2018 15” MacBook Pro

My primary computer is my 2018 15” MacBook Pro. It has more than enough power to handle my day-to-day development tasks as well as my photo editing workload. It’s a great little machine. I do wish it didn’t have the butterfly keyboard but not enough to spend thousands more on a new 16” model. I am glad that once it’s time to replace this machine I’ll be able to ditch the butterfly keyboard for good.

11” iPad Pro

My other main computer and primary travel device is my 11” cellular ¹ iPad Pro. If I don’t need to do any sort of development work I’ll just take this little guy along with me. With the most recent Lightroom updates and iOS 13 it can completely handle my entire photo editing workflow. I can import from my SD card, edit them, and export full-size JPEG renders out to an external SSD. It’s wonderful to have a device this small and portable that’s this powerful. If you’re on the fence about getting one of these, get off the fence. They’re wonderful.

Camera - Nikon D750

My camera is my trusty Nikon D750. For me it’s a great balance of full-frame performance, price, and portability. It’s also still compatible with all of the older screw-type Nikon lenses (something that can’t be said for Nikon’s mirrorless offerings). This gives me the freedom to buy some fantastic older glass on the cheap that I couldn’t otherwise use. ²

Lenses

I maintain a small arsenal of lenses to accommodate different shooting conditions.

Sigma 35mm f/1.4 HSM Art

This is my go-to lens for travel, architecture, and landscape photography. It’s relatively light and compact and is easy to carry around. Its wide f/1.4 max aperture makes it a great performer in low-light too.

Nikon 80-200mm f/2.8 D

This is a recent addition to my collection. I’m planning to put this to use for portraits and action photography.

Nikon AF-P 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 G DX VR

This is one of two DX (crop) lenses that I keep around just in case. This one is the widest lens I have, so I keep it in case I need to take a wide shots that the 35mm lens can’t cover.

Nikon AF-P 70-300mm f/4.5-6.3 ED DX

Similar to the other DX lens, I keep this one around just in case. Its zoom range is longer than my 80-200 so in some scenarios it’s useful to have this in my bag.

Accessories

Solmeta Geotagger N3

The Solmeta geotagger is a game-changer for me. Previously I was using an app on my iPhone to record GPX tracks as I walked around shooting, and then would use another app on my Mac to attach EXIF metadata based on that track to photos I took. That process was pretty annoying and was prone to error if I forgot to start recording or if the tracking app crashed in the background.

Enter the Solmeta N3. This plugs in to the accessory port on my camera and provides the camera with a constant GPS signal that it will automatically attach to all photos I take. No more forgetting to record!

Seriously though, it’s 2020. How do we not have GPS modules in all professional cameras yet?

Manfrotto Befree Advanced Travel Tripod

This is my go-to tripod. It fits nicely inside my bag along with my other gear and is light enough that I don’t mind carrying it around all day. It’s super stable even with my heavy lenses on top. The carbon fiber version is lighter, but for my needs the aluminum model is perfectly fine.

Manfrotto Element Monopod

Similar to my tripod, the monopod fits really well inside my bag and is light enough to carry everywhere. I won’t usually carry both this and the tripod - I choose which one best fits where I’m going to be shooting.

Miscellaneous Attachments and Gizmos

• Peak Design Capture Clip: I use this to carry my camera around when I’m wearing a backpack. It’s incredibly secure and makes it super easy to be ready for anything and not miss a shot
• Peak Design Dual Plate: This paired with the capture clip is killer. This lets the camera lock securely into the capture clip and also latch into the quick-release heads on my tripod and monopod. It can’t be beat!
• Peak Design Clutch: This provides some extra security when using my camera without a strap. I leave this attached at all times and I feel better about shooting untethered with it on.
• Peak Design Slide: My favorite camera strap. It’s secure enough even for my largest lens. I never feel at risk of it breaking.

Backpack

I carry all this gear inside my Peak Design Everyday Backpack 30L V1. I love that the entire inside is a series of re-configurable shelves, so I can make it fit basically whatever I want in there. The chest strap and waist strap make it ultra secure no matter what I’m doing, and it’s water resistant enough to get totally soaked in the rain and keep my gear dry.