Ben Yew

It’s been ages since I last shared my gear with Shotkit, and back then, it was all about DSLR, before mirrorless even took off.

When I received another email from them recently, I thought. Why not? So much has changed since those days.

Back then, I was a photographer. Since then, I’ve added a few more hats: documentary filmmaker, author, occasional speaker, and storytelling strategist.

And yet, photography remains at the core of what I do. These days, I focus mainly on portraits because I love the storytelling side of them.

I also work with commercial clients, but I approach those projects with the same artistic mindset, always pushing myself to try new things, experiment, and apply lessons from one field to another.

That’s why my gear is a bit of a mix; it reflects all these different roles.

One project especially close to me is The One Bunbury Book, a community-inspired collection of portraits and impactful quotes. It sits somewhere between a photography book, a self-help guide, and a celebration of community spirit. It also features artworks from people of diverse abilities, to capture the essence of Bunbury as ‘One.’

This project began about three years ago, sparked by my cancer journey five years earlier. Recently, I was diagnosed again. But for me, cancer has given life a new lens, what I call a ‘lenspective.’ It has taught me to connect the dots, to see challenges differently, and to find meaning through storytelling on a continual basis.

That’s what brought me back to sharing here again.

The One Bunbury project is more than a book; it’s a movement to inspire others through community stories. And so, I’m sharing the gear I use today for these shoots:

Hasselblad X2D

Hasselblad XCD 45mm f/4

Hasselblad XCD 80mm f/1.9

Sony A9 – this is my primary workhorse camera.

Sony ZV-E1

Sony A7cII

Sony 55mm f/1.8 – mainly used for portraits.

Sony 24mm f/1.4

Sony 14mm f/1.8

Sony 24-105mm f/4

Tamron 28-75 f/2.8

Tamron 16-30mm f/2.8

Tamron 35mm-150mm f/2-2.8 – I use this lens the most for events.

Osmo Pocket 3

Insta 360 Ace Pro

Profoto Air Remote x 2

Nissin Carbon Fibre light stand.

Benro Cyanbird Carbon Fibre travel tripod

Barbershop Harness – with all shoots, it features dual cameras.

Gorillapod 5k

DJI RS4 mini gimbal

Sony Voice Recorder TX 650 – my most used voice recorder, plus an iFlytech voice recorder with offline transcription.

YN 150W LED light

Comica VM30 Wireless Shotgun mic

Sony ECM B10 Shotgun mic

DJI Wireless Mic

Cinepeers CS100 LED light

Lenscoat SD Card Wallet

ifootage Cobra 3 Monopod

Barbershop Neck strap

Apple Tag’s

Dyson Headphones

Bose Soundlink Micro Speaker

Literally hundreds of caps!

One Bunbury Book –  a community-inspired photography and quote book that highlights diverse voices, courageous journeys, and meaningful stories from the people who make Bunbury a remarkable place. Each portrait and narrative reflects the creativity, heart, and quiet strength found in everyday lives, illuminating hope and resilience close to home.

Not featured in the image:

Sony A7III

A variety of light stands, softboxes, umbrellas, and other diffusers, too numerous to share.

15” MacBook Pro

Profoto A10 Flash x 2

Profoto B10 x 2

And a lot more LED studio lights

Billingham Shoulder Bag – my most used shoulder bag.

Barbershop Shoulder Bag – my favourite shoulder bag.

Compagnon Backpack – my favourite backpack.

The one hundred inspiring people portraits were shot entirely with the Hasselblad X2D and 80mm f/1.9 lens. Just one Profoto B10 light, with a diffused umbrella, completed the setup.

I try to always go on-site shoots with less gear, but I have anxiety, so I have backup for backups. However, I always ended up shooting eighty per cent on one camera if I used multiple cameras for both photos and videos.

My focus is always on storytelling, and the photos should be as clean, minimalist, and interesting as possible.

I used to shoot a lot with my 50mm lenses, which I have about eight of, ranging from the latest to the vintage models. However, I now use the Tamron 35mm-150mm f/2-2.8 lens the most. This lens gives me the reach for various creative shoots, as I am now focused on the details.

A totally different path from my previous soft and ethereal look.

Website | Instagram

2014

I am actually a late starter and never knew photography can be a career path. My wife got me into photography and I started taking on a few weddings as most would. I then ventured into commercial photography and realized wedding suit me better because of the adrenaline rush, the excitement before and during the wedding and the challenges I face every wedding is different.

It took me some time to realise that photography is not just about making pretty pictures, but it’s the real moment, the real emotions and the finest moment for all my awesome couples. I specialized in weddings, engagements or couple lifestyle portraits because I love working with couples. I want to create something that viewers can feel the chemistry between the couple.

My current favorite lens is the Nikon 50mm f/1.2, it’s a manual focus lens. It is because I manual focus a lot and this manual focus ring is awesome to work with.

The reason I chose Nikon D800 is because of the size of the camera and the large megapixels. I have considered Nikon D4 at first, but because of the battery grip that makes it bulkier, I decided to go with the 2 D800’s. Its a good camera but I am considering getting the new Nikon D4s to have better ISO and megapixel reduction, even if it means a bigger camera to lug around. I came to realise that the large megapixel slows down my processing speed in camera even with the fastest card and the back up of RAW files would be too large for weddings. So I guess the Nikon D4s is my next list to purchase to replace one of my Nikon D800.

Why I chose the Sigma 85mm f/1.4 and the Sigma 35mm f/1.4 is because of the reviews. I have read from blogs and it shows that the performance is better than Nikon and it’s also cheaper. Hence, the better deal. I am very impressed with the results on the Sigmas and the next Sigma purchase would be the Sigma 50mm f/1.4, lots of awesome reviews as well. I work mostly with a 50mm. Started with the Nikon 50mm f/1.8, then upgraded to the Nikon 50mm f/1.4G, then now the Nikon 50mm 1f/.2 manual focus and waiting now for the Sigma 50mm f/1.4. Minimum focusing for the new Sigma is better than all the Nikons. I am still waiting for Nikon or Sigma to launch the new 50mm 1.2 auto focus lens, but I am not sure if it would every arrive.

In regards to the Tamron 24-70mm f/2.8 VC, this is pretty new to me and I love it. It’s the only full frame for Nikon with vibration reduction/control at this range with constant 2.8. Weird that Nikon do not have this.

The D700 is just a backup camera that I keep, just in case one of my camera fail. It was the camera I used before the Nikon D800 ’s.

My goal is to reduce the number of gear as its better for travelling and I do better specialising only with just 1-2 lenses.

My gear list:

Nikon D800 with Nikon 50mm f/1.2
Nikon D800 with Tamron 24-70mm f/2.8 VC
Nikon D700 (back up camera)
Sigma 35mm f/1.4
Sigma 85mm f/1.4
Nikon 70-200mm f/2.8
Nikon SB-900
Nikon SB-800
PocketWizard Mini TT1 & Flex TT5
In Case DSLR Sling Pack
SanDisk Secure Memory Card Case
ThinkTank Pixel Pocket Rocket
Holdfast Money Maker

www.benyew.com