location photography gear
As we were packing for location photography this week I thought it might be interesting to show an overall of just what we take along on the average location photo shoot. This is our “medium” location kit, sometimes we pack less, sometimes we take the whole studio. Most of our location jobs (probably 75%) fall around this “medium” category.
It’s important to have everything we may need and then a backup for each item in case something goes down. It’s also nice to have the extra equipment in case we decide to get two shots going at once. If one set of lights is tied up on a set waiting for approval then we can leap ahead and begin setting up the next shot. Most often we’re in constant motion. Working with a good team means someone is always working ahead, problem solving the next shot and getting things set up and ready.
I do think a good photographer can make excellent photographs without having the latest, greatest photo equipment. But after doing this for 20+ years I’ve developed opinions on what I like to have on location and admittedly have personal preferences for everything from batteries to power cords to light stands (most professional photographers do).
Readers often ask about photo gear and what we’ve found that works well. Rather than write a complete book on what’s in this photo I thought it would be interesting to show the overall shot and then week by week dive into some of the different bags. Every Thursday for the next few weeks I’ll touch upon how certain items help us do what we do at Daylight Photo. Even if you’re not a professional location photographer you may find an interesting tip or two.
Today, let’s look at the overall location kit, just to get a feel for what we have on hand in the field. In future installments we’ll get into specifics / brands of the items:
**For your convenience, here’s a downloadable pdf page of the above photo with this list**
A. Camera bag, 2 DSLR bodies, lenses, radio remotes, camera batteries, memory cards, filters, usb cords for tethering
B. 2 small portable strobes for hard to reach placements, batteries, slaves, cords
C. various size light stands, tripods, various softboxes
D. laptop stand platform
E. 2 laptop computers
F. 3 folding reflectors
G. 2 Calumet Travelite strobes with Travel Pak battery pack
H. rolling case with power cords, adapters and various clamps
I. folding aluminum frames with various fabric / reflector covers
J. rolling case / grip kit with tools, tape rolls and cleaning supplies
K. padded, rolling strobe case with 4 strobes (Calumet Travelite, Calumet Genesis or White Lightning), reflectors, grids, cords, umbrellas
L. Four wheeled dolly (invaluable!)
M. Bag of large white and black fabrics
With this equipment we can create light, block light and tackle most anything we encounter on the average location job. Next week: a closer look at some items of interest…
| Links |
|
* The videos and articles on prophotolife.com are funded through affiliate relationships with quality companies like Amazon.com and Calumet Photo. When you make a purchase from one of these vendors using a link on this site it puts a small percentage of that sale back into our operational fund (and for that we're thankful).
Thnks for sharing! It’s interesting what gear you pro use.
I’m always interested to see what pros use and why they picked the particular equipment. It certainly looks intimidating though.
Hey Jim, glad to hear you and Bob weathered the winds alright. We just got everything up and running again late yesterday. Thanks for including the PDF with this entry, it makes it easy to reference what you’re talking about!
Hey Noah, good to hear from you. Schools are back in session again today (Thursday) and the pieces are all getting put back together here in Cinti. And put November 13th on your calendar, we’ll be hosting the ASMP Pints ‘n’ Pixels here at Daylight Photo again that evening, so come on down.
The intimidation of all that equipment goes away with time, Craig. Were you around when we had to walk over to a television and turn a knob in order to change a channel? I remember it well, so what really intimidates me is seeing five remote controls laying on a coffee table and having no idea of how to turn the television on. Somehow we adapt.
The way of the PRO.
I foud this site by looking for some tips. So Jim,thanks, this is realy what we need.
The true is that you can get intiminated very easy. Is about as, to pass to the next step. I still remember my firt assaiment as photografer for a news paper and my firt digital camera.
Lets engoy that felling before to gump.
The equipment is a tool, very expensive some times, or dificult to undertand. I do not have all the equipment that Jim put in te list. And to tell the true, there are a few thinks that I will never bay.
Becose we found a diferent solution or we adap the production to what we have.
The Pro, is the one that take out the best of his or her equipment.
Thanks again for sharing.
Excellent stuff! You forgot one thing though. How you transport all this equipment.
I’ll be looking forward to reading more about your bags. That sure is a lot of them.
Excellent topic to discuss!
I’m eagerly waiting for the explanations of the individual items, especially the “usb cords for tethering”.
Keep up the great work!
Another thought: Seeing all your equipment that you carry to the photo site, then unpack each parcel and set it up before you can begin shooting. Then breaking it all down. Do you break down and assemble your soft boxes each time?
It makes me wonder: If you are charging the client by the hour, do you charge beginning with the time to set up and break down your equipment?
(I have been doing odd jobs of Bar Mitzvahs and the like, and eventually felt that people would like better family portraits, so I eventually got a background stand, backgrounds, and studio lights. But it takes a significant amount of time to set that up and tear it down, so a big question for me is if, and how, I should charge the client for that extra time.)
Perhaps this is a question for you business discussions on Wednesdays.
Well..
I rented a studio that includes light an assiten. I guess the owner, other photographer were afraid that I coudl damage his equipment.
He expend like 20 minutes seting the light, then the model take 30 minutes in makeup . At the end I star shotting like hour late.
For me, that time has to be consider as part of the production itself and the cliente has to pay.
Is diferent if you travel an hour to be on time on the Bar Mitzvahs o Weeding, but you have know that the gasoline, plane or metro is a cost that most be included.
My parents used to have an analogue remote control to change the channel on those types of TVs, Jim. They would say, “Craig! Go change the channel to ABC.” Or whatever of the five stations we picked out of the airwaves back then.
Yeah, I was the remote because I was the only one that could remember which station was on which channel. 
Oh, I meant to add that I would probably need a new vehicle just to carry all of that stuff around. I don’t think ht would all fit in my VW Jetta.
that is one hell of a lot of stuff!
Jim,
Nice work on your website and your unselfish advice is really helpful for many. I hope your are getting the exposure you want.
I had question: What is a good brand for a “foldable aluminum frame” for a reflector/diffuser as the one you show in the corresponding video? What is a good brand for the covering material, or is it all part of a kit? There are a few makers out there, I found after searching in the internet, but most of them look flimsy.
Godspeed.
- Jorge
Thanks, Jorge! You can find links to the aluminum reflector frame I use below video episode 24. I show assembly and features of the frame in the video…it’s VERY sturdy, the best I’ve found. It’s fluted aluminum tubing and there is no flex yet it is very lightweight.
Thanks Jim. I love the way the material just folds over the corners. Nice concept and simple. I will give these a try.
Unrelated note - I noticed in some of your videos, that in your studio you seem to use what looks like cement or weighted buckets with some wooden or metal pole sticking upward to hold panels for quick setups, etc. Is that so? If so, I think that’s a great idea. I am sure they are easy to move around, eliminating to have a million stands or additional tripods all over the place..
- Jorge
Weel..
the idea of use a can or other think with cement, its not new. The pole was to have some nail or wire to be more stable.
Becose when you move it, you can separeted from the base.
Great video on tethering. What kind of laptop platform do you use. I’m looking at the Gitzo G065, but would like your opinion. Thank you.
I am usually packing some color filters as well - few sheets of Rosco can help to warm up, cool down or do some other effects.
if you have to use a dolly in order to (eventually) take pictures, you’re overloaded. Never expected to get a hernia from photography. Not even a film camera though! Say it isn’t so!
Hey snaggle, this is packing light compared to the film days!
why 2 laptops?
2 laptops?
hey jim
First of all THANK YOU!…Thank you for you’re work in posting all this tutorials You have been very helpful we appreciated it!!!!
My question is what kind of lenses do you use for portraits???
What kind of lenses do you recommend for portraits??
I own a Nikon D300 w/AF-S DX VR Zoom-NIKKOR 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6G IF-ED
and AF NIKKOR 50mm f/1.8D
Hey Azana,
My 5 cents:
Generally for portraits you want to be in the 85-110mm range (or around). That generally gives you the least distorted portraits, unless you have some effect in mind.
I have done and seen some magnificent portraits taken with wide angle lenses as well. But the range usually one is taught to use for portraits is the one I mentioned (85-110 or even higher).
Your lenses are nice and quite used by semi pros and wedding pros. Actually your zoom lens is a great travel lens.. very mobile and with nice visual range and nice VR feature, it’s really a nice lens, it’s not that fast (f3.5-5.6) so you might run into low light situations quicker than with the pro lenses. Although in those situations, you cam go up on the ISOs (with the D300, the higher ISO still maintain good quality). And that zoom is priced nicely.
If you compare that zoom lens to other ones, you will see that the ‘pro’ lenses have better glass and maintain f2.8, while closed or fully opened, but cost more.
Your other lens, the 50mm, is a surprisingly not expensive lens that is truly nice. It’s quick and very sharp and if you frame things right you can also shoot some portraits with it.. it’s the kind of lens that has to go in your gear bag anyway just in case… I have one too and like it.
My thought is that you have a great starter set of lenses. You can certainly use the 18-200mm for portraits, and get familiar with both of them, get your money’s worth by using them a lot, and then after gaining some experience, step up to a pro lens if you are still in the game. BTW the D300 is a great camera too.
Regards,
-Jorge
hey jorge
Thank you for your advice… and yes I like my lenses but the zoom lens it is slow in low light, I want to get something faster.
thanks jorge
I agree totally, Jorge, the 18-200 zoom has a wonderful range and the 50mm is one of the most useful yet overlooked lenses out there. If you’re looking to add another lens, Azanana_Dani, it’s hard to top the extremely high quality (and equally expensive) Nikkor 70-200 mm f/2.8G ED-IF AF-S VR Lens
. It’s fast, has a great range, is super sharp AND the vibration reduction makes it a great investment. Other popular options are the 85mm f1.8 or 135mm f2.0, if you like single focal length lenses.
70-200 mm f/2.8G It is expensive but fast and if its good lens I’ll buy it…
Thank you very much Jim, you’re really good on this many thanks!!!
Another five cents:
YES - The 70-200mm lens is one of the best pro lens in the market. Widely used for many things but I have seen it quite often now used for portraits, fashion and that sort of thing. Price tag is as expected up there in the 1500s. But worth its price in gold if you are a pro (will pay for itself). The other one the 85mm is an awesome lens, but it is a prime lens so you give up some flexibility in range (you are the zoom), but its tack sharp, exceptional quality glass and is a true portrait prime!
I think once you see money coming back from this art, you start looking at lenses differently. The lenses are so important that they become a prime investment in your profession and are definitely more than just a nice expensive thing to have .. but they have to go along with the type of work you do.
But as you get into this, the lens is only quarter of the battle. Before you start investing oodles of money on lens, understand that you need to master this art first.. There are guys out there shooting out of a pin hole making incredible art. Because they have the eye… that’s the first thing, the comes the fancy lenses and all the other equipment…
I am not assuming anyone in this post (and of course not Jim) is not talented or doesn’t know this stuff already, but it’s surprising how many folks out there spend tons of money on equipment before they really learn basic photography (e.g. composition exposure, lighting, etc.). It’s real easy to take pictures, but it’s hard take real good ones, despite the equipment.
-Jorge
Right 70-200 mm f/2.8G is a must for serious work. Also with VR it gives a lot of flexibility in usage. I would also look at primes 50/1.4 and 85/1.4 but the second one is rather expensive option.
Hey jim
:\ I want to get a transmitter for my Speedlight SB-900 so I can shoot the flash off camera but I don’t know anything about transmitters would you help me on this please?…. the only transmitter I know is the Canon ST-E2 but I don’t know If I can use that on my Nikon.
Azanana,
There a few options out there. Depends on price. But it seems like the most popular option is the PocketWizard devices. These are Transceivers that you plug to your lights and to your camera so you are able to shoot from good distances and flawlessly fire up your strobes. The only kaveat is price (expensive) and they are bit on bulky side. Then there are a bunch of other brands that are cheaper, smaller, lighter, some are really good and some are a little less reliable too. I use Elinchrom Skyport remotes, which are absolutely great, smaller, less expensive, reliable, etc.. but a bit more fragile then the PocketWizards. In the end you need to use something that will be reliable and will have batteries that charge quick and stay charged for a long time ..
-Jorge
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/352553-REG/Bowens__Pulsar_Radio_Slave_2.html
very flexible, both for Speedlights & studio flashes
Thank you very much guys!!
I think I’m getting the Pocket Wizard…
Azanana,
One thing you should also look at if you have all Nikon gear and at least a D200 camera is the Nikon using the Nikon Remote system. It allows Nikon cameras and flashes to talk to each other .. it works great but in ideal conditions.. So it doesn’t work for larger distances and is dependent on line of sight communications between Nikon elements. Neat thing is you can shoot using iTTL which is really neat. Read up on it on Nikon’s site: http://imaging.nikon.com/products/imaging/technology/speedlight/index.htm
I use it ‘when it makes sense’ typically in simple shoots, but when I need more flexibility and distance, or reliability, I will hands down prefer the Elinchrome remote setup (equivalent to the PWs).
But all in all, you can save some serious $ using the Nikon system initially if you have the components (Nikon Camera and flashes .. SB600, SB800, SB900, etc.).
-Jorge
I’m using The Nikon D300 with SB900…
Azanana,
Your combination of lens and camera is ready for wireless by Nikon. Read up on it. Maybe your should start there.. if you have only one strobe that’s all you need… I don’t think you need the Pocket Wizards yet ..
-Jorge
Leave your response!
Search Prophotolife.com
Recent Articles
Further Reading
Pages
Categories
Archives
Recent Comments
Most Popular Posts
Related Posts
Most Commented
Tags
approach around the net assisting bulbs business creativity customer service education equipment exposure film fine art gear history insurance interview lenses lighting logo design marketing nature photographer photographers pinhole portrait preview professional organizations RAW review stick-in-a-can studio taxes technical video workflow