my blog


About my gear...

I had the good fortune several years ago to meet James Stanfield, a remarkable artist and widely-published photographer. When asked by somebody about his camera equipment, he began to tell the questioner that one’s equipment choices are irrelevant; it's all about your eye. But then he paused and chuckled to himself and told us a story.

He said that he was traveling in Africa on assignment and had a similar conversation with somebody on the banks of an African river. After eloquently arguing his case for nothing being important but one’s eye, both men turned around and saw three dugout canoes approaching them. As the canoes came ashore with thirty (or more) large cases of Mr. Stanfield’s camera equipment, he could only laugh. It is (sort of) about the gear.

I am a user of Canon EOS Digital camera equipment. This is not a religious statement; it is a practical decision. I have always shot with Canon equipment (dating back over twenty years) and I am comfortable with Canon human factors design. And in recent years, their bold advancements in digital technology have reinforced my choice. For similar reasons I am an Apple Macintosh user. So, if you are curious what a professional photographer carries on assignment, here is an inventory of what I use to make my photographs.

Camera bodies

Lenses

Lighting

  • Two Canon Speedlite 580EX on camera flash units
  • Two Quantum Turbo 2x2 battery packs
  • Two AlienBees B1600 monolights
  • AlienBees B800 monolight
  • AlienBees B400 monolight
  • Numerous remote controls, light modifiers, stands, backgrounds, support systems and power distribution systems

Video

  • Canon XL2 DV camcorder
  • Canon 3X wide angle lens
  • Sony TRV-900 DV camcorder
  • Lowel Rifa-Lite 500W Softbox Light
  • Lowel Rifa-Lite 250W Softbox Light
  • Lowel Pro-Light Focus Flood
  • Numerous microphones, light modifiers, stands, backgrounds, support systems and power distribution systems

Computers and Software