Joe Thomas

Travel | Last Updated: February 26, 2021

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My name is Joe Thomas and I am a New York-based photographer specializing in travel, architecture, and interior photography. My biggest passion is photographing cities and architecture.

Normally when I’m photographing in the city, I just grab my Sony a7R III and 55mm f/1.8 prime lens, as I always prefer a light setup when I’m moving around the city.

My shooting style keeps me on my feet rather than setting up in one spot with a tripod. Using a camera capable of performing well in low light situations is critical for me as I enjoy photographing near twilight and blue hour.

I originally started photographing with my iPhone 5 years ago and have slowly added more to my kit as I have gotten more into photography.

Nikon D750
This has been my primary camera for the past five years and what I’ve used for most of my images. It has never malfunctioned and still works great, even though some of the rubber grips are slipping off.

Compared to other full-frame DSLRs, I’ve found it is lighter and still has great image quality and dynamic range.

Nikon 24mm f/1.8
This is my favorite wide angle lens for capturing cityscapes or buildings. The lens is very sharp, and the 1.8 aperture allows for low-light situations.

Nikon 50mm f/1.8
If I head out to shoot around the city this will be the lens I will use most frequently. It has little distortion and is a good balance between too wide or too tight.

Nikon 85mm f/1.8
This is my favorite lens for portraits or capturing streets scenes where I want more compression in the photo or want to focus on architectural details. The wide aperture allows for beautiful bokeh and depth of field.

Tamron 70-200 f/2.8
I originally purchased this lens for my trip to Antarctica for wildlife photography, but it has started to become one of my favorite lenses to use in the city. It is very fun to use a long lens in the city and get unique perspectives through the compression created by the 200mm focal length.

It’s much cheaper than the Nikon lens and I have had a great experience with the sharpness and performance.

Sony a7R III
I have recently added the Sony to my kit, and it has become my go-to camera. The image quality, size, and low-light capabilities are just a few reasons I have been preferring it over my Nikon. The performance has been great so far and the battery life has been a big improvement. The file sizes are very large when shooting raw, so I’ve needed to improve my cards.

Sony 16-35mm f/2.8
This has been a nice lens to be able to capture a variety of wide focal lengths, and the 2.8 aperture still allows me to use it well in low-light situations. The only downside is that it is heavy and not as sharp as the prime lenses I am used to shooting with.

Sony 55mm f/1.8
This is my favorite lens of all the lenses I have ever shot with. I love the 55mm focal length and it is compact and extremely portable. The lens is very fast and extremely sharp. Additionally, it is relatively inexpensive.

Manfrotto Befree GT Carbon Fiber Travel Tripod with 496 Center Ball Head
I don’t use tripods often for my photography but have used this for some interior shoots. It easily supports all of my cameras and lenses and folds up into a compact size, easy for traveling.

www.joethomasphoto.com | @joethommas