What to use when?

One of the hardest things for me, as a portrait photographer exploring outdoors, is trying to decide what gear to bring. As an indoor studio photography, I know how to manipulate light in my studio. All of my gear is within arms reach so I can change things out when I want to. Outside? Not so much.

I’ve tried the “use what you have” method, and I didn’t really like the results, so I’ve been buying gear to try outside to figure out what styles I like. It doesn’t help that I’m a “lazy photographer”. I’d rather bring two bodies than to switch lenses.

This morning, my son and I went to the Teaching Gardens that are in my neighborhood. My plan was to compare the bokeh from my favorite lens, the Nikkor z70-200 f/2.8 to my new M. Zuiko 40-150mm f/2.8. I brought my macro setup because I love it and enjoy taking it to the garden. I decided to bring my MF-12 flash in case I felt like playing with 2 or 3 point flash setups. I also brought a M. Zuiko 12-40mm to try panorama and HDR. I brought the following gear:

1. OM-1 Mark ii
   • M. Zuiko 90mm f/3.5 Macro IS PRO
     • Godox V1 + large AK Diffuser
     • MF-12 + AK Diffuser for MF-12
   • M. Zuiko 40-150mm f/2.8 PRO
   • M. Zuiko 12-40mm f/2.8 PRO
2. Nikon z7ii
   • Nikkor z70-200mm f/2.8 VR S
3. I-Footage Aluminum Monopod
   • Newer 3 Way Tripod Head
   • ThinkTank tripod straps
4. ThinkTank Thin Skin Belt v3.0
   • (2) two Peak Design Capture Clips
   • ThinkTank Phone Case
5. ThinkTank Backlight 26L Backpack (with rain cover)
6. AK Diffuser Macro Backgrounds (I haven’t actually used these yet)

Is It possible to bring too much gear if it is well packed?

“No”

– Me

I started with my Nikon setup. The 70-200 is my favorite lens. I have been shooting a lot of macro with my OM-1M2 lately so I wanted to try some tele-macro between the OM 40-150 and the Nikon 70-200. I’m interested to see if I like the bokeh on the 40-150 as much as I like the 70-200.

My son pointed out these guys. For such beautiful insects, they’re creepy.

I ended up wanting the macro lens to get some closer pictures.

One of the issues I have with the Nikon setup is that its heavy to carry with me so I have been trying to find a better way to carry it.

I took pictures at a Motorcycle Rodeo last weekend with both cameras. I used the Peak Design Capture clips but found I didn’t like how slow it was to pull up the cameras during an event. I plan on trying some Peak Design straps to see if that works better for events.

I tried the Nikon with the 70-200 on the monopod and found I didn’t love how I couldn’t really freely move around the flowers. I think it would be good for landscape setups but not when I’m trying to move in and out of flowers and plants to get the right angle.

Here are three takeaways:

Exploration – The Importance of Growth

As soon as I saw Trey Ratcliff’s blog, Stuck In Customs, I knew I loved his style, which includes HDR (High Dynamic Range) images. I have never really taken landscape photos and I think it’s because I don’t truly know how to edit them to make them interesting. I’ve never really tried, but I always thought HDR is probably involved.

Onto why I brought the 12-40mm.

The Teaching Gardens are on the grounds of this big old school so I thought it would be the perfect opportunity to try some new things on the OM-1M2:

1. Mess with the 12-40mm which I haven’t really done much.
2. Try a panorama
3. Try AE (Auto Exposure) Bracketing.

I didn’t love the first image, just fitting the whole building in the frame. I recalled that Trey Ratcliff takes a panorama with auto exposure bracketing, so I ended up taking 5 images with AE Bracketing. I had fun splicing all 15 images together and then playing in photoshop to clean things up and blend them together better.

I would likely get better results if I used a tripod, though the OM-1 Mark ii is amazing at hand held photography. I’m amazed how well it turned out. It made me want to try other scenes and to go at a better time when the shadows aren’t so harsh.

Happy Shooting!