Author: Randy Wells

PHOTOGRAPHY EQUIPMENT

As a full-time pro for over 30 years, the gear I take on assignment depends on what is needed. Contrary to what it might look like, I prefer to work with the minimum amount of equipment.

Being familiar with the gear is most important to me. To that end, I’ve always carried some form of Canon or Leica in my kit. With their cameras and lenses, I don’t have to think. I just do. When Leica discontinued their 35mm SLR film-based system, I switched to autofocus Canon EOS 35mm SLRs.

Around the same time, I also switched from Kodachrome 25 to Fujichrome Velvia 50 slide film. When digital camera image quality evolved to a more than satisfactory level, I transitioned to Canon’s full-frame digital camera bodies and their latest lenses for my editorial and commercial work. I’ve stayed with Canon’s latest offerings since then for my professional assignments.

My Basic Automotive Photography Kit For Stills and Video:

Canon R5 mirrorless bodies (2) with adapters and spare batteries
Canon 5DS-R body or Canon 5D Mk IV body
Canon 16-35mm f/4 IS EF L lens
Canon 24-105mm f/4 IS RF L lens
Canon 50mm f1.2 EF L lens
Canon 70-200mm f/4 IS EF L II lens
Canon 1.4X Extender, 12mm ext tube
Leica Q with 28mm f1.7 Aspherical lens
Memory cards, batteries, cable and remote release, ND and polarizing filters
Samsung Galaxy camera phone with DJI Osmo Mobile 6 and mount
Lowe-Pro backpack in Pelican carry on with Leica table tripod, ball head and mount
Small carry on bag with change of clothes, sunglasses, hat, dopp kit, and
MacBook Pro M2 with card readers and Samsung Drive

Checked bag:
Small Gitzo tripod
Profoto portable lighting lit with modifiers, grids, etc.
Cable lock
Car rigs and harness
Clothes

Other Stuff (as needed):

Canon 5D Mk III camera with 17-35 Canon EF lens for car mount
Canon 500mm f/4 IS L EF lens
DJI Phantom 4 Drone
DJI Ronin Stabilizer x 2
Numerous GoPros and mounts
Tascam and cell phone audio recorders
More camera car mounts, walkie talkies, monopods, larger tripods
Porsche Cayenne equipped for car to car photography and cinematography
Gyrostabilizer
Tribal Rug
Red, Arri Mini or medium format digital as needed
More Pelican cases and cable locks

For flash, the Profoto portable lighting system has proven reliable for studio shots and moving subjects outdoors. All flashes can fail, just like memory cards and external hard drives, so I also carry two, plus a spare flash tube. The lighting kit also includes C-stands, reflectors, gels and a variety of modifiers and soft boxes.

Spare lenses for film work include: Canon EF lenses 24mm f/1.4 L II, 35mm f/2 IS and 50mm f/2.5 Macro. Others are the Voigtländer 21 f/1.4, Leica R 28mm f/2.8 II, Leica R 35mm f/2 II, Voigtländer 40mm f1.4, Leica R 50mm f2, Leica R 60mm f/2.8 Macro, and Leica R 80mm f/1.4 lens adapted to Canon. A set of Nikkor lenses 20mm to 105 mm are adapted to Canon and also available to my film crew.

Photography equipment is simply a tool. Seeing and having something to say are MUCH more important. That said, I look for gear that is of the highest quality, easy to use, and has characterful rendering. For analog film, I use a Hasselblad 500C, Canon EOS-1V, Nikon F, Leica M3, and Leica M6.

I always shoot in RAW on two cards in each camera. After the shoot, one set of shot cards stays in a secure holder inside a zippered vest pocket on my person. As soon as I return to my hotel, the RAW files are backed up on my computer, Dropbox, and at least one hard drive. All drives are kept in different locations, or one is FedExed home. I love what I do, but I’ve also learned not to assume anything.

P.S. My kit for vacationing and personal work is a digital camera, usually the Leica Q with its 28mm f/1.7 Aspherical lens and an Leica M9 with a 50mm f/2 Summicron. This is for pure seeing, shooting slowly and deliberately.

IT WAS ONLY A MATTER OF TIME – FLYING CARS

“The 1960s animated cartoon series – The Jetsons – is best remembered for its depiction of a future that just never seemed to get any closer (apart from video phones). And nothing about this future is more lamented than the prolonged absence of George Jetson’s flying electric car. The bad news: There are still no flying electric cars. The good news: Florida is building a place to park them.” Continue reading “”

THANKS FORZA – THE MAGAZINE ABOUT FERRARI

Thanks also… to garage manager Fred Russell, writer Jay Gillotti, and car owner Frank Mandarano (L to R), for making this recent Ferrari Daytona shoot so much fun.

Photographing two Ferrari 365 GTB/4 Spyders together is a dream come true for any car photographer. Only 122+ were made.

Look for this feature in the December 2020 issue of Forza Magazine! Continue reading “”

LOVE IS THE DRUG

Roxy Music’s 5th release Siren is arguably their best albums and could be considered one of the best glam rock albums ever, if only for the hits “Love Is The Drug”, “Both Ends Burning” and “Just Another High”.

Perhaps their finest hour, consistent and thematic, and released almost 45 years ago. All said, Siren has aged very well. Their last album Avalon comes close, although it belongs to an entirely more mainstream family. Continue reading “”

Image of a firefighter and his Ford/Filson Bronco concept vehicle in Washington, Pacific Northwest by Randy Wells. Automotive-photographer-car-landscape-nature-photos-storyteller-writer-location-and-studio-specialist

FORD BRONCO + FILSON CAMPAIGN GOES WILD

Bronco and Filson – two iconic American brands with long histories in the outdoors – announced a campaign today where they are joining forces to celebrate wildland firefighters and raise funds to help maintain and preserve America’s natural resources and National Forests. I was asked to pitch in.

I feel very fortunate for that assignment. See my still shots from last week’s photo assignment of this vehicle for Ford and Filson below. Five million views in the first week! Some say 50 million views, but I’m guessing that might be overall. Continue reading “”

THE PIONEER – ROTHSPORT RACING & PCA

No one knows for sure when Porsche’s 1995 3.8-liter air cooled motor was first transplanted into a pre-1974 early 911.

What we do know is that in late 1999 Jeff Gamroth of Rothsport Racing in Oregon started thinking about constructing a long hood 911 using the most powerful normally aspirated air-cooled flat six available from Porsche.

Continue reading “”