MY FAVORITE PRO PHOTOGRAPHY GEAR

To see the type of work I shoot with this gear visit here.

CAMERAS

• Leica M10D: My all-time favorite. Though discontinued, it’s a digital camera without a screen that evokes nostalgic simplicity. Perfect for someone with a background in film photography. TOP 10 LIST

• Leica SL2-S: A versatile tool for professional assignments. While battery life and autofocus are average, the build quality and compatibility with M lenses make it indispensable.

• Fuji X100 VI: I had to see what the hype was all about and I love it as an everyday carry camera, a dedicated monochrome camera (using built-in presets) an around-the-house camera, and a somewhat affordable and lightweight emergency backup to my Leica cameras.

LENSES

• Leica 35mm Summilux ASPH: My go-to lens. Compact, sharp, and fast, it’s worth the investment for wide-open shooting.

• Leica 50mm Summilux ASPH V2: Recently added for its closer focusing capability, making it perfect for portraits and detail shots. TOP 10 LIST

• Leica 24-90mm SL Lens: This is my do it all lens, when I need autofocus or just when I need a ton of range for fast assignments. It’s bulky but when you consider you can take this lens and that’s all you need, it’s worth considering.

• Voigtlander 75mm 1.5 Nokton: Affordable, lightweight, and sharp, consider Voigtlander lenses on your Leica’s when you want to save some $$$ or for a focal length you want, but don’t use quite as often.

• Leica 100mm R Series Macro APO 2.8: I bought this at the Leica Classics store in Wetzlar, Germany, and I really love it for close-up portraits and travel detail shots. I use it with an R to L adapter on my SL2-S. You can find good deals on R lenses, but that is changing as more filmmakers use them, increasing their prices in the second-hand market.

  BAGS AND STRAPS

• Wotancraft 3.5L: A lightweight, stylish street photography bag.

• Lightning Rider Leather Sling 12L: Easily the coolest bag, I own. I use it as an everyday bag and occasionally toss my camera in it.

• Wotancraft Pilot Series 10L: Fits an editorial kit with modular pouches for accessories. This the bag I use the most. TOP 10 LIST

• Wotancraft City Explorer: Ideal for everyday use, combining rugged style and functionality.

• Wotancraft Pilot Series Backpack: For extended video/photo assignments requiring a full kit.

• Parashooter Camera Strap: Stylish and practical, especially paired with Peak Design quick releases.

To see the type of work I shoot with this kit visit here.

CAMERAS

• Sony A7R5: We rely on our A camera for hotel and lifestyle shoots, great files for commercial work and while it’s not a sexy camera, it’s reliable and does it all, and does it well. Some wonder why I don’t use Leica for commercial work. I run a production company that handles both photos and videos, often with several shoots happening simultaneously, and Leica isn't practical for that.

• Sony A7R4: Our B stills camera, you can find decent deals on used models and it’s almost as good as the updated A7R5 at a lower cost.

• Sony A74: This is our “in case of emergency break here” camera for both stills and video. If someone goes wrong with one of A cameras on shoot or we just need to set up a second camera for a time-lapse or doubling up shooting a scene this versatile camera does it all.

• Sony FX3: Our workhorse for video work. We do a ton of hotel video productions, factory shoots, corporate documentaries, and this camera is as versatile as we are.

LENSES

• Sigma 14mm 1.4 DG DN: I don't really like ultra-wide lenses for hotel shoots, but some clients prefer them, so I use them to keep everyone happy.

• Sony 20mm 1.8 G: I still prefer my 24mm but for room shots and wides with minimal distortion and great sharpness, this is a nice lens to have in our kit and we get a ton of use out of for room shoots.

• Sony 24mm 1.4 GM: A perfect lens for going wide without being distorted. We use it a lot of big lobby shoots, or establish shots of mega-factories and things like that.

• Sony Zeiss Planar 50mm 1.4: I probably use this lens more than any other on lifestyle shoots. Its build quality is impeccable, feels great in the hands, and is just a wildly underrated lens with great value.

• Sigma 24-70mm 2.8: If you follow me on YouTube, you know I prefer primes to zooms but on commercial shoots we need insurance policies in case we are in a remote location and one of our lens breaks. This also work well for hybrid ghosting shooting situations when our photographer has to shadow the video team.

• Sigma 70-200mm 2.8: Not often, but sometimes we just need a long lens, and this one is a great balance of quality and affordability, you can pretty much say that across the board for Sigma lenses.

  BAGS

• Shimoda Carry-On Roller V2: I recently converted from ThinkTank rollers to these bags and I absolutely love them. The doctor-style opening is a game changer, all bags should work this way. Bonus, if you use it without the inserts it’s a great rugged travel carry-on roller bag. TOP 10 LIST

• ThinkTank Bags: When it comes to big bags for our transporting lighting gear and larger equipment in general, we use their production manager line-up.

• Pelican 1535 Air Carry On Case: Very tough and adjustable, the air version is lighter for carry-ons. I purchased a special edition Beams case in Japan. The only downside of Pelican cases is that they clearly show you’re a photographer, which can be a problem with customs officials.

LIGHTING

• Aputure INFINIBARS: I bought two of the 1 foot sizes and you’d be surprised how much use we get out of them for both video and photoshoots. They are portable, wireless, and fit just about anywhere, perfect for accent lighting. TOP 10 LIST

• Aputure 300w

• NanLite FC-500B: This beast comes on all shoots with us and acts as our sun when the sun doesn’t want to cooperate. It’s heavy sure, but affordable and powerful and a must have for our photography and video shoots. TOP 10 LIST

• Atomos Monitors and Recorders: We use these both as monitors and recorders to get better files from our camera by recording directly to the monitor.

• DJI Wireless Transmitter: Instead of shooting tethered with a wire which isn’t fun to do, this a great wireless solution for both video and stills when want a separate client or director viewing station on the go.

• DJI Ronin: Our gimbal style couple with our Sony FX3 along with our mounted Atomos recorder/monitor.

• DJI Osmo Action 5: Tough, tiny, and easy to use and like Apple, we are invested in the DJI ecosystem.

• Leica SL2-S: B-roll around the house and of new products I’m reviewing.

• SLIK Creators Series Studio Kit: My entire YouTube filming kit is mounted on this, camera, monitor, lighting, etc, all clamped to my desk in a nice compact set-up. TOP 10 LIST

• Panasonic Lumix S5 IIX: My primary YouTube channel and also plays nice with my Leica L mount lenses.

• Panasonic 24mm 1.4: This sits on my S5 IIX for filming my episodes, wide, fast, sharp, and affordable.

• Shure SM7DB Mic: Industry standard with a built in pre-amp.

• DJI Pocket Osmo 3: Compact and powerful vlogging camera, one of my favorite purchases of all time.

• DJI Wireless Mic Set: Great quality and user-friendly.

• Atomos Shinobi 7” Monitor: I use this mainly as an off-camera monitor to check focus and make sure everything is running how it should be.

SOFTWARE/HARDWARE/APPS/WEBSITES

• Canva: We use it as our in-house graphic designer and we definitely get our money’s worth. Thumbnails for YouTube, quotes and portfolios for clients and social media specific designs as well, love it. TOP 10 LIST

• Dropbox: How we organize the back-end of our production business and manage our archive. We also use it a ton for private links for clients.

• Davinci Resolve: Intuitive video editing software. I use it for all my YouTube videos and for our professional productions as well.

• CapCut: Quick and efficient for short-form content.

• Squarespace: User-friendly platform for websites and e-commerce.

• Photo Mechanic: Essential software for image sorting and batch processing.

• MacBook Air M2: Lightweight and portable, perfect for travel editing.

• iMac: It's stylish and strong, and I really like the high-quality screen and overall look. I use it for editing my photos and videos too.

• CalDigit Thunderbolt Dock: The ideal addition for your iMac that provides more ports, especially in front. It gives you great flexibility for connecting devices, which is important since I run my entire YouTube setup on my desktop.

• Notion: A fantastic second brain software for managing task, projects, goals, etc. I recommend if you’re not a good systems person but wants to follow one, buy or download a free template from Thomas Frank.

• Reminders App: Apple's task manager app keeps improving. I use it for shared lists, to-do lists, and yearly goals. I love how simple it is and how easily it works with other Apple apps.

• Airalo: I learned about this company from someone on YouTube, and I think they're great. If you travel often and have a phone with an eSIM, you can buy a package via the app for most countries. There's no need to wait in long airport lines or deal with getting a local SIM card in every country you visit. If you sign up, please use this code.JUSTIN9022

ACCESSORIES

• Apple AirTags: I put these everyone, my check in luggage, carry-on, wallet, passport wallet, on my bike, etc.

• ProGrade Card Readers/Cards: Reliable storage solutions, I use their memory cards and card readers.

• Samsung T7 USB-C portable hard drives: I had two clients specifically ask not to use SanDisk drives anymore so I switched to these, affordable, big name brand, and so far so good.

• Anker MagGo 3 in 1 Charger: If you live in the Apple ecosystem like I do this is a perfect travel solution to reduce space, weight, and clutter and still be able to charge your iPhone, AirPods, and Apple Watch. TOP 10 LIST

• Anker Nano Power Bank: It’s tiny, it has USB-C built in, and I can use it while using my phone at the same time without being too cumbersome.

CLOTHING

• Beton Cire Docker Hats: Stylish and practical brimless hats for photographers. Off all the things I discuss on YouTube, this is the product I get asked about the most. TOP 10 LIST

• Uniqlo Airism Shirts: Cheap, lightweight, and they dry super fast and help with deodorize if you’re a sweater like I am. If you’re minimalist packer, these are quite versatile for travel and for shoots.

• Adidas Original Stan Smith Sneakers All White: I travel in these and I work in these, they dress up and dress down well.

LUGGAGE AND LIFESTYLE

Porter Yoshida Bags: High-quality Japanese stitching with an expensive price tag. I dig their Tanker series bags, especially the lightweight totes and small EDC bags.

Rimowa Luggage: I feel you like to travel a certain amount to justify and appreciate expensive quality luggage like Rimowa. I have their classic aluminum silver carry-on and check-in bags. They are extremely durable, finally replaced the wheels after a decade but no issues other than that. Another nice thing is they have stores in most major cities so if you need repairs it’s quite accessible.

Rimowa Luggage Harness: This is pretty genius, still not clear why a 3rd party company hasn’t done this already but it basically clips onto your carry-on bag giving you an accessible laptop sleeve and extra pouches for accessories. It’s way overpriced for what it is, but I still love it.

Monos Luggage: A lot more affordable than the Rimowa’s I have but when you need a minimalist lightweight bag, these do the job well.

Black Ember Tote: I wanted to be a tote guy, but it didn't feel right until I found the Black Ember tote. I chose the limited edition in bright orange. I love the luggage pass, the side pocket for my water bottle, and the waterproof material that lets it stand up on its own. This bag is quickly becoming my favorite for flying.

AER Bags: Minimalist, low-key logo aesthetic, and extremely techie without looking too techie. I own their tech pouch, duffle bag, and travel backpack.

Arc’teryx BETA SL Raincoat: A bit of a splurge purchase coming in at $700 but I figured when it comes to inclement weather and traveling around the world it’s not a bad idea to have the best. Gore-tex, pit vents, and a larger enough good that I can wear it over my motorcycle helmet. TOP 10 LIST

Qwstion Lifestyle Bags: Sustainable, stylish everyday bags, love their Bananatex vegan fabric.

REWARDS PROGRAMS

AMEX Platinum Card: I have a business and a personal card that pay for themselves. They cost $600 a year, but here's why it's worth it: $200 in Uber credits, $200 for travel, free access to airport lounges worldwide, and a great rewards program if you use it right. Plus, the service is excellent and easy to use compared to other credit cards and reward programs. TOP 10 LIST

Marriot Bonvoy: A large selection of hotels at different prices, and unlike most rewards programs, it's easy to use with many benefits.

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