Sony Artisan David McLain is a Maine-based photographer and filmmaker whose work explores big questions through intimate stories. He has photographed many feature length assignments for National Geographic Magazine, including “The Secrets of Living Longer,” – a cover story written by Dan Buettner. Alongside Dan, David has photographed every Blue Zones area, showcasing these places in the world with the healthiest, longest-living populations. “I also shot this New York Times best-selling cookbook that has sold over 500,000 copies with one camera and three lenses,” he shares. “Oh, and I had never done any food photography before this assignment.” Keep reading as he shares what was in his bag for food photos in a NYT best-seller.
Shop This Kit:
Camera: Alpha 7R V
Lenses: 100mm f/2.8 Macro G Master, 35mm f/1.4 G Master, 50mm f/1.2 G Master
Camera
Alpha 7R V: I like the big file size and detail for food photography so I go with the A7RV. It’s just a beautiful camera and always a joy to work with. The LCD screen rotates and adjusts to almost any position which can be really helpful framing at awkward angles or heights which I always seem to be doing.
Photo by David McLain. Alpha 7R V.
Photo by David McLain. Alpha 7R V.
Lenses
100mm f/2.8 Macro G Master: I’m not generally a big macro guy but this was a go-to lens on this project. It’s crazy sharp and I learned to shoot it stopped down whenever I could because the focus is super critical and the background was always blown out. I relied on MF more than AF- food is not a moving target.
Photo by David McLain. Alpha 7R V.
Photo by David McLain. Alpha 7R V.
35mm f/1.4 G Master: This lens is as essential as oxygen to me. I use it more than any other lens and this shoot was no different. I learned to resist the urge to shoot it wide open. Food looks better with some depth of field. Think f/2.8 to f/5.6 range.
Photo by David McLain. Alpha 7R V.
Photo by David McLain. Alpha 7R V.
50mm f/1.2 G Master: Whenever I wanted a little more compression I would move from the 35mm to the 50mm. Same rules as above apply but the slightly longer focal length compresses the foreground and background in a way that can be very helpful.
Photo by David McLain. Alpha 7R V.
Photo by David McLain. Alpha 7R V.
Accessories
Domke Bag: I got my first Domke bag in 1983 and never saw a reason to stop getting them. Timeless style and functionality.
Back up Solid State Drives: The silver enclosures contain Rocket Q NVMe PCIe M.2 2280 SSD solid state drives. They are fast and expensive and save you tons of time backing up at night.
Photo by David McLain. Alpha 7R V.
See more of David McLain’s work on his Alpha Universe Profile and at davidmclain.com.
