Gear alone doesn’t create emotion, but the right tools can shape how presence is preserved.
When I travel, my camera bag feels less like equipment and more like a box of instruments, each chosen to translate light, texture, and fleeting moments into story. Gear will never replace vision, but the right tools allow me to hold onto silence, frame fleeting gestures, and tell stories cinematically, with both intention and soul.
Assembling My Creative Kit
One of the reasons I’ve stayed loyal to Canon is its durability. They’re built to last, which means I don’t feel pressured to upgrade constantly. I still shoot with the body I bought over a decade ago, a reminder that sometimes the most trusted tools become part of your creative voice.
I’ve also spent some time with Nikon (my first camera, btw!) and Sony equipment. But for me, Canon’s color science and dependability in unpredictable travel conditions keep me returning. In the end, it isn’t the brand that makes the image, most modern cameras are extraordinary tools. What matters is finding the one that feels like an extension of your eye.
One key feature I always pay attention to, no matter the brand, is dynamic range. It’s what lets me hold both shadow and light in the same frame, the quiet of dawn and the glow of afternoon interiors. Below, I’ve outlined the cameras that have earned their place in my camera bag.
Camera Bodies
Canon EOS 5D Mark IV: My main workhorse. A full-frame 30.4MP body with incredible low-light performance and fast autofocus. Sharp, versatile, and endlessly reliable. I’m currently waiting on Canon’s newest release to update my kit.
Fujifilm X100VI: A recent love for its lightweight build and vintage feel. Ideal for street scenes, café moments, or slow city wanderings. What I adore most is how storytelling-ready it feels: Fujifilm offers built-in presets (called “recipes”) that edit the image as you shoot, letting moments unfold with a cinematic finish straight out of the camera.
My Go-To Lenses
50mm f/1.8 STM: The classic “nifty fifty.” Light, affordable, and a dreamy companion for portraits and details. It’s the lens I’d recommend to anyone starting out, proof that storytelling doesn’t need to be expensive.
16–35mm f/2.8L II USM: My wide-angle wonder. Ideal for landscapes, architecture, and catching sunflares or starry skies. It pulls the viewer into the scene and expands the frame into something cinematic.
70–200mm f/2.8L IS II USM: My favorite, without question. Heavy to carry, yes, but the way it softens backgrounds, isolates subjects, and adds depth makes it worth every step. It’s a lens of power and poetry.
Also in my kit:
- 24–70mm f/2.8L: A brilliant all-rounder when I need flexibility without switching lenses, but I don’t use it often.
- EF 2.0x Extender III: Doubles focal length without major quality loss. Perfect for those rare wildlife encounters or distant scenes that deserve to be pulled closer.
Other Accessories
The Peak Design Travel Tripod (Carbon): My favorite piece of support gear. Sleek and travel-ready, it has even withstood the brutal Icelandic winds. Powerful yet compact, it’s the kind of tool you forget about until you need it.
Lowepro ProTactic 450 AW II: Rugged, roomy, and ready for long shoots. Built to take a beating on the road without ever feeling bulky.
Film Cameras I Keep Around: A Canon AE-1 Pro and a Minolta X-300 still sit on my shelves, alongside vintage finds like the Jem Jr 120 and Frauka Solida. Some are still in use, others are purely for their charm, reminders that photography has always been about patience, light, and craft.
DJI Mini 3 Drone: A dream for aerials. Lightweight, intuitive, and producing surprisingly cinematic image quality.
GoPro Hero 11 Black: My choice for on-the-go adventures. Buttery stabilization makes it ideal for quick captures in water or motion.
The Story Is Yours
The best camera is the one you know how to use. Start where you are. Grow slowly. Let the love of storytelling lead. At the end of the day, a lens is just glass. What matters most is your perspective, your patience, and your willingness to move, to get closer, lower, or further away. The lens only assists; the story is always yours.
