Sony Diaries #1033: What's in my (lighting) bag?

Taking portrait photos is about capturing photons and I'm not ready to cede control of my lighting to the availability of natural or existing light at any photo location. At the same time, I realize that taking full control of lighting requires a closet-full of lighting gear. So I have to strike a balance: augment the existing light with my light, or vice-versa. Regardless of the ratio of existing to added, the added light should not call attention to itself.

In a previous blog post, I detailed my set-up for a group portrait. The setup here is for portraits of from 1-5 people.

The heart of this package is the Westcott Rapid Box Octa-S, and a Godox TT685S with a Godox X1T Transmitter. The two clips are for securing the reflectors to the light stands. And then there are the batteries.

In portraiture, a black reflector reduces or blocks out unwanted light, both quantitatively and qualitatively, falling on your subject, helping to accentuate the contours of the face and body. A white reflector does the opposite, "throwing" light into an area. The Neewer kit is a 5-in-1, with black, white, silver (more specular light effect), gold (adds warmth), and a diffusing material (for diffusing harsh light sources such as the direct sun).

Sony Diaries #1032: What's in my (camera) bag?

In the course of a workday, I am often assigned a variety of shoots ranging from Events (cheque presentations, celebrity visits, talks, and symposiums), Environmental Portraits, and Site Documentation. Lately, I've been asked to shoot video. 

Over the years, I've distilled my gear to the minimum that'll fit into a Manfrotto Messenger bag, light enough to carry around all day, and capable of shooting any task*.

Sony A7III (hybrid camera for Stills and Video) with 4 camera batteries + 1 dual charger, Sony 24-105F4 (ideal for Events), Sigma 10-20F3.5 (indispensable for site documentation), Sony 85F1.8 (portraits). All 3 lenses are sharp wide open. 1 Godox TT685S Speedlight with 3 sets of batteries (rechargeables and alkaline). 6x 64gig + 1x 128gig SD cards.

For video/audio, RODE Videomic Pro, Tascam DR10-L with 2x 32gig microSD, earbuds (corded), Joby Gorillapod 3K.

Also in the bag are a water bottle, energy bar(s), pen and notepad, lens wipe, power bank, USB cables, and wall charger.

* for evening and low light events, there is enough room in the bag for 2 fast primes: a Sigma 35F1.4, and a Sigma 50F1.4.