Jamie Fraser

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My name is Jamie Fraser (no, not the fictional character from the TV show Outlander) and I’m based in northeast Scotland. I shoot fashion, editorial, look-book and e-commerce.

I’ve been a huge fan of Shotkit and have spent numerous hours lusting over the kits of other photographers!

As a self-proclaimed gear nerd, I’ve tried as much camera gear as I can get my hands on. Since I haven’t seen any Shotkits with the Canon R5 I figured I’d make a submission.

Cameras

Canon R5 – I had previously shot the Canon 5D Mark IV before being lured over to Sony with the A7R III and amazing eye-AF. I always knew I’d come back to Canon when they released a 5D equivalent mirrorless body and the R5 is that camera.

At this point in the game, all the brands are producing excellent cameras and image quality is the last thing to nit-pick over.

For me, I chose Canon because they feel good in the hands and offer some of the most lusted after lenses. Also, with Canon, I feel like I’m shooting a camera. Too many other mirrorless cameras are starting to feel like small computers. I will say that the EVF and LCD on the R5 are some of the best I’ve ever seen.

Lenses

RF 50mm f/1.2 – My go to lens and focal length. Anytime I test out a camera system I will pick up their best 50mm. I love this one from Canon. Having sharp images at 1.2 is amazing and if I had to have just one lens it would be this! When they say that Canon glass has character I can see what they are talking about with this lens.

RF 24-70mm f/2.8 – Before moving back over to Canon I had my eyes set on the Canon RF 28-70mm f/2 thinking it could replace a bag of small primes.

However, after using it for a bit I realised its weight was just too unwieldy! So I opted for the 24-70mm f/2.8. Equally as sharp, but with a more manageable weight and reasonable filter size. The lens stabilisation also makes it fantastic for video. (See our 24-70mm lens guide here.

Lights/Triggers

Profoto B10 – I’ve just picked these up after shooting Godox for the last few years. I’m still undecided if the light quality is any better although what I do appreciate is the small quality of life improvements you get with Profoto – better modelling lamp, quieter flash pops and the ability to shoot flash with my iPhone.

Profoto Air TTL remote – Pretty much the only trigger from Profoto worth having.

Elinchrom Deep Umbrella – I love the versatility of these deep umbrellas. I have them in all sizes and prefer white over silver since it gives me smoother highlights and can help when I’m trying to balance ambient with flash.

I’m a big fan of making strobes look natural and complement the scene rather than be the main component.

Lastolite Skylite Rapid Scrim 2×2 (not shown) – I recently picked this thing up and it’s been a game-changer for me. Rather than having to find shade, I can make it and having something this size is really useful when I want to shoot something more environmental and a bit wider.

My only complaint is they don’t give you instructions on how to put the thing back into its case so you cram things in hoping you don’t have an extreme jack-in-the-box accident when you next open it up.

Bags/Straps

Tenba Tools BYOB – I could write an entire article on my love/hate/addiction to camera bags and the search for the holy grail is still ongoing. For the moment I’ve been using camera inserts and am a big fan of the Tenba Tool BYOBs.

These make any bag a camera bag and I’ve started using one in my Douchebags Scholar backpack which is ideal as a personal item when flying (it also fits my 16” MPB with a sleeve too which is perfect).

For bigger shoots I use the Think Tank Airport series bags which I think are just fantastic.

Hardware & Software

Macbook Pro 16” – I recently got this as a replacement after my 15” suffered the dreaded keyboard issues and Apple kindly replaced it. Whilst the 16” is nice I must admit I preferred the form factor of the 15”. I’m really interested to see where Apple goes with their new M1 chips and to see how that has an impact on photo editing software in the future.

Capture One 21 – I’ve been a user of Capture One for the last three years after hearing it handled Sony files better. I love the user interface and the complete control over colour when editing.

I use Capture One for all global and colour adjustments before moving into Photoshop for retouching and local adjustments. It’s by far the best tethering solution out there too!

Tether Tools Tether Cable – Yes, they are overpriced for what they are. But they are a cool orange colour. I really need to invest in a jerk stopper though!

www.jamiefraser.co | @itsmejamiefraser