Me and my Kit: A Photographer's Essentials

A glimpse into the tools used at Portraits and Portfolios, Gosport's experienced photography expert.

 

In the bag I normally pack:

  • Fujifilm XT4 Camera Body
  • Fujinon 16mm 1.4 Lens
  • Fujinon 33mm 1.4 Lens
  • Viltrox 85mm 1.8 Lens
  • Fujinon 50mm-230mm 5.6

    The top 3 lenses are all classed as fast lenses which means they perform really well in dark environments or produce beautiful bokeh effects in good light.

  • I have variable ND filters for the 33mm and 85mm lenses

    These reduce the amount of light entering a camera lens while maintaining the same color balance of the image. These allow me to control exposure and create effects like motion blur or shallower depth of field in bright conditions.

  • Godox TT685IIF Flash Gun

  • XT2 Flash Trigger
    This allows me to set up off camera flash units

I use a Xiaomi 14 Ultra for video production

For editing I normally use Lightroom and Photoshop for photos and Powerdirector 365 for video

The Story so Far


Hi I'm Mark!
I started using Photoshop in 1999 as a graphic designer, creating images for websites and print.
I worked as a web designer using Dreamweaver and Macromedia Flash for several years in the early noughties. 

I suffered a life changing illness in 2003 which took years of recovery, so there's a big gap between then and me doing anything professionally again. 
I started capturing gigs, musicians and events back in 2015 using very basic equipment. I began using Lightroom for these edits.
I upgraded, to what is now my current camera, in 2019 and continued photographing gigs, events and weddings. I have become well known and respected on the local music circuit.
In January 2025 I made the decision to concentrate on portrait work and have invested in a new lens for that purpose (The Viltrox mentioned in my Kit description)
I am creative by nature and like interactions to be fun, so that the shoot is as memorable as receiving the finished images

Dreaming Bigger: The Fujifilm GFX100

If I could add any new piece of equipment to my kit bag, it would undoubtedly be a Fujifilm GFX100. The level of detail and dynamic range it offers would open up a whole new world of possibilities for my portrait and portfolio work.