Top Quality Photographic Equipment For Headshots In Cambridgeshire
Any professional photographer should only use top quality photographic equipment for headshots. There is an argument that it is not the gear but it is how it is used that is important. To a limited extent that is true but let me explain why I only use top quality photographic equipment for headshots in Cambridgeshire.
My first Canon camera
I was so proud of the first digital SLR I ever owned, it was a Canon camera, an EOS 450. It was not the top of the range model when I bought it. The Canon EOS 450 was a consumer camera, but very capable at the time I bought it. There were a vast range of Canon camera models then so choosing the correct model was very important. I had done some research and thought I had the Canon camera for me. Sadly my research was a little lacking as I did not know which components of the camera were important.
Learning about my Canon camera the hard way
When I bought my first digital camera its purpose was to record snapshots of time. I was in the RAF and I was going to the Falkland Islands. It was to be my second and final trip and I knew that. I wanted to take instant pictures without having to rely on developers back in the UK producing prints for me. The sensor was a whole 1.4 megapixels. My digital SLR was 10.1 megapixels so I knew it would print bigger and I naively thought that was all it was about. When I started to use it I found out the hard. I discovered all about the relationship between shutter speed, aperture and ISO.
Still the same limitations
I used the Canon EOS 450 outside using the automatic modes before moving to fully manual. Many, many mistakes were made along the way. The same limitations I had on my very first camera were still present. The thing that gave me the most problems was shooting in low light without flash. Using ISO above 400 was appalling. Sensor technology and software algorythms had a long way to go. The difficulties in working indoors with flash were to come and a long way off. I had my hands full working outside in low light.
My second Canon camera
Realising the limitations of my 450D I saved up and bought a Canon 40D. This camera was surely the answer to my prayers and the holy grail for my budding start in photography. My hopes evaporated very quickly indeed. It was more of a ‘proper’ digital SLR, at the top end of the consumer camera bodies, but it had the same ISO issues. It also had no flash built in. This is the time I came to realise that I needed top quality photographic equipment for headshots, including flash units. Built-in flash on cameras is not the way forward as the flash is to close to the lens and the light source is too small.
Subsequent Canon digital SLR cameras
I started shooting weddings when I had the Canon 40D, mostly at mates rates. That wasn’t sustainable as I was investing a lot of time in preparation, on the wedding day and editing afterwards. The idea of making my photography job was in my head and I wanted to move it on. I knew I wanted to buy the best camera bodies, lenses and flash units. I decided to stick with Canon as their sensors were getting better at handling high ISOs.
My first full frame Canon digital SLR camera
My next purchase was a Canon 5D Mk II, considered to be one of the best if not the best camera body of its time. It was my first full frame camera and I was very happy with it. I paired it with some Canon L class lenses and a couple of Canon flashguns for indoor work. I was building my top quality photographic equipment kitbag.
Becoming a professional photographer
Time moved on and I learned a number of things along the way. The camera was great for working outside doing weddings, but that wasn’t all that I wanted to do. I had fallen in love with photographing people, so I had to get to grips with working in a studio. That led to learning about studio lights, modifiers and an infinite number of setups. I got myself a great mentor, the best I could, and he taught me so much about making good photographs. There are a lot of definitions for a professional photographer and being paid for your work fits in a lot of them. After a long period of mentoring I considered myself a professional photographer.
Promotion in my day job
Whilst I was honing my craft I got a substantial promotion in my day job. That gave me a large pay rise and a lot of it was invested in top quality photographic equipment. I bought another Canon camera body, a Canon 1DX Mark II. It was their flagship camera at the time and it was a real beast. I also spent a not inconsiderable sum of money on Profoto lights. Profoto are the best portable battery powered studio lights on the market in my opinion. I am still using the ones I bought all those years ago so they have longevity too.
Improving my photographic equipment
A few years down the line from my purchasing my Canon 1DX Mark II I had an upset. I was shooting a model at a nature reserve in Cambridgeshire. I had taken the equipment I needed for the shoot to the location and left the rest secured and out of view in the car. It was broken into and I lost thousands of pounds worth of cameras and lenses. I was devastated. The event happened around two weeks after I had left my job and gone full time as a professional photographer.
Starting again
Everything had to be replaced following an insurance payout. I ended up with two Canon 5D Mark IV camera bodies and a new selection of lenses. I had to replace some Profoto lights too, thankfully like for like. This was still top quality photographic equipment, though I had lost my Canon 1DX Mark II. This equipment was to last for a number of years before the next big change.
Using Canon mirrorless cameras
The next change of equipment made a fundamental difference to the way I worked. My pair of Canon 5D Mark IVs were superb digital SLRs, but a new technology was gaining ground. Mirrorless cameras were proving to be the way forward. For me, doing portraits and headshots, the focussing ability of mirrorless cameras was a quantum leap forward. My rate of keepers increased massively because the camera would focus on an eye and hold that focus. If it couldn’t find an eye it would locate a face and lock focus on that. My digital SLRs couldn’t match it. I no longer had to make focussing my major consideration when taking a shot. Now it was all about the framing.
My current photographic equipment
I now have a Canon R5 mirrorless body as my main camera. It is perfect for taking portraits and headshots in all environments. My back-up camera is a Canon R6 Mark II. It handles low light situations a little better. It is also superb for the basic video work I do sometimes. The other major components in my portable studio bag are my Profoto lights. I have a Profoto B1X if I need a lot of power. I usually use my Profoto B10 Plus as my main light in most of my mobile setups. Rim lighting or background lighting is provided my Profoto B2s. While all of my other lights have a battery fitted directly to the head my B2s use a cable. Nonetheless they are still very capable and give me a lot of flexibility in my setups.
I only use top quality photographic equipment for headshots
I only use top quality photographic equipment for headshots in Cambridgeshire and in surrounding counties. Would you want your photographer to use anything inferior? I am a professional photographer uising Canon cameras and Profoto studio lights. Contact me if you are looking for professional portrait photography, corporate headshots or actor headshots.