You guessed it, FLASH!!! Seriously, at the very minimum I have one SB-5000 (with WR-R10) always, everywhere, with me all the time (powered by SD-9 loaded with eneloop batteries) . Does it get used every time I go out? Heck no but that’s not the point. It is such an essential tool that can’t be replaced with anything else when flash is needed. The vast majority of the time, I need flash to simply kiss a subject like the Australian King Parrot where the color quality of the Flash was required.
My application of the SB-5000 or flash doesn’t stop there. Everything from portraits to macro often require the kiss of flash to bring the story to life in a photograph. So one SB-5000 goes with me everywhere all the time. When does that change? When I’m going to a project where I know flash is a must have tool, I’ll grab my other two SB-5000s or up my flash game with bigger light. Like this pilot portrait I did a year back.
My photo locker has two Thinktank Logistics Mngr 30 packed with my two Big Flash kits. I depend on and LOVE my Profoto lights, the B1 and B2! You can search the website and find many, many posts demonstrating all my big flash applications but I think the Profoto BTS post does it best. These big lights are checked luggage when I fly and I’ve never had an issue. What I take is one or both of these kits:
Profoto B1 Kit contains:
*B1 500 Air Battery-Powered 2-Light Location Kit
*Air Remote TTL-N for Nikon
*HR 5.0′ Octa RF Softbox
*Softbox RF 1.5×4′ (45x120cm)
*Softbox RF 2×3′ (60x90cm)
*RFi 1.0 x 3.0′ Softbox
*RFi 1.3 x 2′ Softbox
Profoto B2 Kit contains:
* B2 250 Air TTL Location Kit
* Air Remote TTL-N for Nikon
* Speedring for OCF Flash Heads
* OCF Octa Softbox (2′)
* OCF Softbox (2×3′)
* OCF Softbox (1×3′)
* OCF Softbox (1.3×1.3′)
* Barndoor for OCF Flash Heads
* Snoot for OCF Flash Heads
* Grid Kit for OCF Flash Heads
* Li-Ion Battery for B2 250 Power Pack
* Extension Cable for B2 Air TTL Off-Camera Flash (9.8′)
Light is the essence of a great photograph and when the heavens don’t provide it, you’ve got to have it in your back pocket, or bag. So the one piece of gear I NEVER leave home without, is flash!