After traveling the world, Jon Engele looked back at his photos and wished they better showed the vastness of the scenes he visited. That planted a seed the next time he traveled, and he decided he would aim to better capture the magic of each location he explored this time. “To me, landscape photography and the location itself, the place where I am shooting are inextricably linked,” he explains. “Unlike other forms of photography very little is staged, very little can be controlled, and so much of the experience is tied to the travel aspect – the getting there, the being there, the energy you feel while you're fording a river or hiking a mountain or staring wide eyed at an absolute banger sunrise.”
2-shot Panorama by Jon Engele. Alpha 7 III. 16-35mm f/2.8 G Master. 1/40-sec., f/13, ISO 100
He continues, “I've always loved being out in nature, but photography really had me fall in love with camping, trekking, and multi-day cross country adventures in a way I never expected. And while all this was going on, I sort of started to realize that I had a very unique style of editing and a certain way of looking at photography that didn't seem super common these days. What sets me apart from so many others I see is that my photographs try to recreate the emotional sensation that the locations I shoot bring up in me more than anything. I have always had a post processing style that could be described as ‘painterly,’ and I like that because the locations I shoot so often have this almost supernatural or surreal feeling to them, and I’m so happy to be able to recreate at least a small piece of that feeling I had when I was there shooting.”
That's also why Jon chose the gear you’ll find in his kit below. “I like to travel light. Hiking 10 miles up mountains everyday teaches you pretty quickly what the absolute necessities are to cover pretty much any situation, and my gear here can handle anything the world throws at me. I like to capture the vastness of the world around me, so I tend to focus on wider focal lengths, and the two lenses I carry are so versatile it's kind of crazy,” he says. Keep reading as he gives us an inside look at his kit for painterly landscapes.
Shop This Kit:
Camera: Alpha 7 III
Lenses: 16-35mm f/2.8 G Master, 24-105mm f/4 G
Camera
Alpha 7 III: From the day this came out I've been absolutely blown away by the quality that comes in such a light frame - and for this price point. No other camera even comes close to matching Sony in low light performance, and there's something about the way these sensors process color that have always given me the feeling they were made for my style in particular. While other cameras I've used would eat through battery life like an animal, it always felt so nice knowing that with three batteries in my bag, I could go days at a time without having to worry about if I was going to be cutting it close or not. I've never once found myself out of juice on a shoot.
Photo by Jon Engele. Alpha 7 III. 16-35mm f/2.8 G Master. 1/1000-sec., f/13, ISO 100
Lenses
16-35mm f/2.8 G Master: Easily my favorite lens of all time. Wide enough to capture the sweeping landscapes I love while picking up all those excellent foreground and background details, the focal range here hits that sweet spot for almost all of my panoramas, nightscapes, and planned setups. It's amazing for almost any subject but it's an absolute beast in low light, and a must have for all of my milky way, starry nights, or northern lights shots.
5-shot Panorama by Jon Engele. Alpha 7 III. 16-35mm f/2.8 G Master. (Sky) 5-sec., f/3.2, ISO 3200 (Foreground) 20-sec., f/10, ISO 200
24-105mm f/4 G: One of the most versatile lenses out there. If this was the only piece of glass in your toolkit, you couldn't do much better for having a daily run and gun machine that can handle just about anything. Going through new cities or unfamiliar countrysides, I can sometimes go days at a time without this ever coming off. The quality is excellent, and the flexibility makes it essential.
Photo by Jon Engele. Alpha 7 III. 24-105mm f/4 G. 1/100-sec., f/14, ISO 100
Accessories
6-stop & 3-stop Breakthrough Neutral Density Filters: ND filters are critical for getting flowing water silky smooth, and waterfall streams looking like threads of silk. Always a essential tool for any bag
Remote Release: Sometimes I prefer not setting a timer and just clicking the remote release. Somehow it feels more satisfying doing it that way.
Photo by Jon Engele. Alpha 7 III. 16-35mm f/2.8 G Master. 1/1000-sec., f/9, ISO 200 (Focus stacked)
Drone: I've fallen in love with aerial photography over the past few years, and a portable drone has quickly become an indispensable tool in my bag. Can't imagine leaving home without it anymore.
Cleaning Supplies: Air pump, cloth, and mini brush. Even the best lenses get dirty and all glass deserves to be treated like the treasures they really are. Always clean your equipment!
Photo by Jon Engele. Alpha 7 III. 16-35mm f/2.8 G Master. Sky: 2-shot Panorama at 15-sec., f/3.5, ISO 100
Headlamp: A headlight with a red LED is a must when shooting in the dark, to preserve night vision.
Spare Lens Cap: After you lose one, you'll never go without a spare ever again.
See more of Jon Engele’s work on Instagram @jonengelephotography.
Explore more of the gear used by your favorite creators at alphauniverse.com/wimb.
