Although the gear is only a small part of what it takes to get an amazing photo, there seems to be a never ending curiosity about what gear other photographers are using, so for the curious folk I’ve put together a list of what I use when snapping away.
Bags
Thinktank Urban Disguise 50 (the main bag)
Thinktank Airport International Rolling Bag (secondary bag)
Lowepro Rover Plus AW (for hiking)
Camera & Lens
Canon 5D (main body)
Canon 40D (backup body)
Canon 70-200mm f/2.8L (I use this lens 90% of the time)
Canon 24-105mm f/4L IS
Canon 17-40mm f/4L
Canon 85mm f/1.8
Sigma 50mm f/2.8 Macro (for detail shots)
Lighting & Modifiers
AB800 Strobe x 3
Metz and Sigma Hot-Shoe Flashes (I never shoot on-camera flash so I don’t need dedicted flashes. I use these in tight spots along with strobes, or if I don’t need the power of strobes)
Homemade PVC Ringflash (don’t use it a lot anymore, but gives really awesome catchlights)
Lighterin Octabox (my main go to modifier)
Profoto Softboxes w/ Grids
22″ Beauty Dish
Grid Set (10º – 40º)
Alien Bee Transmitters and Receivers
Manfrotto Stands, Gaffer Tape, Black Foil Wrap (should be in every off camera lighting bag), reflectors, diffusers, etc
Manfotto Tripod (for landscape only) and Monopod (usually for an assistant to hold a light)
I’m sure there are a bunch of misc little things like clamps and what not that I use that are not included in the list, but in reality no one really cares about those things anyways. What I will say is that you should be careful what you buy, and never buy something just because it happened to be on someones list who’s work you like. Everyone has a different way of shooting, and the best way to figure out what you need in your bag is to shoot like crazy, and buy gear based on the holes you find and need to fill. Doing that will stop you from spending a lot of money you didn’t need to spend (which is really easy to do with photo gear).
