What do you need to paint with light? The equipment I carry into the field.

The word photography comes from the greek words for “Writing with Light”.  You can only photograph something with some type of light.  We’re used to having the sun as our source, and the more practiced among us are quite comfortable with flash bulbs, reflectors, diffusers, a range of tools we use to wrestle with light. It’s challenging enough in the studio but let’s add a couple factors.  First, let’s put the studio about 2 miles away from where wheels can go. Second, let’s eliminate the sun.  This will require some creativity.  Let’s figure it out.

Today we’re exploring the equipment I use to bring beauty out of the darkness.  Obviously, this is a constantly evolving tool kit.  I started with things like a cell phone light, a cigarette lighter, whatever I could find that would produce light and color.   All you need to get started is any camera that has a (1) bulb mode - that’s the mode that allows you to keep the shutter open as long as you want- , (2) a tripod, and (3) anything that makes light. 

(1) Canon EOS Rebel T6, (2) Leofoto Mr. Q LQ-324C+LH-40 Carbon Fiber Tripod with Ball Head

Of course, like most things, as you get deeper into it, you’ll want to expand your tool kit, and upgrade those tools to a higher standard.  So let’s dig into this bag and find out how far along I’ve come.

What sort of bag is this?  The criteria I have are….. It has to have tons of pockets to put all the small things I carry, and comfortable enough to take on a long hike.   I found this current bag in an army/navy surplus store.  It was designed for medics to carry all their small life-saving equipment, so there are all kinds of little loops and pockets to keep everything in.

The rigid bottom was a bit vicious on the lower back. It’s not a comfortable bag for hiking, but it’s the best I’ve found.

Ok, let’s dig into this thing.  The first thing I come to are the flashlights.  I have  2 headlamps that we use every time out.  Some of our shoots are near a road, but many are a bit remote.  Hiking into the remote place isn’t a big issue, it’s usually before sunset, but hiking out is dark, and you’ll need something like this: One is a pretty basic headlamp, it’s the first one I got.  It has brightness settings, and is reasonably bright.  The biggest annoyance is this light on the back, which if you’re using it in a shot, leaves streaks.  So it’s really just for the hike.  The other one is much nicer.  Very bright, it claims 60k lumens although that’s probably a stretch.  It’s zoomable, so you can get a wider or tighter beam.  It has 3 brightness levels, and the light on the back is switchable, so you can actually use it in a shot if you need a big light on a background element. 

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