This is a list of gear I have used at one point or another during my Project 365. I would like to stress that I did not just rush out and buy it all at once, it’s something that I have been building up over the past 4 years, one piece at a time. I should also add that I have never actually taken a photography class or course, all that I have learned has either been pilfered from the internet or taken from books.
Camera, Lenses & Tripod
- Nikon D2xs – This is an outdated (2006) pro DSLR that is built like a tank. I love it, but oh man is it heavy! Don’t try and shoot past ISO 800 or it will self destruct.
- Nikon AF-S DX Nikkor 17-55mm f/2.8G IF-ED – This is my go to lens that has the same tank like build as my camera. It’s pretty much bullet proof and about the equivalent of a 24-70mm on a full frame (FX) camera.
- Nikon AF 50mm f/1.4D – Cheap, fast prime lens that is razor sharp. I use this lens when I want sharp eyes and a soft background like this.
- Benro – Carbon fiber tripod purchased off of Ebay. All of my night shots are taken with a tripod.
- Lowepro Slingshot 200 All Weather Backpack – I drag this camera bag around with me everywhere I go.
Lighting Equipment & Modifiers
- AlienBees B400 flash units – 3 of these, although most all of the photos on this blog use only 1 light. Buying a more powerful flash unit makes a lot of sense, especially when trying to over power daylight. I probably should have just bought just 1 AlienBees B1600 instead.
- Nikon SB800 speedlight (now replaced by the Nikon SB900) – 2 of these guys, although one is just for back up. These are overkill for my needs. In hindsight, I should have just gone with a few inexpensive used Vivitar flashes off of Ebay.
- Westcott Apollo Softbox with Recessed Front – 28 x 28″ – Small ultra portable softbox with quick setup. Shots taken with this, look like this.
- Westcott Apollo JS Softbox with Recessed Front for Flash Only – 50×50″ – Humongous softbox that provides beautiful soft light. If you don’t need the option of using speedlights with it, I would recommend going with a standard speed ring style softbox. This Apollo softbox is great but it is a pain in the butt to adjust the power settings since you need to open the recessed front in order to access the light.
- Westcott Umbrella – White Satin with Removable Black Cover – 60″ – If I had to choose one light modifier it would be this one. By far the most versatile and economical. Here’s an example.
- 22” High-Output Beauty Dish Reflector – An example here, another one here, and finally one more here.
- Vagabond II – I lug this around when I need a portable power source for my AlienBees. It is ridiculously heavy but that just means that it can double as 20 lb sandbag, right? The Vagabond Mini seems like a much better alternative.
- CyberSync CST Trigger Transmitter & CyberSync CSRB Receiver – Used to trigger AlienBees and Nikon speedlights wirelessly.
- Bookend – Two 8′ x 4′ pieces of foam-core art board taped together at one edge. This creates a big V-shaped modifier that can be used to bounce light.
- Photoflex MultiDisc 5 in 1 Reflector – Bounce light, like this.
Computer, Monitor, Software
- Apple Mac Pro – For the bulk of this project I was using a first generation intel iMac with 2 gigs of ram, it was awful. If you want to buy a new Mac Pro, be sure to check this site out first, really.
- NEC MultiSync PA271W-BK-SV 27″ Widescreen LCD Monitor with SpectraViewII – 27″ LCD monitor with calibration puck. Expensive, but worth every penny.
- Adobe Lightroom 3 – All photos, except for a couple (technical difficulties) were processed in Lightroom.
If you are new to off camera lighting, I highly recommend checking out these two photography blogs:
- Strobist – Off Camera Lighting Guru (The Original)
- Zack Arias – One Light Master
If you are just starting out, these photography books are awesome:
- Understanding Exposure by Bryan Peterson
- Learning To See Creatively by Bryan Peterson
- Within The Frame by David duChemin
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