Each project is different and requires specific equipment, but as a Fine Art Long exposure photographer, I tend to gravitate towards a few favorite pieces of gear.

You will find below a pretty exhaustive list of equipment that I will pick and choose based on the specifics of my current photographic project.

Cameras

Sony a1 (B&H | Amazon) – my work horse and go to camera for most occasions. Amazing image quality, high resolution and low noise level, all qualities required for shooting long exposures. This is a camera that also allows me to shoot all other kinds of subjects if the occasion presents itself.

Sony a7RIV (B&H | Amazon) converted to Infra-Red by Precision Camera – a wonderful camera in itself, the a7RII opens a whole new world of possibilities when converted to IR: leaves of trees turn bright, the ocean dark, people stand out more. It allows me to transform my subjects.

Lenses

Sony FE 12-24mm f/2.8 GM Lens (B&H | Amazon) – an amazing ultra wide angle lens that shows very little distortion. It is extremely useful to capture architectural and interior design images. The large front element makes this lens tough (but not impossible!) to shoot long exposure with.

Sony FE 16-35mm f/2.8 GM Lens (B&H | Amazon) – perfect to capture most landscapes and architectural images, this lens has a very good optical quality and it is probably my most used of all.

Sony FE 24-70mm f/2.8 GM II Lens (B&H | Amazon) – version II of an already great lens, this one is outstanding! It is a great mid range zoom, very fast at 2.8 it also behaves wonderfully in the infrared range. No hot spot whatsoever.

Sony FE 70-200mm f/2.8 GM II Lens (B&H | Amazon) – this longer range and very bright zoom lens brings versatility and optical quality to the table. This lens is also wonderful for infrared photography and shows no hot spot either.

Sony FE 90mm f/2.8 Macro G OSS Lens (B&H | Amazon) – this macro lens is great for detailed work as well as for portraits.

Sony FE 135mm f/1.8 GM Lens (B&H | Amazon) – a sublime lens that would primarily be used for portrait and environmental photography, it also makes for great landscape photography work when a very shallow depth of field is desirable. Yet one of the sharepst lenses I own.

Sony FE 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 GM OSS (B&H | Amazon) – an amazing lens with superb image quality and razor sharp details. The ideal solution when I need the extra length and heavy enough that I’m not concerned about vibrations while shooting exposures for minutes at a time.

Sony FE 200-600mm f/5.6-6.3 G OSS Lens (B&H | Amazon) – this lens is the perfect choice for extremely sharp and yet zoomed in images. It will be your best friend for shooting wildlife thanks to its really nice ability to blur out the background.

Other gear

Sony FE 1.4x Teleconverter (B&H | Amazon) – great option to add extra reach to your compatible zoom lenses without taking too bad of a hit in terms of speed loss (only 1 stop)

Sony FE 2x Teleconverter (B&H | Amazon) – add even more reach to your compatible zoom lenses. Unfortunately will lead to a total of 2 stops lost.

Other gear

Gitzo GT3543XLS Systematic Series 3 Carbon Fiber Tripod (B&H | Amazon) & Manfrotto 405 geared head (B&H | Amazon) – a work horse combination that I use with heavy lenses such as the 100-400 G Master. With smaller lenses I use a lighter yet sturdy geared head/tripod combination also from Manfrotto, the 410 Junior (B&H | Amazon).

Extra batteries (B&H | Amazon).

Amazon Kindle – one of my best friends while waiting for a loooooong exposure (or series of them) to be done. When I don’t just enjoy the view or quiet of the scene that I’m shooting, I’ll be reading it or an actual book.

Sony RMT-P1BT Wireless Remote Commander (B&H | Amazon) – required to start and stop my exposures. I almost only use the remote control, unless I’m shooting with the IR converted camera which I don’t want to illuminate with an artificial source of light (the remote itself) and then the wired one comes in handy.

Storm Jacket and scarf – as mentioned earlier, long exposures suffer from light leaks that are caused by adapting non-native lenses on a mirrorless system. I use these pieces of cloth to protect my camera from stray light and kill two birds with one stone when the weather turns stormy. These are of course not needed when using native glass.

Neutral density filters, adapter rings & filter holder – to shoot long exposure in broad day light one needs to reduce the amount of light going through the lens. This is what these filters are for. I favor Breakthrough Photography Filters because they have very dark filters that do not require to be stacked, and them being made of glass prevents scratches (and subsequent diffraction and image artifacts).

My go to filters are made by Breakthrough Photography.

They come in different flavors ranging from screw in to square and even magnetic! My most used filter is the x4 100x100mm 15 stops as it allows for minutes long exposures in the day time.

Unless specific request, Hahnemühle Photo Rag 308gsm is used for the fine art archival prints - This paper has a matte finish and ensures the deepest density of blacks as well as the highest level of details. This paper has been the recommended substrate by generations of museum curators around the world.

f-stop Loka backpack - My newest (and hopefully last) backpack acquisition. It is meant for demanding photographers and weather conditions.

Peak Design system to attach the camera to a sling, backpack or a hand strap, and release it in a heart beat.

Lume Cube - Amazing little cubes that contain a very powerful LED light. Illumination is adjustable on your cell phone by Bluethooth, and they can also be triggered remotely. Plus they are waterproof, and easy to carry around. Highly recommended for lighting solutions on the go.