Marcel Waldmann (@marcel_waldmann) is a travel, city and landscape photographer from Frankfurt, Germany. We recently came across Waldmann’s Instagram account and loved seeing image after image of stunning landscapes and cityscapes. Waldmann has a distinct color pallet that creates a nice Instagram aesthetic. We wanted to learn more about what he brings with him on a day out shooting. Keep reading to peek inside his camera bag!
A travel, city and landscape photographer gives us a look at the gear he uses, including a surprising pair of under-the-radar Sony zooms.
I picked up my first camera in 2014 and took my first photos on a backpacking trip to Australia and New Zealand. When I came back to Germany, I packed the camera away and didn’t photograph for a long time. I just didn’t have the motivation to do it. However, a year and a half ago, the photography fever gripped me again and I go out shooting regularly. By now it’s far more than only a hobby. It’s a big passion and part of my lifestyle now and I just love doing it. I love to capture unique moments with great light and exciting weather conditions. I especially love to be out shooting at sunrise. It's great to watch your surroundings wake up and to capture those breathtaking moments.
The great thing about photography for me is that it takes me to places at times that I would never have gone before. For example, I get up in the middle of the night to hike up a mountain and experience and photograph the sunrise up there. Such moments make my heart beat faster. I just love to explore places and landscapes at unusual times (for non-photographers) and taking in those special moments. I want to experience as much of those moments and adventures as possible in my life.
Since I've been shooting a lot again, I've also started doing content creation for companies or individuals and have been able to experience a lot of cool things and meeting nice people. It is very important for me that my equipment is light and that I carry as little as possible.
Cameras
Sony Alpha 6000: The most important thing for me in a camera is the size and weight. My first camera was a Samsung NX3000, but it broke very quickly and of course I needed a new camera on my trip. The Sony Alpha 6000 (which recently came out back then) immediately caught my eye. Small, light, very good performance and relatively affordable compared to other cameras.
Photo by Marcel Waldmann. Sony Alpha 6000. Sony 16-50mm f/3.5-5.6 PZ. 1/125-sec., f/8, ISO 800
And what can I say? I have had this camera for seven years now and I still love it. Great colors, great dynamic range, a fast shutter speed, and it's small and light. Sometimes I just carry it in my jacket pocket and go out in town without a backpack. And even though it's only an APSC sensor, I don't see the reason to upgrade to full frame yet. I'd rather invest in new lenses. For me as a student with a limited budget this camera is the perfect fit.
Photo by Marcel Waldmann. Sony Alpha 6000. Sony 16-50mm f/3.5-5.6 PZ. 1/40-sec., f/8, ISO 400
Lenses
Sony 16-50mm f/3.5-5.6: This lens came with the camera. Since my budget was very limited, I had to be satisfied with the lens for now. Despite this, it makes very good pictures and I am still very happy with it. With 16-50mm I can actually cover everything I want to photograph. I was even able to shoot the Milky Way in Australia and New Zealand with this lens. The size and weight speaks for itself. The lens and the camera fit in my jacket pocket very well. In the future I will probably upgrade to better and more advanced lenses, because I almost reached the limits of this lens. But I can't say it enough: You don't always need the most expensive lenses (and cameras) to take great photos. I've taken a lot of great photos with this kit setup and even worked with some clients who were more than happy with the results.
Photo by Marcel Waldmann. Sony Alpha 6000. Sony 16-50mm f/3.5-5.6 PZ. 1/125-sec., f/8, ISO 100
Sony 55-210mm f/4.5-6.3: I love this lens. Telephoto lenses are always great. Besides the fact that you can get objects that are further away very close in your frame, I love the effect of compression. Especially in the city, I love shooting details with the telephoto lens. Or to make photos more minimalist when shooting landscapes.
Photo by Marcel Waldmann. Sony Alpha 6000. Sony 55-210mm f/4.5-6.3. 15-sec., f/10, ISO 100
Again, the size and weight speak for itself. Because for such a long focal length, the lens is quite small and light and therefore fits great in my setup. And even this lens fits in my jacket pocket. So it is perfect for my use. I have also made portraits with the lens and was able to achieve a nice bokeh effect with a long focal length and open aperture.
Accessories
Macbook: For editing my pictures. 99% of my pictures are edited with Lightroom.
Cleaning Accessories: Microfiber towel, blower etc. to clean my lenses and camera if necessary.
Tripod: A small travel tripod. Light and small and strong enough to hold my heavy camera steady.
Photo by Marcel Waldmann. Sony Alpha 6000. Sony 55-210mm f/4.5-6.3. 1/30-sec., f/11, ISO 100
Spare Batteries & SD Cards: You just can’t have enough.
External Hard Drive: To backup my image files.
Airpods: Editing without music is difficult.
See more of Marcel Waldmann's work on Instagram @marcel_waldmann.
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