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.

GoFundMe

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

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.

https://youtu.be/H0om2qHS1o4

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!!