What is your go-to camera?
Nearly every photo now is done using the Sony A1. I love this camera because of the image quality, size, weight and focus speed. I switched to mirrorless when the Sony A7II came out. The other backup bodies I use are the Sony A7R3 and A7R2.
Why do you use Sony as camera brand?
Easy. They invented the mirrorless full frame system and because of the size and weight. I don’t need a huge and heavy camera. If I want a bigger camera I can always attach a batterygrip.
What lenses do you use?
In general I use prime lenses but…
My favorite lens zoom lens is the Sony G 24-105 f/4. It is a very versitale lens and in the studio I rarely shoot below f/4. Also outdoors I often use this 24-105. The quality is outstanding in nearly all focal lengths. If I could only afford one lens this would be the one.
I also very often use the Sony G 90mm macro f/2.8. I just love this lens because it is razor sharp and 90mm is a focal length I love for full body shots, medium and close up shots. It is not the fastest in focussing (that is normal with any macro lens) but on my A1 this lens delivers every single time.
I also love the Sony GM2 70-200 f/2.8. It is by far the best zoom lens available for Sony mirrorless by far.
Other lenses I use are the Sony GM 135mm f/1.8, Sony GM 50mm f/1.2 but also the very budget friendly Sony 85mm f/1.8.
I bought several lenses over the years but a 24-105 f/4 is really everything you need. A prime lens is generally sharper and when I know exactly what I am going to shoot I mosty grab a prime lens.
My lenses:
Samyang 14mm f/2.8
Sony 28mm f/2.0
Samyang 35 mm f/1.4
Sony GM 50mm f/1.2
Sony/Zeiss 55mm f/1.8
Sony 85mm f/1.8
Sony G 90mm f/2.8
Sony GM 135mm f/1.8
Tamron 17-28mm f/2.8
Sony G 24-105 f/4
Samyang 35-150 f/2.0-2.8
Sony GM2 70-200 f/2.8
Tamron 70-300 f/4.5-6.3
Do you use any filters?
Yes. Mainly ND filters when using flash outdoors. The reason is with ND filters I don’t need to shoot in High Speed Sync. (shutterspeeds above your maximum synchronisation speed)
What is your favorite light modifier?
The Godox Parabolic 128. The light by this parabolic is truly fantastic. I also love small parabolics like the Smallrig RA-D55. I mainly use them outdoors. But to be honest it all depends of what you want to achieve. For boudoir a SMDV Strip box is the one I love.
What flashes do you own/use?
V1S
2 x AD100 Pro (black & red)
1 x AD200 Pro
6 x AD200
2 x AD600 Pro
2 x AD1200 Pro
What lightformer would you buy on a small budget?
Studio: A 180 cm silver umbrella
Outdoors: A 50 cm foldable parabolic or beautydish or a sport reflector with a white Manfrotto Trigrip to even more soften the light.
What light do you recommend for a starter on a budget?
Flash: 2x Godox AD200 Pro. You can use one as mainlight and the other as fill light.
You will also need the Godox AD-B2 dual head. With this flash head you can attach both AD200’s and have 400W output and attach any bowens mount light former.
What camera would you buy when starting out?
Difficult answer. It all depends on budget. If you want to become a professional photographer I would go for a full frame system (but APS-C sensors can be used too!). You don’t need to buy the latest technology. For example you can buy a Sony A7 III instead of the A7 IV or even a Sony A7R3 instead of a A7R5. There is not that much image improvement in newly released cameras. Even my 6 year old Sony A7R2 still has excellent image quality (42MP). It only focusses slower, has less battery life and is generally slower in overal use.
Do you use a light meter?
Absolutely yes but not always. A light meter is very helpful. When I measure the light I know the first photo is spot on. Also when you shoot for several days in different locations I write down the flash values and light setup. When using a light meter I am 100% sure the light will be consistant.
Do you use LED?
Not really. I do own a 450W Smallrig 450b but mainly for video.
Do you shoot tethered?
Absolutely yes! The software I use is Capture One Pro 23. To be able to see the result when shooting on a 4K 27 inch screen makes a huge difference. For the last few weeks I use a LAN cable instead of a USB-C cable because the Sony A1 has LAN connection. Even with a 15 meter cable I have a rock solid connection.
What is you favorite background?
Charchoal grey. I can make it black by placing the model further away from the background. I can also easily add textures in post processing.
What light stands do you use?
It depends. I have several C-stands but also some cheap stands but sturdy enough from a company called “HV”. I got two big and heavy M-6 light stands from Jinbei. Very sturdy at a cheap price. Their flash gear is not that great but I can really recommend the M-6 if you have the room for it. Sometimes I also use the Manfrotto Nanopoles but only with smaller strobes like the AD200. To be honest I have too many stands. In general: Heavy strobe & softbox: heavy light stand, lightweight combination: lightweight but sturdy enough light stand.
What is your setup for shooting outdoors?
It depends. If you need to shoot many pictures I take my AD1200 Pro with me. Otherwise I choose the AD600 Pro attached using a Manfrotto 035 Superclamp on a light stand. I sometimes also only use AD200’s mostly in a AD-B2 dual flash head.
As a light former I generally use a sport reflector or small parabolic with only inner diffuse. When shooting portraits outdoors I use bigger lightformers. It also depends if there is a lot of wind or not.
Do you shoot tethered outdoors?
Generally speaking not. I do use an external HDMI screen attached on my tripod or pictures are send to a tablet so the customer can see what I am doing.
What is inside your camera bag?
It depends but in general:
Sony A1
Sony Bluetooth remote
Tamron 17-28 mm
Sony G 24-105 f/4
Sony GM2 70-200 f/2.8
ND filters (ND2, ND4, ND8, ND16)
Smallrig folding tool AAK2495
X-Rite passport color checker
Extra SD cards (Sony & Prograde)
Godox V1S
Sekonic L858D with Godox module lightmeter
Godox X Pro II transmitter
Wipes
Rocket Dust Blower
What IT hardware do you use?
My main PC is a Dell Alienware R5 with 64GB of RAM. My monitor is a Dell 3216Q (99,5% Adobe RGB). Working storage is SSD.
My PC for tethering is a small Beelink Ser3 computer attached on a Benq P2700U 4K.
My Laptop is a Lenovo X360
As a tablet: I use a XP Pen Deco Pro medium (prefer over Wacom)
A Stream Deck XL (extra keyboard with macros. Recommended!!!)
A Speed editor for Davinci Resolve
A Synology NAS for storage
Several WD & Lacie external Hard Drives
What software do you use?
I bought several programs over the years but I don’t use them at all and will not update them anymore. The main programs I use are
Capture One Pro 23 (tether + RAW + Export)
Photoshop
FastRAWviewer
As a plugin I sometimes use DXO Filmpack for B&W.
I don’t use filters or presets at all!