Gear Bag

I often get asked about the equipment and software that I use and this got me to thinking about the importance of using professional grade equipment and knowing how to use it. I also read a thought provoking post over at Digital Pro Talk on the subject of photographic professionalism and its relationship to the gear we use.

The post included a youtube video from an episode of Judge Joe Brown where a really lousy wedding photographer gets sued by a disappointed bride. It’s pretty funny to see the unprofessional professional get her comeuppance, but also very sad to see how upsetting this was to the bride. The photographer in this case was shooting the wedding with a Canon Rebel and a consumer grade lens. Questioning by the judge, who was very knowledgeable by the way, revealed that she was not very competent regarding the proper use of her gear. Furthermore, She delivered the prints to the bride in the Wal-Mart parking lot where she had them processed. Sheese.

The tools that we use as photographers are very important. We must be able to rely on our equipment to perform, and we must have backups in the event something fails. Many photographers out there who are advertising themselves as pros are working with an amateur camera like a Canon Rebel or Nikon D3000 and with no backup. They often don’t fully understand the capabilities and limitations of their gear, and often shoot in P-for-Professional mode.

Don’t get me wrong, these entry level amateur cameras are capable of producing stunning images. I myself have a Nikon D50 which I use as a second body, and as a go to in some situations. But relying on this equipment as your primary is risky and therefore unprofessional.
After thinking about this for a while I decided to post a Gear Bag section on my web site, not to be a show-off or to brag, but to demonstrate that the equipment that I use is up to the job. Is my gear the best available? Certainly not, but it is high quality, dependable, and capable of producing excellent results in the right hands.

Finally, I am always looking to improve the quality of my cameras, lenses, and lighting equipment, in fact, most of the profits that I am making go right into purchasing more and better equipment. I will keep my site up to date as I make major additions to my bag.

--Steve