Inside My Camera Bag | Ashima Narain

I have lived and worked as a photographer in Mumbai, India, for close to 2 decades. I am part of National Geographic Creative, and in March 2017, had the privilege of being included in a list of 34 women photographers from around the world to follow by time.com.

Having 3 children in the past 4 years has forced me to focus on doing what is important enough (to me) to spend time away from them.

Now, through my images I try to understand what makes the earth, her people, and her wonderful creatures vulnerable to constantly shifting situations – or as it often the case, stagnant ones. For most issues, there are visionary individuals and organisations at the forefront of alleviating, rectifying and creating new ways and thoughts on how build compassion and change.

For me, photography is the tool through which I can better understand the problems and some of the solutions, and translate this into visuals.
Often I travel and work alone, so I think a lot about what equipment best suits me and the stories I want to tell.

I moved to mirrorless cameras, like the Sony alpha DSLR’s in 2017. I love the lightness of the cameras, the quality of their images and their ability to function well in low light. I do like to use flash, mostly in the day, so the radio-controlled Sony F45 RM flashes I find very helpful, and again, very light. Because the situations I enter are unpredictable, I like to use fast lenses, like the Sony G master series, but my real workhorse lens is the Sony 16-70mm f/4 lens, which is compact and practically weightless!

EQUIPMENT:

(From top left to right, line by line)

Notebook and pen
Specsavers spectacles
Hat
Oral rehydration powder (when working in the heat), Crocin (paracetemol), Pudin Hara (Ayurvedic medicine for stomach issues)
Oxelo Knee pads (for crawling around on my very bony knees)
Sony HVL-F45RM flash with wireless radio control
Sony a7II
Sony a7R II with a Sony vertical battery grip
JYC Pro-1D Circular Polariser filter
Sony HVL F45RM flash with wireless radio control
Sony FA-WRC1M wireless radio commander
Sony G Master 70-200mm f/4
Sony G Master 24-70mm f/2.8
Sony BC-TRW battery charger
Sony 16-70mm f/4
Sony 10-18mm f/4
Small softbox bought from a roadside shop in Mumbai
Transcend card reader
Lens cloth
Extra Sandisk 64GB Extreme Pro 95MB/s cards
Extra Sony batteries
Lens hoods
Any torch available to light subjects or spaces
Head torch