gear


Photos above by Nico and Tashland

Stuff I Like

I will share with you all the gear I either own and love, or covet and want to acquire.  Let me say right up front that I am a dedicated, slightly fanatical Nikon shooter and have been for more than 20 years.  I can only write about what I know, and I know Nikons.  Mind you, I am well aware there are many other fine camera and equipment manufacturers out there, some of them possibly the equal or better of Nikon.  However, I don’t shoot with them and cannot, with any authority, speak about them.  here is one slight exception.  I will concede that Canon makes a superior line of point and shoot cameras that I have used gleefully over the past few years.

With that said, here is my list of stuff.

CAMERA BODIES

  • Nikon D90 DX – A fantastic starter camera for the serious amateur or the beginner pro, as well as a superb stand alone, additional or backup camera.  The D90 basically replaces the D70, which I have been happily shooting for several years.  Check out this video by world class photographer Chase Jarvis, as he got to advance test the D90.
  • Nikon D300 DX – Considered by some to be the best amateur digital camera in the world.  It’s the next best thing to a full frame camera.
  • Nikon D700 – OMG I JUST GOT MINE AND I’M IN LOVE!!!  This is my first full frame digital camera and I couldn’t be happier. The difference in shooting with a DX and a full frame camera is akin to the difference between shooting the old 110mm film and 35mm.  Finally my wide angle lenses are really wide angle again and this thing shoots incredibly noise free at VERY high ISOs.
  • Nikon D3 – Nikon’s flagship full frame digital camera.  Throughout the years I have always found Nikon’s flagships to be far more camera than I actually need, therefore making the asking price too high for the value added.  I have typically purchased the next model down in the line and have always been very very pleased.  These cameras are manufactured to a very high standard of utility and functionality that can best be utilized by the Chase Jarvises of the world.  If I ever wake up with his career, I’m sure I’ll own a number of them.
  • Canon PowerShot A590IS – The second camera in this line I have owned.  Perfect little camera to bring along just for fun.  Sometimes professional photographers have to work hard to give ourselves permission to just take ’snapshots’.  This little jewel of perfection allows me to let go and just have fun.  I just found out there are accessories for this little wonder!

LENSES

  • Nikon 20mm f/2.8D – I love this lens.  It’s fantastic for adding that certain sense of whimsy to images of children.  If I were traveling the world and could only take one lens, this might be it.  The only thing that could possibly improve it would be if it were a macro/micro lens, but considering you can focus as close as 10 inches, that’s really a rather petty thing to get hung up on.
  • Nikon 50mm f/1.4D – This is another personal favorite.  I would be hard pressed to pick between it and the 20mm listed above.  On a full frame camera this lens is considered ‘normal’.  This lens is super fast and shot wide open, the bokeh will blow you away.  Fantastic for blurring backgrounds and isolating objects.
  • Nikon 85mm f/1.4D- I don’t own this lens, but I do rent it quite often.  It is absolutely fantastic for use as an outdoor portrait lens, when you want to get those fabulous close ups with blurred backgrounds, but you don’t want to be right up on the subject.  A great lens for working with children who are running, jumping, leaping and just being kids.  If this one hits your wallet a tad too hard, consider the Nikon 85mm f/1.8D, which is a more attractively priced alternative and imperceptibly slower.
  • Nikon 105mm f/2.8G – I drool over this lens.  Want it.  Want it baaaaaaad.  It’s a fantastic portrait lens a well as being a true macro (macro/micro mean the same thing.)  If I had this lens, I might never put it down, which could make bathing, eating and driving much harder.
  • Nikon 70-200mm f/2.8G – This one is also on my wish list.  My friend Timothy owns a slightly older version of this lens and if I look at him with big puppy dog eyes and whine, he lets me use it.  This lens is such a joy to use and perfect for those situations where you need to capture the action while staying well back and out of the way (oh, like weddings maybe.)  I used it to great effect shooting movie stills on a Disney set here in Atlanta.  The high price tag on this beauty is due to its fast and constant f2.8 aperture.  You get tremendous ‘zoom’ appeal PLUS a maximum aperture of f2.8. OMG, what’s not to like???
  • Nikon 45mm f/2.8D ED PC-E Micro - This perspective control micro lens is on my wish list in a BIG way  I have wanted this lens for so long it almost feels like a relationship…..sigh.  Of course, you can always get a Lensbaby for a fraction of the cost of a shift/tilt lens.

FLASHES

I am not a strobist and only occasionally shoot with my camera’s dedicated flash unit.  I tend to be an all or nothing kinda girl, either shooting with studio strobes or all natural light.  However, Ken Rockwell has an EXCELLENT tutorial on triggering the Nikon SB-600 or Nikon SB-800 remotely from a Nikon D70.  No wires.  None.  I’ve tried it and it works.

STUDIO STROBES

I have used Paul C. Buff’s line of mono-lights exclusively for almost two decades and I can’t see a reason to switch now.  I am still using my old Ultra 1800, 1200 and 600 units.  The 1800 is 18 years old and still going strong.  As a matter of fact, after a mammoth shoot just prior to the FULL five year warranty’s expiration date, it died on me.  I sent it to the factory and they completely rebuilt it, no charge.  That was 13 years ago and I’m still using it.

My very first ’serious’ studio strobes were the now discontinued White Lightning 5,000 and 10,000 units.  I just recently bequeathed the almost 20 year old units to my goddaughter, a budding photographer.  They still work stunningly well.  Their Alien Bees have now replaced that line.  I had the opportunity to work with these little jewels during a recent private teaching session and was simply blown away by the power and extremely reasonable price.

I love mono-lights because you don’t have to worry with heavy power packs and can plug them directly into any standard electrical outlet.

Great product, great price and great customer service are a tough act to follow.

COMPUTERS

Yep, you guessed it.  I use Macs.  My current machine is an iMac Intel G5 with a 24 inch Monitor.  It rocks.  Oh yeah.  Serious hotness factor.  Trying to use a PC to do graphics work is like trying to tie your shoes with gloves on.  Do-able, but very awkward.  Yeah, I know you pay more for a Mac, but geez, you just have so much more FUN using one.

SOFTWARE

  • Adobe Photoshop.  The original and still the gold standard in the industry.
  • Adobe Photoshop Lightroom – This is Adobe’s answer to Apple’s Aperture. I use it and LOVE it. It streamlines my workflow and is also a very powerful post-processing tool in its own right.
  • Kubota Image Tools – Fantastic Photoshop actions I use all the time.  Why reinvent the wheel?
  • Totally Rad Actions – Ditto.  See my post on these fantastic actions here.

CAMERA BAGS

  • Shootsac – This little item seriously ROCKS.  It’s so interesting how one small thing can free you and change the way you do things.  These comfortable, easy to use bags are made out of the same stuff wet suits are made of and they cradle your lenses snugly while keeping them readily available.  I prefer basic black, but these puppies come with a gazillion fashionable covers options too.  They are not meant to replace a heavy, structured bag for serious travel, but are perfect for, um…..shooting.  Ergo, the name.  Dude.
  • Jill.e weatherproof camera bags are for those who want to rock it fashionista style.

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