my gear
Gear doesn’t matter. I’d be lying if I said cool gadgetry wasn’t fun, but the people who say “the camera doesn’t make you a good photographer” are right.
Now, I'll admit it - I've totally fallen for some gear because it looked cool or had that brand name cachet. But I also consider stuff like how easy it is to use and the quality it delivers. My advice? Figure out what kind of shots you're after, then hit up your local camera shop. Chat with the folks there, pick their brains, and geek out a little. Get your hands on different cameras and see what clicks with you. At the end of the day, it's all about finding what works for you.
camera gear
Leica M11-P
Obscenely expensive, not the best at anything, and yet I love it like few other cameras I’ve ever used. It’s a joy—a frustrating, maddening joy—to shoot with this thing. The rangefinder experience is second to none in that it takes a lot more work and deliberate intention to get a good photo, but the triumphant feeling is great. Although…I’m sure the same would be true for an old film camera that you might thrift for $20.
Leica summilux-m 35mm f/1.4 FLE ASPH
Leica SUMMIlux-m 50mm f/1.4 ASPH
accessories
Fast enough, good quality, not too expensive.
carry gear
It’s a camera bag. It works. It has lots of space and everything’s well laid out. I use it primarily on safari.
WOTANCRAFT Sling Pouch
Moment DayChaser Travel Camera Pack
My everyday carry. Fits everything, water resistant, stylish, no complaints. Also just looks cool.
Rock n roll black mamba leather strap
leica double rope strap by cooph
Purely for vanity and style points. Judge me all you want.
More vanity. More style points. Is this what it means to be a Leica fanboi?
Wrist strap for street photography in places where a camera might get snatched.
Beautiful, functional, and entirely overpriced 5K Retina display. Great colour accuracy for editing.
Studio Display 27”
MacBook Pro 16” M3
Huge performance, total overkill, but at least I don’t have to wait forever for Topaz rendering.
For editing on the fly, and for precise edits with an Apple Pencil.
For music while editing. Great noise cancelling.
Adobe Photoshop
Skin touch-ups, fixing small things, PS will get it done.
Will take anything you can throw at it without complaint.
Adobe Lightroom
Topaz Photo ai 3
DXO Photolab 7
Chatgpt
Really brilliant RAW processor and probably the best denoising engine.
I use this as a learning tool, primarily for technical analysis.
Claude ai
A nice editor and reviewer for my writing.
A dreamy 50mm lens. Contrasty, tack sharp, delivers in low light without drama. There are comparable, much cheaper 50s out there though: the Voigtlander Nokton 50mm f/1.5 and Zeiss Planar ZM 50mm f/2 come to mind.
THE 35mm lens. The Leica classic. The lens every purist eventually gets, or so I hear. I just skipped the stages of addiction and got it now.
I use CineBloom 5% filters at night, and I use polarizing filters for everything.
I mean it’s a tripod. It’s light, it’s functional, it’s indestructible. Do not buy one unless you do studio work or landscapes.
Editing
AirPods Max
iPad Pro 12.9”
Because the Apple mouse and trackpad are neither ergonomic nor truly functional.
Because the Apple keyboard is not ergonomic. At all.
Logitech MX Master 3 Advanced
Logitech MX Keys S
Upscaling, correcting motion blur, fixing missed focus, this thing has recovered photos I thought were unsalvageable.
Where I dump all my photos, and where most of my photo editing happens.
Voigtlander Nokton 28mm f/1.5 Vintage ASPH Type II
About as good a 28mm lens as I need for street or landscape. Spending more is unnecessary.