Sony Artisan David McLain is a Maine-based photographer and filmmaker whose work explores big questions through intimate stories. “I own almost every lens Sony makes but my kit is always different depending on the shoot,” he explains. “I just finished an assignment on Maine fishermen where I wanted to be extremely fast, light and shoot in the dark because most of these men and women start work at 3:00 a.m. Most importantly, I wanted to be unobtrusive. I didn’t want to look like a professional photographer, I wanted to look like a local with an old cotton hoodie and rubber boots." To blend in, McLain brought just one body and his two favorite lenses, a pair of fast Sony G Master primes. "I was happy as a clam," he says about this using this simplified kit. "I had everything I needed to do my job. All of the pictures you see here were shot with one body and two lenses carried in a simple green Domke bag.” We caught up with him to learn more about this simple storytelling kit – keep reading as he shares what’s in this particular bag of his.
Product Preview – In This Article You’ll Find:
–Sony Alpha 7R V
–Sony 35mm f/1.4 G Master
–Sony 50mm f/1.2 G Master
McLain's complete Sony Alpha inventory
McLain's simplified kit for storytelling
Camera
Sony Alpha 7R V: The Sony Alpha 7R V is my high-resolution workhorse camera. The auto focus is lightning fast, the RAW files are big and a joy to work with in post, and it’s as good at shooting stills as it is at shooting video.
Photo by David McLain. Sony Alpha 7R V. Sony 35mm f/1.4 G Master. 1/80-sec., f/1.4, ISO 3200
Lenses
Sony 35mm f/1.4 G Master: If I was only allowed one lens, this would be it. It's long enough to give you a sense of place but when you’re in tight and it's wide open, it could almost be mistaken for a longer portrait lens. It frees me up to shoot in almost any light. I still can't get over the degree to which I can shoot in situations you think won't even show up. Some of the images from this shoot speak to that. I could shoot most of the pictures I would ever want to shoot with this lens. The manual aperture ring is back to the future and I still can't get over how small and light this lens is.
Photo by David McLain. Sony Alpha 7R V. Sony 35mm f/1.4 G Master. 1/80-sec., f/1.4, ISO 12800
Sony 50mm f/1.2 G Master: This is my second favorite lens. It's tight enough to shoot portraits and feel like a longer lens, but loose enough to give you a sense of place. Best of all, it is dreamy wide open at f/1.2. I'm continually amazed at how situations, people and places look better at f/1.2. It almost feels like cheating and I guess in a way it is. I try not to shoot wide open all the time but it's hard not to. If I've shot 100,000 pictures with this lens, my average exposure is probably 12,500 at f/1.2.
Photo by David McLain. Sony Alpha 7R V. Sony 50mm f/1.2 G Master. 1/1600-sec., f/1.6, ISO 250
Accessories
Bag: The Sony Alpha 7R V and my two lenses fit perfectly into a simple green Domke bag. It’s small and easy to carry, and the perfect size for this kind of assignment.
Photo by David McLain. Sony Alpha 7R V. Sony 50mm f/1.2 G Master. 1/3200-sec., f/1.2, ISO 250
See more of David McLain’s work on his Alpha Universe Profile and at davidmclain.com.
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Promos
