Inside My Camera Bag | Sophie Callewaert

I’m Sophie and I’ve been a photographer for about five years. Before that I was a videographer, so storytelling has always been my main drive.

I use photography as a tool to observe, understand and connect with the world around me.

I mainly shoot weddings and families, because I love capturing the beauty of everyday life. And by ‘beauty’ I mean realness, soul, humour and absurdity, connections between humans and the magic in the mundane.

My rule of thumb when it comes to gear is ‘less is more’.

I shoot Fuji and, although I know there are faster, more accurate state-of-the-art camera beasts out there, I love its feel and simplicity.

A good friend once told me about ‘creative constraint’ and I guess that must be it. You work around the camera’s limitations, lessen your options and it makes you a better photographer in the end.

Cameras

For weddings and family work I carry two Fujifilm X-T3s. I’m often shooting 16 hour wedding days and it is very important to me that my cameras are as lightweight as possible.

I’ve heard great things about high-tech features like eye-tracking, but I like to use a single focus point and shoot fully manual. I want to keep pushing myself creatively and a simple setup and limiting my options really helps me with that.

Lenses

I shoot about 95% of my work with my Fujinon 23mm f/1.4 and Fujinon XF 35mm f/2, though in total I have four prime lenses:

Fujinon 23mm f/1.4: Hands down my favourite lens for storytelling. It’s wide enough to play around with layering, but I also use it for portraits sometimes and for that it’s really nice to have the f/1.4 to go to.

Fujinon XF 35mm f/2: A close second. I love how small this lens is, making the camera even more lightweight. It’s my go-to portrait lens, but also works very well as a storytelling lens. I’ll usually be carrying my 23mm + 35mm at a wedding. I know the focal lengths are not very far apart, but it works for me.

Fuji 16mm f/1.4: This is the lens I like to use for party pictures. My favourite way of using it is dancing with it and getting right up in other people’s faces on the dancefloor.

Fuji 56mm f/1.2: This lens only comes out during the ceremony and during the couple shoot.

Lights/Triggers

I use natural light for as long as I can, but in the evenings at weddings I usually turn to flash.

For lighting I use 3 x Profoto A1s and a Profoto TTL-F Air remote. I often shoot ‘through the moment’ and I need a reliable flash that will not misfire when I shoot in burst mode.

I also rely on my profotos for other portraiture work. They come with an array of grids and other attributes.

Bags/Straps

I use a ThinkTank as my main camera bag.

I also have a Lowepro Slingshot that I love. I use it for smaller assignments or during the couple shoot.

Holdfast Moneymaker

www.sophiecallewaert.be | @sophiecallewaertphotography