Ulla Lohman
Photojournalism | Last Updated: April 4, 2024
I am a Canon Explorer, an F-stop global Icon and a member of German Photoassociation DGPh, with photos published in National Geographic, GEO, New York Times, the BBC.
I have been shooting in remote locations with never photographed tribes, or accompanied exciting expeditions since I was 18 years old. I have to be ready to shoot at any time with the best quality possible and in most cases, be able to carry everything myself.
My main camera is the Canon 5D Mark iii, and I use the Canon Powershot G12 as a backup camera in case I am dangling off cliff faces whilst rock climbing or above a boiling lava lake.
If I know I have to shoot wildlife, I use the Canon 7D Mark ii with the Canon 200-400mm f/4 with a 1.4x extender. I don’t own these lenses, but as a Canon Explorer, I get short term loans from Canon. I also like to loan the Canon 70-200mm f/2.8 lens.
The lens I use the most is the Canon 24-70mm f/2.8. I recently published a book for National Geographic (Abenteuer Dolomiten, in German). I had to hike across the mountains and carry a lot of equipment. Little space for camera equipment, so 80% of the images in the book where shot with that lens.
My favourite lens is the Canon 35mm f/1.4 followed by the Canon 50mm f/1.4. This lens, I always recommend to my photo students in workshops – it is quite cheap, but the quality is excellent. I love to use the Canon 100mm f/2.8 not for macro, but also for portraits.
I work mainly with natural light and a LiteDisc reflector. Only rarely do I use my speedlite Canon 580 EX II with a Lumiquest softbox. As for a tripod, the Feisol travel tripod with ballhead CB-40D follows me around the world – it is very light to carry, but robust at the same time.
I use the Canon TC-80N3 Timer Remote Controller, because the cable is failproof. Several filters are also in my bag (Cookin, Pol, ND Filters) and all my lenses carry cheap UV filters from various brands. Just recently, I discovered the photo sensor Jokie – I just love how tiny it is and how much you can do with it.
Of course, travelling to remote locations also involved carrying a good cleaning kit – a brush, lens cloths and also a Pentax sensor cleaning kit. All my spare batteries, as well as my spare cards (in a Think Tank Pixel Pocket Rocket) are kept inside waterproof bags (Cordura). Also, my perfectly light and well-fitted F-Stop Kashmir backpack has a rain cover. Ready to shoot in all situations!
If you want to know more or if you are even interested in shooting in the field together with me you can contact me on my website. Looking forward to hearing from you!
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