I get emails often asking me what sort of equipment I use. I used to be very open about the camera I use, the lens I shoot with, the lighting I use etc. I am all about helping my fellow man, but the problem sets in when you have someone trying to learn everything about you so they can copy you.
I had a guy in the past do this, it was kind of funny in it’s own way. I understand wondering what someone else uses and thinking… if I have the same equipment, I’ll have the same results! That isn’t how it works though. There is so much more to being successful than owning the same equipment.
So now, I am more vague about things. I keep some things quiet, because it doesn’t really matter in the end, does it? If you have a good camera, a good lens, and a good model, you should be fine. You won’t see me cozying up to Arny Freytag or Stephen Wayda, Dean Capture or Holly (or Suze) Randall, even though I admire them both immensely. I respect their work, and if I had an opportunity to understudy with them I’d jump at it. I wouldn’t try and make a shopping list based upon what they use, thinking with the same equipment, I’d be as good as they are. Common sense perhaps tells me that isn’t how things work.
Just sayin…
So, what do I use?
Cameras
I shoot exclusively with Nikon equipment. It’s not a Nikon versus Canon argument. Both are amazing rigs. I have owned both, shot with both, both are great. I myself prefer Nikon’s higher end I suppose. Nikor glass is also second to none if you ask most professional photographers. That is not to say Canon doesn’t have some amazing glass as well. In most cases, if you spend the right amounts on your equipment, there is no way you’ll out shoot the limits of the equipment.
One of the lens I use, they stopped making in 1995. It’s a prime, and Nikon stopped making it because it was costing them too much to create it. They weren’t making enough money basically, profit wise. I ended up finding it online, from a private dealer in Korea. So I ordered it, from Korea. It’s an old lens, and even used, it cost a pretty penny. The images it shoots are pure magic though, so to me, worth it.
The secret to shooting isn’t what this person uses or what that person uses. The secret is what works for you. It’s like the old Mac versus Windows debate. Both are great machines if configured properly. There are arguments for/against both but what it comes down to, is what works for you, personally. Make sense?
So if I use a crazy ass rare prime lens, would that work for you? Only you can decide that. What focal range to have to work with? What are your goals in shooting? Do you have proper lighting or are you working with natural light or a sun disc? What is the distance between your model and the background, do you want the background to play any role in your images? etc. etc. etc. There is a lot to take into account when creating your shopping list.
.::Pro Tip::.
If I were you, I’d consider the Nikon D7000. It is without a doubt the best DLSR on the market right now, in the DX category. It also shoots auto focus HD video. The ONLY DLSR in the world to do so currently.
I don’t shoot DX, I shoot everything FX. Shooting DX is like entering your Honda Civic into a race against Ferraris. Sure you’ll get around the track but not anywhere near at the speed of the others you’re competing against. Try both and you’ll never shoot DX again.
Video Cameras
I used to use a Canon HD video camera, and I was impressed so I bought the newer model when it came out. I was impressed by that too so when Bryci and I wanted to step things up several levels, we reinvested and once again, stayed with Canon. I won’t list the model number, because it’s fucked up… but if you want quality, you invest in yourself in your business, in your members. We invested in the future of Bella, HUGE. the camera we currently use is also used by a few networks, such as the BBC, HBO, NBC etc. It’s a professional grade camera and no, you can’t buy it at Best Buy or any other store btw. This is a piece of pro grade equipment you need to order through a recognized Canon dealer. Tis the balls, trust me, the balls.
The Office
I wrote a blog a while back called Geek Cave, found here. This details the evolution of my office.
I use OS-X and Windows 7. I have two computers. I am not going to get into which is better and why, that’s personal preference. I prefer OS-X to Windows, just makes more sense to me I guess. That said, most of my adult life was spent making custom Windows boxes. I do like Windows, I just like OS-X more is all.
inventory…
Aeron chair – best chair you will ever own. Period. No exceptions. Worth every damn penny. I have owned mine for 3 years and it feels identical to the day I bought it. If you watch tv and movies, you’ll see these chairs almost always in offices and board rooms. These suckers are the Rolls Royce for your ass. Well worth it.
On desk…
One Samsung 24” screen in Portfolio stance for full page editing in Win 7.
Three Apple Cinema 30” screens. Best 30″ screen on the market. Period.
Shelves are just a piece of pine picked up at Home depot, then I slapped on some 4” legs I picked up online from Ikea.com. Simple, looks clean.
Two apple keyboards. Easily the best keyboard I have ever used.. small, flat, streamlined if you will.
Two Logitech G9 mice. – Amazing mouse. *HIGHLY* recommend. You can switch sensitivity on the fly so for gaming if you game, this rocks.
Apple 15” Mac Book Pro 2011 edition – Thunderbolt + Quad processor (geek bench 9742) best laptop I have ever owned, always the fastest. The system currently has a OWC Mercury Extreme Pro 480 gig SSD as it’s only drive, I removed the DVD to shave weight (and because I don’t use stinkin DVD/CD’s)
Under desk…
Two Mac Pros
system 1 – Mac Pro 2008 edition – 2 x 2.8 Xeon processors, 8 cores. 32 gigs of ram. Geek bench score of 11191. 4 Seagate 1tb hard drives. CRAZY fast system. This machine I leave in Windows 7 for when I need Windows. (geekbench 11178)
system 2 – Mac Pro 2010 edition – 2 x 2.66 Xeon processors. 12 cores. 40 gigs of ram. Geek bench score of 23573. 3 2tb Seagate drives. Insane speed. I use this for HD video editing. (geekbench 23573) The system currently has a OWC Mercury Extreme Pro 480 gig SSD as it’s primary drive.
Under the desk, hidden by the chair… 9 Seagate 1tb hard drives in hot swappable caddies, all daisy chained via firewire 800. On top of the Mac Pro’s… 3 2tb drives that are scratch disks for video editing.
Mercury Elite Pro Qx2 4 2 tb drives in RAID 5 for video editing back up/scratch
My Geekbench profile can be snooped here. I highly recommend GeekBench to test your system’s speed.
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