From Nowra, NSW Michael has been shooting for the mag for many years now, here is a run down of his setup…
You can check his portfolio site here.
First up, list the gear you have…
Nikon D3s Body, Nikon F80 Body, Nikon lenses 14-24mm F2.8, 16mm F2.8 fisheye, 50mm F1.4
Sb-800 speedlights, pocketwizards, Bronica SQa with 80mm and 120 film back plus spare batteries, film, filters and stuff.
Rechargeable batteries or just replace them?
Rechargeable in the camera and flashes with a big packet of normal batteries for backup/spares
What goes missing the most from your bag?
Lens cleaning cloth for sure, it will disappear for months on end then randomly turn up in again. I currently have no idea where it is.
What lens do you use the most and why?
I find myself using the 50mm most, it’s just good quality, versatile, compact little lens.
What program do you use for editing the photos after you have uploaded them?
Can’t go wrong with Photoshop CS3… well, you can if you crank the saturation and contrast up all the way haha
Is your gear insured?
Yeah definitely, I’d be crazy not to! My bag and everything in it are an extra on the home and contents insurance.
It’s just a yearly payment and it’s a pretty reasonable price considering how much it’s insured for, plus I’m fully covered for everything no matter where I am in the world. Theft, damage, my own stupidity if I left my bag somewhere and forgot about it, dropping my camera in a creek ect
Black and white or colour?
There’s a time and a place for both and for me it depends on what the light is doing. If it’s an overcast day and everything is flat and boring black and white is where it’s at because you can get some great contrast out of it. Obviously if there are some rad colours in the sky or whatever I’ll shoot in colour and make the most out of it
How many flashes have you broken?
None…. touch wood. I’ve had a few fall/knocked over but no serious damage thankfully.
Favourite websites and or mags out there that motivate you to go out and shoot photos?
Skateboarders journal gets me really pumped on photography, skate photographers in general seem to be on another level altogether.
National Geographic really gets me motivated as well, the photos are so simple but they all tell a story which is important. I was actually short listed for a national Geographic scholarship a year or so ago which would have been amazing.
Best advice you can give someone starting out…
You don’t need the latest 80 megapixel camera and a million flashes to take a good photo. There are some guys out there with all the latest gear but they don’t seem to be putting any effort or thought into the shot and just running with the attitude that Photoshop can save the photo later. So my advice would be to learn how to shoot natural light, learn about shutter speed/aperture relationships as well as framing and composure.
