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 do. 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 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 Photoflex (a large on my main and a medium on my fill). 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 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 camera is a Nikon N90 (my F4 is a
backup), and most photos are taken with a Sigma 70-210 f2.8 zoom. I almost always use a Tiffen
soft focus filter (I own grades 1-3), but I sometimes use a Sailwind soft focus filter when I use my
Sailwind vignetter system. I do not normally use a tripod for portrait work, since I do not need to
with the flash time of the Novatron system. My favorite portrait films are Kodak Porta 160 NC
and Fuji Reala. I am beginning to do some portraits with a Mamiya 645 AF system complete with
a 105-210mm zoom lens and am making the conversion to shooting it full time for
portraits.
For nature work, I use all three camera formats. I use a tripod for everything, and Fuji Velvia is
almost exclusively my film choice.
For macro photos (flower close-ups, butterflies, etc.) I prefer to use 35mm. I use a Nikon F4s
camera (with an N90 backup), and Sigma 90mm f2.8 and Nikkor 200mm f4 macro lenses. For
this system, I use a Bogen 3021 tripod and a 3030 head.
Note that I also use 35mm when photographing animals.
For moderate sized scenics I use a medium format camera. I own a Fuji
GX-680 system. I use the Fuji primarily for Texas wildflowers, since I can work out of my car. I
love the Fuji for wildflowers,
because it has front tilt, allowing me to achieve great depth of field. The Fuji lenses are superb; I
own the 100mm, 180mm, and 250mm focal lengths. I use a Bogen 3036 tripod
for the Fuji with a Bogen 3047 head. I also use this tripod combo for my large format camera as
well as my Mamiya 645 AF, so I keep a quick release plate on each of these cameras plus a spare
in each camera bag.
For most landscapes, I prefer large format, which gives excellent detail for big
enlargements. I shoot a Toyo AII Metal Field 4x5,
complete with Toyo binocular reflex viewing hood. I also use Fuji Velvia quickload film with a
quickloader. This whole system makes 4x5 almost as easy as using the Fuji GX680. I would not
shoot 4x5 without it, and I do not shoot 8x10 because they don't make quickloaders and reflex
viewing hoods for these systems. For large format lenses, I own a Fuji 90mm f5.6, a Fuji 150mm,
and a Rodenstock 210mm f5.6 Sironar S.
I use filters sparingly, but when I do I try to use the best. My most used filters are a multi-coated
polarizer and 81A and 81B multi-coated warming filters. 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 82mm filter size on them permanently (with 82mm lens caps when I am not
shooting of course!). That allows me to carry only one filter of each type, with an 82mm
thread.
For metering, I use a Gossen Ultra Spot 2 for spotmetering plus I carry a Minolta Auto Meter
IVF to check my meter with an incident reading when needed.
Again, I do not think equipment is everything that makes a good photo, but it sure does help!