Nikon shooter, from his first camera, an entry-level DSLR, to modern mirrorless Z series cameras—most recently the Z5II and ZR. 

We featured Brett’s work in Learn & Explore a few years back, and we reached out to him recently to see what he’s been up to. He told us he’s been focused on travel and portrait photography. 

I’ve been doing a lot of traveling and, of course, documenting it all with my cameras. Travel photography has been a big focus for me lately, and I’ve been fortunate to visit some incredible places from Tokyo, Kyoto, and Osaka in Japan, to Seoul, Hawaii, Jamaica, and La Paz and Mexico City in Mexico. I love grabbing my camera and just walking around, exploring a city with no destination in mind.

Community, Creativity and the Craft of Portraiture

Another addition to his career as photographer and filmmaker has been educator. Brett had the opportunity to teach a workshop in his hometown of Portland, in collaboration with Black Women Photographers and supported by Nikon. Attendees learned Brett’s approach to portrait photography including his lighting and studio setup.   

It was my first time teaching photography in that kind of setting, and it was such a rewarding experience. We had a great turnout, and it was really cool to see the community show up, learn, and create together.

Expanding His Creative Toolkit

Video has also been a focus for Brett. He says, “I heard so many good things about the ZR that I had to get it and I’ve been enjoying working with a more cinema focused camera.”

Brett has used multiple Nikon mirrorless bodies. From the Z5 he upgraded to the Z6II and now the Z5II. He explains, “As I started doing more video, I upgraded to the Z6II which was a great hybrid camera for me. I’ve settled on the Z5II which feels like the perfect camera for me now.”

Using the ZR as a dedicated video camera, Brett relies on the Z5II almost exclusively for still photography. We asked Brett what it is about the Z5II that makes it the ideal camera for him at this point.

“What I love about the Z5II is that it still has the ergonomics and familiarity I’ve grown to love from Nikon, but with the latest tech packed inside. With EXPEED 7, I can really feel the difference in performance compared to the other cameras I’ve owned, especially with the speed and responsiveness of the autofocus.”

Another feature that the Z5II affords Brett that his previous Nikon cameras didn’t is the connectivity and workflow features of Nikon Imaging Cloud. “Being able to have my photos automatically upload to the cloud and transfer to Lightroom is huge for me. That wasn’t something I had with my previous cameras, and it makes the whole process from shooting to editing feel much more seamless.”

Composing Without Distractions

Unless I’m shooting from a really low angle, I’m using the EVF 100% of the time! I like being able to isolate my view and remove all the distractions around me so I can really focus on the shot. I even review all my shots through the EVF and I love that I can navigate the camera settings through it as well.

Brett does note that the Vari-angle LCD on the Z5II is a bonus and something his earlier cameras didn’t feature. He explains, “It saves me from literally having to lay on the ground to get a low angle shot.” 

Chasing Color, Light and Location

Brett’s recent shoot for the Z5II included behind-the-scenes videos and still images. While he normally shoots in the studio, for this camera, he wanted to create distinct shoots using natural light. He says that finding locations he hadn’t shot at before, gave him the “opportunity to create something fresh.”

I’ve always loved that cyberpunk-inspired look with vibrant colors and neon lighting. There’s a storefront downtown that I’ve driven past for years with this really colorful window display, and every time I saw it, I thought, “I need to shoot there one day.” This project felt like the perfect opportunity to finally do it. I loved the way the colors and light looked in camera, and I couldn’t be happier with how those images turned out.

The Lenses Brett Reaches for Most

Two of Brett’s go-to lenses for portraits are the NIKKOR Z 50mm f/1.8 S and the NIKKOR Z 85mm f/1.8 S primes. He’s recently added the a few more lenses to his bag. “The NIKKOR Z 35mm f/1.8 S is slowly becoming one of my favorites because of how versatile it is. I can use it for street photography and video, while still getting that depth of field that I love,” he says, noting that he shoots pretty much all of his videos with the 35mm.

I like to travel light, so I’ve also added the NIKKOR Z 28-75mm f/2.8 and NIKKOR Z 17-28mm f/2.8 zoom lenses, which have become my go-to lenses for travel. Between those two, I can get pretty much any shot, and the constant f/2.8 aperture makes it great to shoot with at night as well.

See more of Brett's work at his website: brettbrownphotography.com and on Instagram.