If you are a photographer, you probably spend a lot of your time thinking about photography equipment, like I do. And you are probably inquisitive about what equipment various photographers use to get the shots they produce. Many photographers will tell you that the equipment is not important, it's the skill of the photographer, the light, etc. that are important. Well, I think those things are indeed important, but I think that the equipment is important too! So for what it is worth, some of the major stuff that I use is listed below.

For portraits, I use a Novatron 600 watt-second system for most of my work. My main and fill lights are equipped with softboxes by Photex (a large on my main and a medium on my fill) which I use soley because they are easy to transport to a location. I use various barn doors, grids, gels, etc. from Novatron and I think the system more than meets my needs (you may want to note that, with 100 ASA film I get about f8-f11 light with 600w-s and remember I am shooting through softboxes). I also use a variety of other products, such as reflectors (both light discs from Photoflex and good old foam core), flags (I use black foam core typically to block or absorb light - this can make your studio effectively larger!), and all sorts of props. For background stands I converted two light stands with Bogen super clamps. Each background I use has a 3/4 in. aluminum tube inside of it that is used to hang the background on the clamps - I also use 1.25in. or 1.5in. diameter PVC tubing as a core for each background. This makes it fairly easy to change to backgrounds.

My portrait cameras are now digital. I now use a Canon 5D Mark 2 (21 megapixels) for portraits but will occasionally use a Nikon D300 (12 megapixels). Most portraits are taken with a Canon 100mm f2 or a Canon 24-105mm f4 zoom lens. I no longer use filters for portraits but instead rely on photoshop to provide whatever filter effects I desire.

For sports, I use both the D300 most of the time, but often use the Canon 5D Mark 2 for indoor sports such as basketball. I use a Nikkor 300mm f2.8 AFS lens for most outdoor sports and use the Canon 100mm f2.8 or the Canon 24-105mm f4 zoom lens for indoor sports. I usually shoot with a monopod or tripod (if allowed; some pro sports venues will not allow a camera support) and a Merkins M-20 ball head with a quick release plate.

For nature work I use a tripod for everything.

For macro photos (flower close-ups, butterflies, etc.) I prefer to use the Nikon D300. I use a Sigma 105mm f2.8 lens or a Nikkor 200mm f4 macro lens. For this system, I use a Bogen 055 magfiber tripod and the Merkins M-20 ball head. Note that I also use this setup when photographing animals but with the Nikon 300mm f2.8 lens that I use for sports.

For landscapes, I used to prefer large format, which gives excellent detail for big enlargements. I shot a Toyo AII Metal Field 4x5, complete with Toyo binocular reflex viewing hood. I then switched to a Canon 1ds Mark 2 (16.7 megapixel) camera and would also use a Nikon D2X or the Nikon D300 for stitching images (this involves taking numerous images of a scene and digitally stitching them together into a very large photo - sometimes 500 megapixels or more). Now I use the Canon 5D Mark 2 for landscapes, complete with 3 Canon tilt/shift lenses (24mm, 45mm, and 90mm) and the 24-105mm f4 zoom lens. I keep an L-bracket on the Canon 5D Mark 2.

I use filters sparingly, but when I do I try to use the best. My most used filters are multi-coated polarizers. I also use the Lee filter system for landscapes, especially when using graduated neutral density filters to darken the sky. I have several of the Lee grads in the 4 inch by 6 inch size. Almost all of my lenses (except for the macros) have step up rings to an 77mm filter size on them permanently (with 77mm lens caps when I am not shooting of course!). That allows me to carry only one filter of each type, with an 77mm thread.

For metering I usually rely on the camera's meter and bracket but I also carry a Minolta Auto Meter IVF to check my camera's meter with an incident reading when possible.

My equipment has changed a lot in the last 3-5 years, especially with the advances of digital technology. I feel that my needs are starting to be met with the latest round of digital cameras. But I do wish for more resolution, more dynamic range, etc. So if anyone wants to buy me a 50mp Hasselblad or the latest Phase One digital back ...