The Gear Bag

[Facebook] [MySpace] [Email] More »

All the gear-heads constant ask what I shoot with and why.  Digital has revolutionized how I work, so lets start there:

Canon Digital

Canon really blew Nikon out of the water with digital SRLs.  They sunk tons of their copier money into R&D and created fantastic camera sensors that record color in a far superior fashion than its peers.  For that reason, we’re an all-Canon studio.  My primary cameras are the Canon 1Ds Mark II and Canon 1D Mark II, 16 mega-pixel and 8 mega-pixels, respectively.  They’re both amazingly capable cameras, each with its own strengths.  The larger file sizes of the Canon 1Ds Mark II make for mind-blowing enlargements and low noise.  40×60″ prints are not uncommon and rival (and sometimes surpass) the quality of film.  The Canon 1D Mark II is built for speed and flexibility.  Its files are also fantastic and the camera seems to react faster in my hand.  For that reason its always been my go-to as it feels like an extension of my body.  Mega-pixel fanatics tend to express concern that 8 mega-pixels isn’t enough, as they’ve become accustomed to larger (though inferior) files from point-and-shoot cameras.  I welcome those doubters to view the 30×82″ print hanging behind my desk - printed from a paltry 8.2Mpx Canon 1D Mark II file - its tack sharp with amazing clarity, resolution, contrast and color depth.  In the world of digital photography more mega pixels does not equal better quality.

Canon Lenses 

My focal length selection is wide and varied.  The 17-40mm ƒ4L, 24-70mm ƒ2.8L and 70-200mm ƒ2.8L IS are my primary lenses.  They’re all bright, sharp lenses and they give my a broad range without having to change lenses frequently.  I also make use some primes, such as the 14mm ƒ2.8 rectilinear, 24mm ƒ3.5 tilt-shift, and 50mm ƒ1.4.  I’ve considered picking up a longer prime, either the 85mm ƒ1.2 or 135mm ƒ2 for portraits, but to be honest I’m having trouble making up my mind.  I’ve rented both on a number of occasions and never fallen in love with either.  The 85mm ƒ1.2 has amazing light-gathering ability and shallow depth-of-field, but it’s notorious for its slow focusing - resulting in missed opportunities.  The 135mm ƒ2 is a great portrait lens and features faster focusing, but it always seems a bit long when indoors and has limited usefulness.  Recently a new revision of the 85mm ƒ1.2 was released, supposedly with faster focusing - I’ll have to give that a shot.  If the focusing has been addressed I’ll add it to the arsenal right away.

The Film Days

Back in the film days I was a devote Hasselblad / Nikon guy.  I used the Hassy primarily for portraits with color 220 film.  That camera had fantastic glass and I had a pretty good collection, including:  50mm, 60mm, 80mm, 100mm, 120mm, 150mm and 180mm focal lengths.  Obviously in those days you would kill for a zoom lens but such a thing really didn’t work too well.  This all resulted in my having a massive (expensive) gear bag and a strong back. The Nikons were used primarily for photojournalism and candids, and I kept my F100s stocked with high speed color and grainy black and white, depending on the needs.  My lens Nikon lens collection was a touch more modest, but included two zooms (24-120mm ƒ3.5-5.6 and 80-200mm ƒ2.8) and a collections of primes (35mm ƒ1.4, 50mm ƒ1.4, and 105mm ƒ1.8).

Lighting

I have formal training in classically portrait lighting.  This knowledge - while not always directly applied with artificial light - has enhanced my work time and again when facing challenging lighting situations.  When I do need artificial light I use a combination of battery-powered Norman strobes, AC-powered Dynalite strobes and battery-powered tungsten modeling lights.  Everything is triggered via PocketWizard wireless transceivers and metering is accomplished with a Sekonic handheld flash meter.  For on-camera flash I utilize Canon 580EX Speedlights. 

Accessories 

First and foremost are my Really Right Stuff flash brackets.  They’re CNC milled from solid alloy and are unmatched in ergonomics and build quality.  The flash brackets are part of my whole RRS system - including a heavy-duty ballhead mounted to my Bogen Tripood and L-plates mounted on my cameras.  Lens Babies are also a fun little novelty to have around for additional creative flexibility.  Gary Fong’s “Fong-Dong” aka Lightsphere is a helpful tool for the occasional tight-spot where additional lighting can’t be utilized.