~ Photo Gear ~
cameras | Nikon lenses | Canon lenses
flashguns | lighting accessories | Profoto gear
camera bags & cases
The photography gear I use and recommend
I’m a bit of a techno junkie. I love state of the art equipment, and I love the ease with which technology allows you to immerse yourself in photography itself. I also firmly believe that as photographers, our style should always be evolving, borne from our choices and not from our limitations. And as such, I try to keep my equipment up to date, so that any limitations I have as a photographer, are my own, and not due to my equipment.
I am frequently asked about my gear – what I use on photo shoots and weddings, and what I carry with me on a regular basis. While I mostly shoot with Nikon – my current system is based around Nikon D4 cameras – I also have a good selection of Canon gear. And the Fuji X100s also endeared itself to me, amongst various other cameras.
Part of the motivation for being system ambidextrous – Canon and Nikon – is that I should be very familiar with both systems for the photography workshops that I present. Similarly, because I am an author of several books on photography, it is necessary for me to be familiar with both systems. I also want the Tangents blog to be system agnostic as much as is possible in terms of the techniques. This is very much part of the reasoning with the flash photography tutorials – if you understand the techniques, then the equipment matters less.
My first experience with photography as a young kid was with my dad’s PraktikaMat, and the first camera that I owned, was a Pentax ME Super. This was followed by a Pentax Super-A. I bought my first Nikon in 1996 – a Nikon F90x. And in 2002 I embraced digital photography completely, selling all my film bodies immediately.
Since then I’ve used a steady progression of different D-SLRs of both the Nikon and Canon systems. And on these pages you’ll find what I am currently using or recommend, along with a short description about the specific choice.
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I also offer photography workshops and tutoring sessions. There are also video tutorials, which are online workshops on photography.
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Neil vN
Books by Neil van Niekerk
Do you ever use collapsible diffusers or reflectors? I couldn’t find anything about that topic on your site and was curious about your thoughts.
Debra .. I do have reflectors, and I do keep them handy with my gear … yet I rarely use them.
However, look at this post by Chuck Arlund, where he describes how he uses a small reflector for on-location lighting.
Do you think that’s because you tend to position carefully and use flash instead (being the flash master and all)? I did read the post by Chuck Arlund. His work is amazing, but I can’t say I’m a huge fan of the style, at least in that post. I was thinking more along the lines of the usefulness of diffusers in softening direct sunlight, but also wondering if it falls into the flash bracket category of photo equipment that gets bought and never used. :)
It would need an assistant then, I think. The California Sun Bounce diffusers might be what you’re looking for.