Using the Sony Xperia X, Brazilian artist Rafael Mantesso captured beautiful photographs of his canine friends while adding his unique artistic stamp to the images.
Mantesso's artistic exploration was inspired by his English bull terrier, Jimmy Choo, who never left his side when he was going through a rough divorce three years ago.
"My ex-wife took all the furniture in the house and the house was completely empty and white. The only thing I had was [Jimmy]," Mantesso said in an interview.
It comes as no surprise that the artist chose Jimmy as the subject of his photographs that went viral on Instagram. Mantesso's unique take on animal photography, combined with Jimmy's natural charm, has captivated thousands of Instagram users, making the duo an overnight Internet sensation.
It also brought Mantesso to Sony's attention. The company teamed up with Mantesso to take the Sony Xperia X out for a spin, making him the first photographer to ever use the device.
Mantesso walked the streets of Barcelona in the company of several dogs to test the device's all-new Predictive Hybrid Autofocus technology, which allows users to anticipate and spontaneously capture images. Sony's new Exmor RS sensor is extremely fast it can predict the motion of the subject in any photograph, allowing clear and crisp image capture with no blur.
"It can be extremely challenging capturing photos of one animal, let alone six, but I was really surprised at how easy it was to get great shots of the dogs, even as they wriggled about and refused to sit still," Mantesso beamed. He also added that the autofocus feature on Xperia X anticipated the dogs' movements and processed the images very well, so that every shot came out perfectly without any blur.
The all-new Xperia X and X Performance devices both come with the new predictive autofocus 23-megapixel rear cameras paired with a wide angle 13-megapixel front-facing camera. The mid-range Xperia XA offers the same hybrid focusing technology and a 13-megapixel rear camera.
Sony matched the advanced camera features of the new smartphone with an efficient battery that lasts up to two days on a single charge. The Xperia X features the Qualcomm Snapdragon 650 processor, while the Xperia X Performance, which debuted in February, is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 processor for super-speed connectivity.
The Xperia X, Xperia X Performance and Xperia XA will be available in retail stores starting this summer. According to Sony, each model will have a range of matching Style Covers in four elegant finishes - white, graphite black, lime gold and rose gold.
If you want to experience Barcelona with Mantesso and his mutts, watch the video below.
