.As an editorial and commercial photographer, the most critical component of my job is bringing someone’s vision to life. While I bring my opinions, expertise, and creativity to the table, ultimately my client guides the purpose of the images we create. With that, my career takes me to a wide variety of settings, and my gear bag has to be flexible to keep up. Here’s a list of the products that have made the biggest impact.
Sony Alpha 1 Mirrorless Digital Camera
The Sony A1 is the no-compromise camera body for Sony users. Previously, I would switch between the A7R IV for resolution, A9 II for speed, and A7S III for video. The A1 brings all that together into one camera body with 50 megapixels, up to 30 fps, along with big video features like 8k, 4k 120p, and 10-bit color. It also has some unique features for flash photography, like a 1/400s max sync speed or the ability to use flash with the electronic shutter. By far the thing I appreciate the most is the full-time electronic front curtain sync. This means it only has one shutter curtain, making captures with the mechanical shutter far more responsive than previous mirrorless systems.
Tamron 35-150mm f/2-2.8 Di III VXD Lens for Sony E
This lens is the most recent addition to my gear bag and has made such an impact. When I look at the lenses I use often for my work, most of the time it is between 35mm and 135mm. Once I added Tamron to my bag, I could go through multiple days of work without ever removing it from my camera. The sharpness is great, aperture is fast, and the autofocus is on par with the most recent G Master lenses from Sony. For the first time in my career, I feel comfortable using a single camera and lens to cover everything from pressers to magazine spreads.
Sony FE 50mm f/1.2 G Master Lens
The 50mm focal length has always been touted as the most versatile lens. With a medium focal length, it can be applied to many scenarios. It’s frequently paired with a very wide aperture that allows you to work in the darkest of environments. Although, I never liked 50mm lenses until I switched to Sony. They were either slow at autofocusing, soft, or had bad flare properties. The Sony FE 50mm f/1.2 G Master Lens is stellar, such that it is now my most used prime lens. It’s insanely sharp, even at its maximum aperture. It’s the fastest lens I own. The most impressive quality to me is how it handles flaring. This is important as I’m often photographing individuals with the sun as a backlight. The clinical flare ensures my subject maintains contrast even when including the sun in the frame.
DJI Pocket 2 Gimbal Camera
For years now, I’ve championed the DJI Pocket line as one of the best tools for photographers. This lineup really revolutionized portable high quality video by building a camera directly onto a small gimbal, similar to DJI drones without the flying. The latest iteration (now 2 years old) added a wireless microphone, making the DJI Pocket 2 a capable and portable behind-the-scenes-camera. With video completely dominating stills photography on social media, the Pocket 2 has been essential to me capturing videos to educate other photographers on various platforms.
Flashpoint XPLOR 300 Pro TTL R2 Battery-Powered Monolight
This is the light that I use the most out of the dozen strobes that I own. It is more compact than the Xplor 400 Pro and more powerful than the eVolv 200 Pro. It is the ultimate light for portrait photography, both indoors and outside. Like the 400 Pro, it features the ultra-compact Godox mount, which opens the door to some extremely compact modifiers like the AD-S85 and AD-S65. It offers TTL, HSS, great color accuracy, fast recycle time — all while fitting in a lens compartment.
Glow ParaSnap 36″ Octa NewGen Softbox
A strobe is pretty limited on its own. If you want some control, you’ll have to have a light modifier. My current favorite for on-the-go work is the Glow Parasnap. I often switch between the 36” and 42” models depending if I’m going to be outdoors or not. The best part about the Parasnap is the way it closes to be practically flat. For the first time ever, this means I can put my softbox inside my lighting bag and have one less bag to lug around. Additionally, it takes roughly two seconds to switch its speed ring mount. Therefore, I can use it for my Xplor 300 Pro, or easily switch it to Bowens mount to attach to my larger lights. Finally, without an umbrella mechanism, it is easy to add gels directly over the bare bulb.
Glow 70 Degree Magnum Reflector
In the last year, I’ve entered the field of auto photography. This has opened a whole new level of lighting requirements. A 300w/s light is plenty for close-up portraiture. Although, when you’re showing a wide scene and lighting a car from a distance in daylight, it takes a lot more output. One of the tools that has been really helpful is the Glow Magnum reflector. The Magnum reflector will generate over two stops more light output than the standard reflector on bare bulb flashes like the Xplor 1200 Pro or P2400 pack and Head Kit. This allows me to light from greater distances, or use lower outputs and faster recycle times.
Logitech G G600 MMO Gaming Mouse
My job as a photographer doesn’t end with capturing photos. I have to import, cull, process, and distribute images as well. The Logitech G600 Mouse features 12 programmable (via Logitech GHub software) buttons on the side where your thumb rests. In all of my common programs, I have a custom profile created for the G600 that allows me to quickly access my most used keyboard shortcuts. In Capture One Pro, I have the speed edit keys mapped so I can access sliders anywhere on screen. For Photoshop, I have complex macros to avoid claw-like keyboard presses. In Premiere Pro, I barely even use the keyboard. The G600 has simplified and increased the speed of my editing across all programs allowing me to be more efficient as a creator.
If I named all the great tools I touched on a weekly basis, this list would never end. Although, those listed above are the ones that I feel get the most use, or have made the biggest impact on my career. If you want to see them and other tools in action, give me a follow on Instagram (@robhallphoto).
