I am using pretty basic equipment on this project. My main camera is the Canon EOS RP. I own the RP a little over a year and by now I feel perfectly comfortable to undertake any kind of project with it. Glass-wise I’m using just three lenses, the Canon RF 24-105mm F4 L IS USM, the Canon EF-S 55-250mm F4-5.6 IS and the Canon EF 50mm F1.8 STM, the nifty-fifty. Between the RF and the EF-S I cover a wide focal range (the EF-S is a crop lens but it can be used on the RP giving an effective focal range of 88-400mm) and the 50mm allows me to operate even in low light conditions without the need to boost my ISO to extremes.

For my lighting needs I carry a couple of speedlights, a Canon EX430 II and a Godox TT685. They have similar light output and both operate on AA batteries, with the Godox being a bit bigger in size but a lot cheaper in price. I also use the Godox X1 system to trigger them wirelessly so I can use them off-camera. Since I sometimes shoot video as well I also carry a couple of small Godox video leds (Godox LED120) which have the benefit of operating on both on AA batteries and AC power. They can also be mounted on the hot-shoe mount of the camera for when in run n’ gun situations.

To stabilize things I carry a couple of tripods. The Three Legged Thing Punks Travis carries most of the load. It is a compact general-use tripod which has proved durable and easy to use (and abuse). For special situations where I cannot use a full size tripod, or when I am travelling light, I use the Gorillapod 3k. I often use the Gorillapod as a light stand as it gives me the choice to mount my speedlights on difficult angles and various heights, as long as there is something to hang it on.

As mentioned I sometimes shoot video and for this I need quality audio which cannot be acquired by onboard camera mics. That’s why I’m using the Rode VideoMicro which is a small and ultra portable shotgun mic that doesn’t add much weight or volume to the things I have to carry but still sounds terrific on most cases. The trick however is to get it close to your sound source and that’s why I often use it on a tripod (another use for the Gorillapod) with an extension cable instead of mounting it on camera.

Photography is an energy-intensive activity. For my cameras I only use authorized batteries, the Canon LP-E17 in the case of the RP. Being a mirrorless camera it’s quite power-hungry so I have to carry at least two batteries with me all the time. For the lights (both speedlights and LEDs) I use rechargeable AA batteries from IKEA. Rumor has it the 2450mAh LADDA Ni-MH rechargeable batteries are manufactured by Eneloop but come at a fraction of the cost. After three years using lots of them almost daily I can say it’s quite plausible and I am very satisfied from their performance.

To organize and plan my shoots I use a very useful app called Photopills. This should be an essential companion to any location/outdoors photographer as it allows you to visualize elements like the sun, moon and stars at any given location for any given time.