Inside My Camera Bag | Michelle Turner

Hey there! I’m Michelle Turner and I am a wedding, portrait and commercial photographer. I’m based out of Los Olivos, California (wine country outside of Santa Barbara), but I do a lot of destination work that takes me all over the world – I typically travel over 130,000 miles a year on airplanes!

I’m also the Director of Click Photo School over at Click & Company, and I’m passionate about talking with and teaching other photographers about environmental portraiture and light.

Because I travel so much with my gear, I like to keep it light – I carry everything in an Ona Prince Street bag (it can even accommodate my 13″ MacBook Pro!). It fits under any airline seat and if you are stuck on a super small plane (one that seats fewer than 10 people) to get to remote locations, it’s the kind of bag that you can generally get away with holding on your lap.

I shoot with two Fuji X-Pro2 bodies. Since the X-Pro2 body came out before the X-T2 did, I bought it for the dual card slots and the great focusing system, but I always thought I would switch over to the “DSLR-style” of the X-T2. However, I fell in love with the rangefinder style of the X-Pro2! It’s a wonderful camera, and although I use the electronic viewfinder most of the time, I love the fact that when I switch over to the optical viewfinder that I can see people before they even enter my frame.

I use prime lenses – the Fuji 16mm f/1.4 and the Fuji 56mm f/1.2 APD are my most-used lenses. Because most of the wedding day is spent photographing moments I tend to use the 16mm more (this is also my most-used lens for lifestyle family sessions), but I love the creamy, dreamy images that the 56mm produces. When the first dances are over and it’s time for open dancing, I use a Rokinon 8mm f/3.8 lens. I like to get right in the middle of the action! I also have a Fuji MCEX-11 for macro and detail shots.

I use Profoto lights – although I own the B1 and the B2 (which I’ll use for the occasional commercial gig), I tend to use the Profoto A1 the most. It’s the perfect light both on and off camera, and because it functions as a trigger as well it’s wonderful on-location at a wedding! I tend to light my receptions with 1-3 Profoto A1s. I also use the Profoto TTL-F Air remote to trigger the lights off camera. Although I use my lights in manual mode, it’s nice knowing that the Profoto and Fuji systems work perfectly together so I can use TTL or HSS if I need them.

I do carry a few accessories as well – I have a few Profoto gel kits so that I can quickly gel my Profoto A1s to match the ambient light. Finally, I have a few Think Tank battery holders so that I always have several spare Fuji batteries ready to go! I generally use my Profoto A1s on a monopod with a Profoto medium translucent umbrella, but I’ll transfer the A1s over to light stands during the reception.

www.michelleturner.com