Cameras, Lighting, and Related Tools


1. What camera do you use?

My primary studio camera is the Nikon Z7ii (link). (Recently I sold a Nikon Z7, as well as the Z6ii).

I keep a Nikon D750 as back-up. In the future, I’d like to use a film camera more often (FM), as well as upgrade to a Fuji medium format systems (the GFX series).

2. What lens do you use?

The Sigma 105mm f/1.4.

For some reasons I have delayed this camera purchase, but did so in late 2020. It is an ideal portrait studio lens, in several main ways:

  1. Its length 105mm is a focal length

  2. It comes with a tripod collar (it can rotate horizontal to vertical in a jiffy).

  3. It stops up to 1.4, which is incredible.

  4. Furthermore, it's sharp at all apertures.

Funny story: I know the 105mm by Sigma was my next lens, so in late 2020, I purchased two of this lens. I tested both meticulously, checking for sharpness of a brick surface in the corner regions. I returned the copy that wasn’t as sharp. Believe it or not, the one I bought was consistently sharper than the one I returned, which goes to show that a manufacturer can produce irregularities within a model of the same lens.

For wider portraits, or multiple people in the same shot, I often go back to my trusty 85mm 1.8, or the 70-210mm f4.

For non-portrait work: I use a Tamron 28-75mm (variable zoom) f/2.8 for events, a Nikon 18-35mm f/4 for homes and architecture. For product photography and close-ups, I will use a Tokina 100mm f/2.8.

For my personal blog I prefer the pared down, super basic Nikkor 50mm 1.4 AI (1977-1981). I’ll keep it at f/1.4 due to its wonderful glow (the “bokeh” effect) in out-of-focus areas.

I am not personally “attached” or devoted to the Nikon brand, but it was the company I started on when I was rather young and both my parents had Nikon camera bodies and lenses.

For events in 2021 I was able to use a Canon EOS-1D X, a truly beastly machine that, when it was released in late 2011, was the most sophisticated and rugged DSLR on the market.

3. What lights do you use?

For studio lighting I use two strobes (both Godox AD600, non-TTL) for the key and rear (backdrop) light.

For fill, I titrate sunlight coming in through a few windows that face the west. By titrate I mean that I have black curtains and foam cut-out to shape the light entering the studio.

At night, due to the absence of natural light, I will shine a Godox LED (SL-60W) on the ground to mimic the sunlight bouncing off the wood floors.

4. How about light modifiers?

A light modifier shapes light that exits a strobe or bulb.

They include umbrellas that impede or “shape” direct light.” The reason for an umbrella is to enlarge the size of a light source, and also to scatter its light.

Currently, my main light-shaping tool is the 60” Softlighter by Photek (B&H). The umbrella shaft can be removed, which is useful for getting the modifier very close to the subject’s face in a low-ceiling environment. I discovered this brand watching Annie Leibovitz photographing a rock star in a hotel room (on youtube, of course).

For more definition and deeper shadows, I use a 23” beauty dish.

For backdrops, I find I enjoy Godox’s 12" Wide Angle Reflector (B&H). This manages to stay rather low to the ground, and places a cone that avoids excessive light spillage behind the subject.

5. What are your “go-to” settings?

I start all my sessions with these settings:

• shutter speed —> 1/125

• aperture —> f/1.4

• filter —> 4-stop ND 1.2 filter (b&h)

• ISO —> 100

• ambient lighting —> ~150-175 lux (ideal ambient light)

• strobe #1 —> 1/32 (for the subject)

• strobe #2 —> 1/32

These settings tend to underexpose the image by about 1 stop.

I call this STP-1 because it reminds me of college chemistry where scientists figured out a place in temperature and pressure that matches pressure at sea level (see: link). Unfortunately the Z6ii does not have a native ISO under 100, which is a minor drawback because I used to do all my portraits at ISO 64 with the Z7. I like a blank canvas that is less sensitive to light.

6. And camera settings?

• Autofocus –> AF-C (doesn’t really matter).

• Autofocus points —> Single dot.

• Exposure Mode —> Manual shutter, manual aperture, and fixed (non-auto) ISO.

• White Balance –> Custom default (doesn’t really matter, gets overwritten during import).

• Exposure metering –> Spot (doesn’t matter).

• Live Settings –> OFF (this tends to be the case whenever a flash is attached to the top, too, but of course this matters for studio using a mirrorless device).

7. What music do you play during the shoot?

I like melodic jazz, with artists like Kenny Burrell, Red Garland, Hank Jones, and Oscar Peterson.

8. What type of camera stabilization do you use?

I use a custom tripod featuring a:

•  Kupo roller (link)

•  20” riser column (link)

•  Matthews Ballhead adapter (link)

•  Arca-Swiss Monoball p0 (link).

Note: For a long time I didn’t use anything, no tripod, just hand-held around the neck.

9. Your favorite backdrops?

I start with a Savage seamless paper in white (107 in x 36 ft), cut by ~12” to fit my studio.

•   “Deep Blue” @ 94.5” (Savage)

•   “Snow (white)” @ 94.5” (Savage)

•   “Robin’s Egg”, “Cal Blue”, “Plum”, “Crimson”, and “Lemonade (#93)” at @ 36”

My second favorite is a custom-painted black canvas backdrop (80” wide) which I’ve dubbed “Midnight Grey”.

For custom colors, I enjoy transforming a white backdrop into beige (“Mocha Grey”), as well as turning a grey backdrop into olive (“Pale Green Sea”). I can customize backdrop tones based on the client’s preference.

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Last updated: July, 2024