My Gear & Lighting Set Up

The beauty of photography is that there is no singular right or wrong way to be a Photographer! I started as a hobbyist 7+ years ago, and could often be found wandering around outside taking photos of my dog and interesting pinecones (facts). Over the years, I've invested heavily in my own professional development, to include attending conferences, workshops, classes, online tutorials, and one-on-one mentorships. I've self-taught my lighting skills (with the help of Youtube University), and, with learning off-camera flash, the caliber of my work has grown exponentially.

I'm a big believer in learning-by-doing. When I first started with flash photography, my photos were bad...like really bad. But with continuous practice and skill refinement, and of course, time, my technical skills have grown from Amateur to Professional. Before promoting my work for hire, I shot (and still shoot, to keep my portfolio fresh!) countless models in mutually beneficial Trade-For-Pic agreements to practice and improve my technical and artistic abilities. That, and the best way to learn and know your gear (and how to trouble shoot when things go wrong!) is by putting it to use consistently.

Many enthusiastic amateur photographers (I was there, no shame) will promote their work before investing in their technical abilities. While having clients is great, having the ability to deliver high-quality work consistently is even better, and is going to bring you more clients in the long run. And having the latest and greatest gear isn't the answer, because you need to know how to efficiently set up and use that gear. Get plenty of professional practice under your belt and know your equipment inside and out before you start booking for revenue.

So don't be afraid of a little trial and error - buy gear you don't know how to use, and figure out avenues or ways to teach yourself how to use it. I highly recommend Youtube and following tutorials from a wide variety of content creator Photographers, and practicing lighting and shooting subjects to grow your skills to a Professional level.

Even as a Professional, I always maintain a growth mindset - there is always more I can be learning, practicing and improving upon. And as I learn and grow as as Photographer, I want to share my lessons learned, because I started as a beginner too.

So, in conclusion, to help the beginner/amateur photographer on their gear journey (there is so much out there, hard to know where to begin and honestly quite daunting), here's a list of most of my current gear (give or take some random accessories I've accumulated over the years), as well as the monthly subscriptions I have for my business:

Camera Bodies & Lenses

• Bodies

  • Sony A7RV

  • Sony A7RII
    

• Lenses

  • Sony 70-200mm F2.8

  • Sony 50mm F1.4

  • Sony 24-70mm F2.8

  • Sony 85mm F1.8

  • Sony 90mm F2.8 Macro

  • Sony 20mm F1.8

  • Sigma 100-400mm F5-6.3

    
    

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Lighting

• Flashes/Strobes

  • Flashpoint XPLOR 600 R2 Manual HSS Battery-Powered All-In-One Outdoor Flash x2

  • Flashpoint eVOLV 200 TTL R2 Pocket Flash Kit

  • Flashpoint Zoom-Mini TTL R2 Flash With Integrated R2 Radio Transceiver - Sony Mirrorless Cameras (TT350S)

    
    

• Transmitter

  • Flashpoint R2 Pro MarkII 2.4GHz Transmitter for Sony
    

• VFlats/Reflectors

  • V-Flat World Foldable V-Flat Bounce Boards x2

  • Westcott 6-in-1 Illuminator Kit
    

• Brackets/Mounts

  • Glow S-type Bowens Mount Bracket for Speedlights and Flash

  • Flashpoint Long Double 5/8" Baby Pin

    
    

• Softboxes/Diffusers/Grids/Gels

  • Flashpoint Universal Barn Door Kit with Grid and Gels for 7" Reflectors

  • Flashpoint 7 Inch Flash Diffuser for XPLOR 600 Monolights

  • Westcott 45-Degree Deep Focus Reflector with Honeycomb Grids & Diffusion, Bowens-Mount, Silver/Black

  • Glow EZ Lock Octa Quick XXL Softbox With Bowens Mount (60")

  • Glow Eggcrate Grid for 60" EZ Lock Octa XXL Softbox

  • Flashpoint 7" Bowens Reflector With Grid Kit

  • Glow Glow EZ Lock 12x36" Quick Strip Rectangular Bowens Mount Softbox

  • Glow Heavy Duty Egg Crate Grid for 12x36" Softbox

  • Glow EZ Lock 25" Beauty Dish, White

  • Glow 25" Grid for Beauty Dish

    
    

• Lightstands

  • Flashpoint 11.5' Aluminum 5 Section Super Light Stand with Boom Extension and Reflector Holder Arm

  • Flashpoint Pro Air-Cushioned Heavy-Duty Light Stand (Black, 13')

  • Westcott Easy Boom

    
    

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Miscellaneous

• SD Cards

  • Prograde Digital 128GB SDXC UHS-II U3 Class 10 V60 Memory Card, 2-Pack
    

• Neutral Density Filters for lenses (various)
  

• Tripod/Monopod

  • 3Pod Orbit 4-Section Aluminum Handheld Monopod Stick

  • Benro Slim Carbon Fiber Tripod

    
    

• Rain Covers

  • Slinger Rain Cover for Cameras with Lens up to 18" (2-Pack)

  • Think Tank Emergency Rain Cover, Large
    

• Sandbags/Weights

  • Flashpoint Empty Saddle Sandbag, Water-Resistant Cordura Nylon - (27 lb Capacity, Orange) (6 Pack)
    

• Heavy duty gear wagon to schlep everything

  • Seriously, you're going to need this...your back will thank you

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Travel Bags/Cases

• Bags

  • Wandrd Rogue Sling, 9L

  • Mindshift Gear Backlight Pack, 26L
    

• Hard Cases

  • Nanuk 935 - for camera body, lenses

  • Nanuk 962 - for lights

Monthly Subscriptions

• Adobe Creative Cloud (for LightRoom, Photoshop, Illustrator)

• Wix Premium Website

• Hiscox Business Insurance

• Quickbooks Online

• Google GSuite

Let me know what you think - do you shoot with any of the above? Do you have a must-use piece of equipment that you bring to every photoshoot?

Share your thoughts/comments and let's keep the learning going!