My name is Nathan Allen (@nathanleeallen on Instagram and TikTok). I’m an outdoor, travel, adventure photographer, videographer, and content creator based in Lexington, Kentucky, focused on inspiring others to experience the beauty of our planet and to “Get Busy Living” every day, pursuing your passion, dreams, and goals — no matter how big or small.
I typically travel and create content in North America, primarily in the western United States and Canada, but I try to include several international trips that allow me to experience new countries, landscapes, and cultures while revisiting countries that I love.
I’ve been a professional, full-time creator for over five years now. I’ve been able to work with some really amazing clients and brands–brands like Canon USA, Hyundai, GMC, Four Seasons Resorts, Anheuser-Busch, Makers Mark, Four Roses, Columbia, and Eddie Bauer, as well as several city, state, and international tourism boards around the world.
As you can see by that list, I’m not necessarily drawn to a certain brand or industry. I just love taking a creative vision and turning it into a well-executed reality, creating content, and telling stories through that content, that stands out among the constant noise and advertising we see on a daily basis. To do this, I’ve needed to perfect my camera bag with all of the essential gear to create high-quality content. So, let’s take a look inside my bag….
My Cameras as an Outdoor Photographer
Canon EOS R5
The Canon EOS R5 has been my go-to camera for some time now, thanks to its incredible versatility and ability to shoot professional-level photos and video in one travel-friendly, durable camera body. This camera can capture amazing stills, with a powerful 45-megapixel full-frame CMOS sensor and record footage up to 4K 120 fps/8K RAW at 10-but 4:2:2. This is all with one of the fastest, most intuitive autofocusing systems on the market today.
It’s also really impressive with wildlife and fast-moving subjects, featuring high-speed continuous shooting at 12 fps mechanical shutter and 20 fps electronic shutter. Simply put, the Canon EOS R5 is one of the best hybrid cameras you can buy, which is why it’s not left my bag since I first started using it.
Canon EOS R6 Mark II
Because of my recent workflow and focus on video content, the Canon EOS R5 has been my primary video camera. The newer Canon EOS R6 Mark II has become my go-to stills camera, partially thanks to its incredible low light performance. It sports an impressive DIGIC X Image Processor and ISO range of 100-102400, and high image quality, thanks to the 24.2 megapixel full-frame CMOS sensor.
However, if I need to roll video on both cameras, the EOS R6 Mark II is no slouch and can shoot up to 4K 60 fps/6K oversampled, and paired with the reliable low light performance, it’s excellent for blue hour content.
My Lenses
Canon RF 70-200mm f/2.8 L IS USM Lens
The Canon RF 70-200mm f/2.8 L IS USM lens might be my favorite lens I use, and not only because it is so fast, sharp, and versatile. At its focal range of 70-200mm, it provides a more natural perspective to portraits and lifestyle images while allowing for significant compression in images shot at over 100mm. Lens compression is key to creating scale in landscapes, especially if you’re capturing a human subject in your frame.
Also, another great feature to note about the RF 70-200mm f/2.8 L IS USM is that it is incredibly small for the type of lens that it is almost half the size of its EF series counterpart.
Canon RF 15-35mm f/2.8 L IS USM Lens
The Canon RF 15-35mm f/2.8 L IS USM lens is the classic wide-angle zoom lens for landscape photography and is always in my bag — no matter the trip. This lens captures incredible for stills and video, and is so useful in the outdoors, providing that extra width at 15mm that is so important for landscapes.
Canon RF 28-70mm f/2.8 L IS USM Lens
The Canon RF 28-70mm f/2.8 L IS USM lens might be one of the most capable lenses I’ve ever shot with. Its focal length of 28-70mm and wide, flat aperture of f/2 makes it feel like you’re carrying three prime lenses in one. While it is a larger, heavier lens, the extra size and weight are worth it, because it takes the place of most of my prime lenses on a shoot, but still provides the incredible sharpness and shallow depth of field that prime lenses offer.
Accessories
Backpack
I have a few camera backpacks I use for different purposes and trips, but the day camera backpack I use the most is my Shimoda Explore V2 35 Liter Adventure Backpack. I’ve tested several different brands and bags over the years. The Shimoda Explore V2 35 is by far my favorite, with fantastic interior and exterior designs, loads of pockets, and organization features, and designed with durable, weather-resistant fabrics that are truly made for the outdoors.
Tripod
I have several tripods I use, but the Manfrotto 055 4-Section Carbon Fiber Tripod with XPRO Ballhead has been my most consistently used set of sticks. This tripod is tough, durable, and lightweight for its size, with a load capacity of 20 lbs.
DJI Ronin RS 2
The DJI Ronin RS2 has become a reliable piece of my kit, ever since my video work has expanded. It’s lightweight and compact for travel, and its intelligent design features allow me to set up, balance, and calibrate your gimbal and camera quicker than ever. Plus, its payload of up to 10 lbs means you can correctly balance even small cinema rigs on the RS2.
DJI Air 2S
The DJI Air 2S has been my main drone for over two years now since my Mavic Pro 2 decided to hug a volcano too long in Iceland. Surprisingly, for the price, the Air 2S provides just as sharp footage as my Mavic Pro 2. This is thanks to its 1-inch image sensor that provides impressive low light and dynamic range for a drone of its size. It also can shoot footage at 5.4K 30 fps and 4K 60 fps and 12-megapixel RAW stills, making it a reliable drone for most travel and outdoor content needs.
Laptop
My go-to laptop since college has been the MacBook Pro, and it hasn’t changed since, simply because of how customizable the MacBook Pro is to your workflow and operating needs. My latest MacBook Pro is the 14-inch MacBook Pro with Apple M1 Max chip, configured to edit and render 4K videos and high-res image files at once, and handle multiple programs at a time. That’s the reason I stick with MacBook Pro and will do so until something better comes along.
Filters
There are several great filter brands out there, but I typically use PolarPro Quartzline CP, ND, and VND filters for photo needs and the PolarPro Basecamp VND Mattebox Kit, for both video and photo needs.
Memory Cards
I typically use two types of memory cards when I shoot: SDXC UHS-II and CFexpress cards. The two brands that I have shot with over the last two years that have never let me down are the ProGrade Digital Cobalt Series and the Angelbird, which also makes amazing SSDs for my Atomos Ninja workflow.
Portable SSD
Finally, I always bring portable SSD drives with me on my trips. To back-up my footage and images, my go-to SSDs are the SanDisk Extreme Portable SSDs. Not only do they offer storage up to 4TB, but they are fast, rugged, and dependable with water, water, and shockproof designs that protect your content in even the harshest of environments.
These pieces of gear have become an essential part of my kit when traveling and creating content around the world — whether I’m traveling domestically or internationally. For me, my gear has to be high-performing, durable, and reliable, no matter where I take it. If my gear can’t create the highest quality content, handle harsh, outdoor environments, and help me edit and deliver content to my clients in a reliable and timely manner, I can’t use it. It’s taken time for me to test and determine which brands and products are the best for me, but I feel confident with what’s inside my bag today as an outdoor photographer.
