Featured workshops
Bharatpur Bird Photography WorkshopKeoladeo National Park, Bharatpur · Four days at the wetland: winter migratory birds, mist and golden light, and time to slow down. From fieldcraft through to the final edit, in a small group of six to seven.
Kaziranga Wildlife Photography WorkshopKaziranga National Park, Assam · Five days on the Brahmaputra floodplain: one-horned rhinos in the mist, elephants and swamp deer in tall grass, and the time to photograph them with intent, in a small group of six.Ways to learn with me
What I carry
People ask what I shoot with, so here it is. A few frames this kit has made, then the bodies, glass, and support I carry, each with an honest note on why it stays in the bag.
What it makes
A few pictures these bodies and lenses have made. Open any one to see where it was taken and the exact settings behind it.
How I choose
I do not chase numbers. A piece of gear earns its place when it holds up in unpredictable conditions and lets me stay with the animal instead of fighting the camera. These are the things I weigh.
Most usedMy main body. Sixty-one megapixels means I can hold a bit of distance and still crop in later without the feathers turning to mush, and the subject-recognition autofocus finds an eye through messy branches better than anything I have used.
Sensor 61MP full-frame BSI CMOS · Processor BIONZ XR with AI unit · ISO 100-32000 (exp. 50-102400)
Best for Detail, big crops, and prints
The body I reach for when the light goes and things start moving. Clean files at high ISO and a fast burst let me stay with the action at dusk instead of fighting the camera.
Sensor 24.2MP full-frame CMOS · Processor DIGIC X · Burst 40 fps electronic / 12 fps mechanical
Best for Action, low light, and video
Where I startedWhere I started. It is nothing special now, but it taught me to work within limits, and that lesson outlasted the camera.
Sensor 18MP APS-C CMOS · Processor DIGIC 4 · ISO 100-6400 (exp. 12800)
Best for A first camera to learn on
Field essentialThe lens that mostly lives on the a7R V. The zoom stays inside the barrel so the balance never shifts mid-pan, and 600mm lets me keep a respectful distance from a bird that would rather I did.
Focal length 200-600mm · Aperture F5.6-6.3 · Zoom Internal, constant length
Best for Birds and shy mammals at distance
My everyday telephoto for portraits of larger animals and tighter landscapes. Fast, sharp wide open, and light enough that I actually carry it.
Focal length 70-200mm · Aperture F2.8 constant · Optics 17 elements / 14 groups
Best for Portraits and tighter scenes
The reach lens on the Canon side. Long range in a body I can still handhold for a morning, and it takes the RF extenders when I need to push further.
Focal length 100-500mm · Aperture F4.5-7.1 · Stabilisation Up to 5 stops
Best for Reach on the Canon body
For the small things: dew, insects, texture. It focuses right down to life size and the detail holds up, and at 90mm it makes a quiet portrait lens too.
Focal length 90mm · Aperture F2.8 · Magnification 1:1 life-size
Best for Insects and close detail
My wide lens for landscapes and habitat shots. Small, light, and it focuses close enough to build a scene around something in the foreground.
Focal length 20mm · Aperture F2.8 · Min. focus 0.11m
Best for Landscapes and habitat scenes
Where I startedMy first telephoto. Light, cheap, and stabilised, and it got me close enough to fall for bird photography in the first place.
Focal length 55-250mm (88-400mm equiv.) · Aperture F4-5.6 · Stabilisation Up to 3.5 stops
Best for A budget starter telephoto
Doubles the reach of the RF telephotos when a subject just will not come closer. You give up two stops of light, so I use it in good light and drop it when the sun does.
Magnification 2.0x · Light loss 2 stops · Construction 9 elements / 5 groups
Best for Extra reach in good light
Carbon legs that fold small and go low. Most of my keepers come from getting down to eye level with the subject, and this lets me do that without a fight.
Material 10-layer carbon fiber · Load 20kg · Max height 1,520mm
Best for Low angles and long lenses
The fluid head on top of those legs. Smooth pans for video and a steady base for the long lens when my arms have had enough.
Type Fluid video head · Load 15kg · Base 75mm half-ball
Best for Smooth pans and heavy glass
On a jeep or a boat there is nowhere for a tripod, so the long lens rests on this over the door or the gunwale. It comes prefilled and the waterproof base grips, which saves a lot of shaky frames.
Fill Prefilled, ready to use · Material Waterproof nylon, grippy top · Use Vehicle and boat lens support
Field essentialI find the animal in these before I ever raise a camera. Bright, sharp, and light around the neck all day, which matters more than it sounds.
Magnification 10x · Objective 42mm · Close focus 1.6m
Best for Finding subjects, all-day glassing
My flash for macro and the odd bit of low-light fill. The round head throws softer light than a bare flash, so a frog or an insect does not end up with a hard hotspot across it. It rarely stays on the hotshoe.
Head Round Fresnel, TTL · Guide number 28m at ISO 100 (105mm) · HSS Up to 1/8000s
Best for Macro fill and low light
This sits on the camera and fires the flash from wherever I have placed it. Getting the light off the lens axis is most of what makes flash on a small subject look natural instead of flat.
Type 2.4G wireless TTL trigger · Range Up to 100m · Groups 5 groups, 32 channels
Best for Off-camera flash control
A diffuser built to fit my flash and macro lens. It spreads the light right at the front of the lens, which is the difference between a harsh, glassy insect and one that looks like it was lit by soft morning sun.
Use Macro flash diffusion · Sizes Large, Medium, Mini · Thread rings 46 / 58 / 62 / 67mm
Best for Soft light for macro
When I shoot video, this gives me a bigger, brighter screen to judge focus on and cleaner recording than the camera manages on its own.
Screen 5.2 in 1080p HDR touchscreen · Brightness 1000 nits · Recording 4Kp60, 6Kp30 ProRes RAW
Best for Serious field video
Main copyMy main field drive. I offload cards onto this at the end of every day, and it has taken enough dust and knocks to earn my trust.
Capacity 4TB · Speed Up to 1050 / 1000 MB/s · Interface USB-C, USB 3.2 Gen 2
Best for Field offload and the main copy
The smaller sibling of my main drive, and my second copy in the field. Two drives, never one, is a rule I learned the hard way.
Capacity 2TB · Speed Up to 1050 / 1000 MB/s · Interface USB-C, USB 3.2 Gen 2
Best for A second copy in the field
Cheap, roomy backup for the long haul. Spinning drives are slower than the SSDs, but for a third copy of files I am not editing yet, capacity wins.
Capacity 5TB · Interface USB 3.0 (USB-A) · Form factor 2.5-inch portable
Best for Cheap bulk backup
More of the same, for archiving finished trips. It runs off the one cable, which is one less thing to carry.
Capacity 4TB · Interface USB 3.0 (USB-A) · Form factor 2.5-inch portable
Best for Archiving finished trips
A fast, dependable SD card for bodies that take one and for the second slot. The quick write clears the buffer, so a long burst does not stall while a bird is mid-action.
Capacity 128GB SDXC UHS-I (V30) · Read Up to 200MB/s · Write Up to 90MB/s
The same card with more room, for a long day when I would rather not stop to swap cards. A little quicker on write too, which helps when I am recording 4K.
Capacity 256GB SDXC UHS-I (V30) · Read Up to 200MB/s · Write Up to 140MB/s
Where the pictures actually get made. It chews through the big raw files and the video without complaint, and the screen is honest enough to trust my edits on.
Chip Apple M2 Max · CPU 12-core · GPU Up to 38-core
Best for Culling and editing RAW and video
The mouse I cull and edit with. The scroll wheel flies through a day's take, and my hand does not ache after a long session at the desk.
Sensor Darkfield laser · DPI 200-4000 · Connectivity Bluetooth / Unifying
Best for Fast culling at the desk
Where the gear sleeps between trips. In a humid country, fungus on a lens is a real risk, so this keeps the whole kit at a steady low humidity and nothing grows on the glass.
Capacity 125 litres · Humidity Auto, adjustable 35-60% RH · Shelves 4 adjustable padded
Best for Fungus-free storage in humid climates
One ring that fits most of my lenses, so I carry a variable ND and a polariser without a pouch full of screw-in filters. I reach for it to slow water down and to cut glare off wet leaves and sky, and the range runs from a light pull to a long daytime exposure.
Type Variable ND + CPL (RevoRing) · ND range ND3 to ND1000, about 1.5 to 10 stops · Fits 67-82mm lens threads
Best for Long exposures and cutting glare
Dust is a fact of field work, so a blower, a brush, and a few wipes travel with me. Most specks on the sensor or the front element lift off with the blower before I ever touch the glass.
Kit 7-in-1 (blower, pen, wipes, cloth, spray) · Use Lenses, sensors, filters, screens · Travel Compact case
Pre-dawn starts happen in the dark, and this keeps my hands free while I set up a hide or load a jeep. The red mode holds my night vision and does not spook whatever is waking up nearby.
Output Up to 700 lumens · Battery USB-C rechargeable 16340 · Build IP68 waterproof, 78g
Stepping from an air-conditioned room into humid morning air fogs everything, the front element included. A quick wipe of this on the glass buys me a clear first hour, which is usually when the light is best.
Contents 15ml spray and cloth · Lasts Up to 72 hours per wipe · Use Lenses, filters, glasses
A light daypack for the walk in, when the camera bag stays in the vehicle. Water, a layer, and a spare lens, nothing that slows me down on a long trek out to a hide.
Volume 20 litres · Use Day walks, light carry
Where to start
If you are choosing your first serious kit, here is where I would spend and where I would wait. The aim is fewer, better things, not a full shelf.
| You are | Start with | Why it matters | Step up when |
|---|---|---|---|
| Starting out | One reliable body and a flexible telephoto zoom | You learn framing, behaviour, and distance without drowning in gear. | When autofocus, reach, or low light start costing you real moments. |
| Photographing birds | A longer telephoto and fast cards | Small, quick, far subjects need reach, tracking, and a buffer that keeps up. | When you are cropping too hard, or missing the action to slow writes. |
| Going on safari | Two bodies and a dust-safe bag | You stop changing lenses in the dust and stay ready when a sighting breaks. | When one body keeps forcing a choice between reach and the wider scene. |
| Sorting and editing | A capable laptop and two backup drives | A photograph is only safe once it lives in two places. | When RAW files start slowing your culling and edits. |
The honest bit
Everything here is gear I actually use or have used in the field, not a sponsored list. Some links are affiliate links, so if you buy through one it supports my work at no extra cost to you. Buy for your needs, your budget, and the way you shoot, not because a page told you to.
A message away
The right kit depends on what you photograph, how often you travel, and whether your current gear is really the limit. I can help you plan a setup that fits, without spending on things you will not use.
