A little panic leads to an interesting diversion. Today, we pose a hypothetical question.
There I was, sitting in the cinema, as I do most Fridays, waiting for the seemingly endless stream of trailers to end so we could get to the main part. As it turns out, the movie itself isn’t worth the wait, but I’ll leave the review for another day and instead discuss the thought that popped into my head just before the opening montage runs. Did I leave my stove on?
I won’t leave you in suspense. In fact, I remembered to turn off the stove (or, more accurately, my George Foreman grill) before leaving the house to go to the movies. So it was just a fleeting horror that ended up being nothing to regret. But, nevertheless, my mind is focused only on backup plans in case the worst comes true.
Years ago, my former manager burned down his house in an accidental fire. And since then, I’ve had a gnawing panic that it could happen at any moment. As my house is where my most precious possessions are kept, where I live and on the other hand, logically it also houses a lot of the photographic equipment that I have purchased over the years. Thankfully, I’m covered to the hilt. Of course, looking as if I’ve been a professional photographer for two decades, you can imagine I’ve bought quite a bit of gear over the years that needed coverage. So as my wardrobe has grown, so has my policy covered. I need certain devices to continue my business. And, if anything catastrophic happens, I should be in pretty good shape to recover with the help of a potential insurance payout.
All of that is running through my head as I sit in the movie theater, experiencing the sudden panic of wondering if I left the stove on. Like I said, I pretty quickly confirmed that I hadn’t made that particular mistake. But then panic led to curiosity and I started to wonder, if I really suddenly needed to buy back my entire wardrobe, what parts of my current collection would I buy back? me? And what device fragments can I allow in memory?
When I went through another trailer, I succeeded in turning anxiety into a fun mini-game in my head. So I thought I would share my game results with you. Fair warning, these choices are very specific to my personal use case. So your list might be completely different. Also, I’ve limited my list to items that I already own. I can’t select the desired object that I want me to own. So I can’t create a To Alexa 35 magically shows up on my policy. And since I don’t own every photo and video device ever made, this listing only applies to items covered by my current policies. So with that, let the game begin.
Nikon Z 9
Most recent purchase to create a list. It’s hard to be a photographer without a camera. And, eight months later, Z 9 proven to be the best camera I’ve ever owned. So many that I have two of them. I don’t always have identical backup organs. But, in this case, it is clear that the camera can do 100% of what I need. So, in practice, it makes sense to have two of the same for efficiency. There’s very little it can’t do, making it a great choice to future-proof itself for customer needs.
Profoto B10 Plus
I can order the original B10 above. In fact, I used it more. But that’s most likely just because I’ve had it longer. I have a bunch of Profoto lights. It got to the point where I didn’t buy anything else for the strobe lights. They have become such an integral part of my still-life workflow that mixing brands is neither necessary nor practical for me. I have several models, both battery powered and AC powered. And, honestly, I would probably buy all of them again. However, for brevity and since it’s a bit more powerful than B10, I would choose B10 Plus is the first one I will buy again. It is battery powered and small. So very easy to use when running and shooting. However, it can also be plugged in and is powerful enough to be used for most interior or studio shots. While I got older D2s, providing higher output and shorter flash duration, and smaller units such as A10s, the B10 Plus wins this particular thought test simply because it’s the tool that takes it out of the pocket most often.
Apurture NOVA P300c RGBWW . LED Panel
What is B10 Plus for my still workflow, Apurture NOVA P300c is my video workflow. Even more than still images, the lights are pulled out of the truck to produce movies that are very specific to the scenes. So there is no such thing as a one-size-fits-all environment. Like the B10 Plus, however, the P300c’s P300c get the nod because they’re the lights I use most often.
Whether I’m shooting a quick interview, filling a room with light, or futuristic with different RGB modes to add color to the scene, there seems to be almost always use for these on movie studio. Since then, they’ve debuted with a P600c which I don’t own yet, hence why it can’t make the list, and there are a number of other Apurture fixtures, both on the shelf and on my wishlist, that might make the list. However, I will use the P300c as the constant light fixture that I will purchase first as it is one of the most versatile in my kit.
Nikon Z 24-70mm f/2.8 WILL
I recently had a decision to make. I’ve got two Z 9s. But I only have one Z 24-70mm f/2.8. “So what,” you might say. I have lots of other Nikon F and Z mount lenses. Sure, one can do the trick. And it’s true. I don’t really “need” a second 24-70mm. But this is the problem. Out of all the photos I’ve taken professionally, at least 95% of them were taken with a 24-70mm lens. It’s simply the focal range that best suits my workflow and the way I see the world. So while I have plenty of other focal lengths, the vast majority of them spend their entire lives napping in my camera case, pulled out only under exceptionally high circumstances.
One of my motivations for getting two identical Z 9s was that I was able to shoot them side by side. One for still images. One for movement. I wrote an article about this a few weeks ago. In short, though, a video rig is much different than a setup for stills, and I’ve found it more efficient to not have to split (or erect) my camera every time I switch from one camera to another. This includes not having to keep swapping the same lenses back and forth and removing different filters, blur boxes, follow focus and everything else when I want to go from stills to motion.
But now I have a decision to make. Do I try a different lens for the second camera for more variety? Or do I buy the exact lens I already have, which I know is right for my needs and will give the best performance? I chose to double down and get a second copy of the same model. So my two systems are identical. It’s not exactly a win for diversity. But it was a huge improvement in my efficiency at work. All of which means the 24-70mm acquisition will be a no-brainer in our little thought test.
Softbox
I like the softbox. Some people like to bounce. Some people use other complements. Every complement has a time and place. However, like very few of my photos without a 24-70mm lens, very few of my photos do not include the use of a softbox at some point. I have the big one, the small one, the round one, the square one. The most used one is not even the biggest one. It is a Dish box 2 ft x 2 ft suitable for the aforementioned B10 Plus. But the size used is object defined. So I won’t choose just one model here. Let’s assume instead that a fair amount will be spent replenishing my ready-made fixed light diffuser supply.
Okay, sure, this is not the lightest stand in the world. But, especially when you’re shooting with larger motion-capture lights, small isn’t always good. What you want is a rack that can handle heavy loads without worrying about tipping or falling. This special stand is as solid as a rock. Good. It either has a receiver for a child pin or an optional built-in ⅝-inch pop-up rivet for attaching my flash. And, as most of you near my age will appreciate, it has wheels!!! Oh, I could write an entire article about how much I love locking wheels on heavy duty racks. But, suffice it to say, it’s very useful when moving around heavy lights with a torn rotary cuff.
I have larger versions of this stand. And I have more C stands than I can keep track of. But, this particular stand is the one that comes with almost every set with me and is used basically for every occasion. If I had to do it all over again, I’d probably buy a few of them.
Micro Shotgun Sennheiser MKE 600
Sound is the hidden master of it all. If your sound isn’t right, your picture doesn’t matter much. I carry an entire sound pack for all video work. But, my personal favorite is Sennheiser MKE 600. It can be highly subjective, but I just love the way it sounds with this particular mic. And I find it most useful for my filmmaking style. Your mileage may vary. But this is one of those items that I always carry in my toolkit.
There are a lot of devices that I have acquired in two decades. And there are many other items worth a second investment. I haven’t even talked about an entire category like computers yet. I assume computers change too often so the replacement would be whatever is most up to date at the time. I’m not talking about software. It’s all in the cloud, so replacing a downloaded subscription shouldn’t be a difficult task. But, with what I mentioned, I feel confident that I can shoot 90% of my still or video work my way. Yes, there will be other accessories needed. ND filter. Flash trigger. Battery. Lots of batteries. However, as a core need, these will allow me to get up and running in no time.
So what should be on your buy-back list? What tools will you absolutely have to replace to continue creating your work?
