My name is Mihaela Noroc, and for the last 12 years I’ve been travelling the world, photographing women and listening to their incredible stories. I called my project The Atlas of Beauty, and in time it became one of the most well-known photographic initiatives in the world. I’ve travelled to more than 100 countries, photographed thousands of women, and published three books with my work.

To try the new Sony Alpha 7 V, I walked around my beautiful hometown of Sibiu, in Romania, and photographed two amazing women.

I photographed Mihaela and Adriana on the beautiful cobblestone streets of Sibiu’s old town. The weather kept shifting from sun to clouds to wind, so I got to experience every kind of light in just a few hours. In moments like these, having a flexible camera is essential. I worried for a second that a heavy rain might start, but the Alpha 7 V worked so quickly and reliably that I stopped thinking about it. It’s light, easy-going, and let me focus on what truly matters: the women in front of the camera, their stories, and the atmosphere around them.

I’ve photographed thousands of women around the world, and every encounter is completely different. I always rely only on natural light, so the conditions are never the same. Sometimes I get to spend an hour with the woman I’m photographing, other times only a few seconds. That’s why the new Sony Alpha 7 V felt perfectly suited to the way I work.

The JPEGs straight out of the camera looked beautifully natural, with skin tones that felt true and gentle, even without any editing. And the Real-time Recognition AF helped me stay present in the moment, without thinking about technology.

The 33 MP resolution also makes a real difference. It captures those subtle expressions and emotions that define my portraits. While shooting, I noticed how intuitive the 4-axis screen is. It makes it easy to find creative angles, something I use constantly in my daily work.

And something very, very important for me: the camera is lightweight and compact. I move a lot on the streets, so I need something easy to carry. I also notice that when I work with a smaller, less intimidating camera, people open up more. They feel more relaxed, more natural and that is always visible in the final images.

You know, I’m not a technical person. I’m the kind of photographer who focuses 99% on what’s in front of the lens. So this new camera takes care of so much behind the lens, giving me real creative freedom.

Take the natural skin tones or the precise eye focus, for example. I don’t have to worry about them, the camera handles it effortlessly, so I can stay fully present and build that special connection with the women I photograph.

I can already imagine how amazing it will be to travel the world with the new Sony Alpha 7 V. I have back pain sometimes if I carry a heavy backpack for long days, but not with this camera. So for me, the new Sony Alpha 7 V simply means freedom, from every point of view.

I’m so pleased with my current camera, the Sony Alpha 7R V, that at first I thought I didn’t need anything else. But working with the new Sony Alpha 7 V opened new perspectives for me. As I mentioned, every of my shootings is very different, with constantly changing light, and this camera has an unbelievable dynamic range and beautiful colours that help me capture emotion and atmosphere even better.

If I were to use a play on words, I’d say it’s the perfect technique for capturing imperfect reality. My work is so much about imperfection as well, natural, unscripted moments, and this camera preserves that raw, beautiful, and fascinating truth.

Using the camera got me thinking about the first DSLR cameras I worked with and how far Sony has come with innovation. Twelve years ago, when I started traveling the world and work on The Atlas of Beauty, I lost so many photographic opportunities because of technical limitations.

But now, it feels as if Sony’s engineers had photographers like me in mind. I feel privileged to live in a time when technology offers so much freedom of expression and so many possibilities to improve my work and bring even more soul into my photography.

In portrait photography, there’s a beautiful paradox compared to other fields: innovative technology actually brings more soul. It frees our minds from worries and gives us the creative freedom to connect deeply with the people we photograph.

I used mostly the FE 50mm f/1.2 GM, and in some situations the FE 24–70mm f/2.8 GM II. I love the bokeh of the 50mm at f/1.2, and the fast, precise autofocus truly makes a difference. It creates a feeling of intimacy, almost like diving deeper into the eyes of the person you’re photographing and capturing a glimpse of her inner beauty.

In general, when I travel, I love to play with lenses. Some days I prefer a lighter and wider lens. Other times I go for a tighter lens to get more bokeh. My project is about diversity, and I celebrate diversity even when it comes to focal lengths and apertures, because each woman and each story is different and I try to adapt to it.

Many photographers I meet ask me many technical questions about my work, about settings and so on. While these details really matter, let’s not let them become our focus. My advice for any artist is to focus first and foremost on the soul of their work, on the artistic side. Today, more than ever, technology supports us and gives us the freedom to concentrate on what truly matters.

So focus on the soul of the work and let the camera take care of the rest. This is a moment of great opportunity: photographers have more freedom than ever before to go deeper, to connect with the stories of the people they photograph, and to truly enjoy the process.