Kit

Sony QX1: A mirrorless lens-style digital camera that connects via WiFi to a digital device, whose screen acts as electronic viewfinder. You adjust camera settings and release the shutter by tapping the screen. The device transmits settings and shutter release to the QX1, accepts RAW+JPG digital image in return, and previews it.

Sony α6500: My backup camera, for sites like the stations on Bangkok’s BTS Sky Train where guards won’t let me set up a tripod, or for situations where I need to take photos in sequence more quickly than the QX1’s somewhat sluggish WiFi connection allows.

Apple iPad Pro: The digital device I use with the QX1. The 7.76″ x 10.35″ iPad Pro screen feels like the ground glass of a big view camera (but without the weight). The large screen aids accurate in-camera composition, and it’s good for a photographer who wears glasses, like me.

Zeiss Touit 50mm f/2.8M Macro Lens (Sony E-Mount; autofocus): A prime. Since both the QX1 and α6500 use APS-C sensors, this is a moderate telephoto. However, since I’m a near-sighted person, this corresponds more closely to my “normal” perspective than a full-frame 50mm does. This lens has autofocus, so tapping the iPad’s screen focuses it. 56 photos.

Zeiss Batis 25mm f/2 Lens (Sony E-Mount; autofocus): A prime. 31 photos.

Zeiss Batis 85mm f/1.8 Lens (Sony E-Mount; autofocus): Another prime. 9 photos.

Zeiss Touit 12mm f/2.8M Macro Lens (Sony E-Mount; autofocus): Another prime. 2 photos.

Rokinon T-S 24mm f/3.5 Tilt-Shift Lens (Sony E-Mount; manual focus): Another prime. 1 photo.

Manfrotto MT190CXPRO4 Carbon Fiber Tripod: Required to avoid camera shake. Heavy enough to be stable, light enough to carry, with flip-locks.

Manfrotto XPRO Geared 3-Way Head: Required for accurate composition. The precision of fine-tuning the gears adds to a contemplative experience. Ball-head tripods are frustratingly fiddly.

Software

AutoDesk Sketch, with iPad Pro and Apple Pencil: To annotate photos for selection and editing, and for self-feedback.

Adobe Lightroom: For editing, captioning, categorization, and export. I crop only occasionally, mostly because the iPad Pro is, in fact, a bit less accurate at the edges than a viewfinder. I correct failures of dynamic range. My only real criterion is whether the photo gives me the same feeling I had when I took the shot, so if the light was orange because the streetlights were orange, the photo will orange-y.

Adobe InDesign: For page make-up.

WordPress: http://www.lotusleafpress.com

Printing

Bloom Photo Lab, 460/12 Thanon Surawong, Khwaeng Si Phraya, Khet Bang Rak, Krung Thep Maha Nakhon 10500. (+66) 02 639 1511.