Many people have asked me what equipment Partyshoots use and what sort of studio setup I have.

For cameras I use only Canon, it’s not because I think they are better than Nikon or that they are easier to use, it’s simply that when I started working professionally I inherited a number of good Canon lens and I already had an EOS film camera so it just made sense to stick with the one product range.

My main camera is the EOS 5D, I haven’t yet upgraded to the mark 2 but find the one I have good for most work at the moment. There are times when a second camera is essential and for this purpose I use the Canon 40D. The benefit I find of using these two models is that the 5D is a true full frame camera and therefore when you use a lens you get what is says on the lens and therefore a 17mm lens does give you a 17mm wide angle. The 40D is a cropped frame camera and it enlarge the range so a 17mm lens would actually give you a view closer to 23mm. This can be a nuisance for close and wide angle work but as soon as you put a 200mm lens then that expands to give you a view of 260mm. You just need to remember which lens to use on which camera. The controls are similar and I just need to remember the slight differences. Both are of professional quality.

The lens is obviously the most important aspect of a camera and I use several different pieces of good quality glass. My workhorse is a Canon 17-55 F2.8 and is the lens that is normally left on my camera. I also quite often use a Canon 70 -200 F2.8 and occasionally add a 2x extender for certain work. F2.8 lens are the more expensive but they do get results and are ideal in any condition especially low light. I always buy the best quality glass I can afford as it’s essential to get that all important clean image. My least expensive lens is the Canon 50 F1.8 but it’s one I am using more and more for portraits or in very low light conditions. If I find myself in situation taking a portrait with uninspiring backgrounds it’s easy to open up the aperture and the background just goes away. I always leave a Canon 17-85 F4 lens on the 40D camera, it’s a general purpose lens and it’s quite good as a back up.

In the studio I use two LK 400 watt strobes with a 100cm octagonal soft box and 30 CM square soft box, various umbrellas, snoots and reflectors. My studio is a large converted bedroom with a variety of back drops and I shoot with a wireless connection to the strobes. I have also recently introduced a Hi Lite back drop which is an amazing piece of kit for portraits.

Tags: backdrop, Canon, canon EOS, hi lite backdrop, Nikon, octagonal soft box, photograph, photographer, photography equipment, photoshoot, photoshoot parties, photoshoot party, portraits, strobes, studio