Dan Westergren

Once I was younger, I spent plenty of time outside simply climbing and biking. I then turned obsessive about photojournalism and mixed with working for newspapers and attending grad college, all of my time was taken up.

Ultimately, I used to be fortunate sufficient to land a job with Nationwide Geographic Traveler, the place I may combine my love of the outside with my love of images.

For greater than twenty years, I employed photographers and shot photos of fantastic locations everywhere in the world.

However the locations I personally gravitated to have been these present in excessive altitudes or latitudes, each north and south. I believe it’s as a result of I grew up within the midwest at a time after we had actual winters.

Residing in Washington DC for a few years, I actually miss the snow and want to hunt it out.

For instance, there was one time I spent a few weeks snowboarding the final diploma to the North Pole. If I wished winter, I certainly discovered it right here!

Now I work as a contract photographer, nonetheless doing journey work but additionally random business issues. In the event you want photos of big vehicles, then I’m your man.

My essential curiosity is in looking for nice areas and photographing a topic, normally individuals or animals, in these picturesque locations. I additionally work as a photograph information which helps me go to excessive areas on a reasonably common foundation.

Cameras

Fujifilm X-T3 – ever since my newspaper days, I’ve at all times carried two essential digital camera our bodies. One arrange with a wide-angle view and one with a telephoto.

When Fujifilm got here out with the X sequence cameras, I used to be an prompt convert. I used to be attracted by the smaller dimension, however the principle motive I like these cameras is the analog-style dials. They only work for my mind.

Fujifilm GFX 100S – for a few years, I’ve carried an additional digital camera. Pre-digital and for a very long time after, it was a Rolleiflex. I like having a digital camera with a singular viewpoint, one with a single lens, neither huge nor telephoto. This makes for a extra attention-grabbing image, and it’s as much as me to do the work.

Since movie simply isn’t a sensible selection today, the GFX with a 50mm lens has grow to be my digital Rolleiflex. It at all times amuses me that almost all of my favourite photos come from the restricted view I get from such a setup.

Plastic Diana – taking my restricted view philosophy to the intense, I ceaselessly carry a plastic digital camera, and proper now, it’s the Diana.

 I usually do monochrome and simply determined to combine up some chemical compounds and depart them within the laundry room. I had forgotten how simple it’s to course of movie. I don’t have a gaggle of favorites from this digital camera but, however I’m engaged on it.

Fujifilm X100V – though my iPhone supposedly has a pleasant digital camera, I don’t use it a lot. I’d relatively carry an actual digital camera round for on a regular basis stuff, and that is the one for me.

DXO One – used with an tailored Nikon wide-angle conversion lens. This nice little digital camera attaches to the lightning port of an iPhone.

Though this digital camera was discontinued and deserted, they added one vital characteristic beforehand, and that was the auto-ramping to the time-lapse mode.

This characteristic works brilliantly and saves DNG information. It’ll additionally auto-compile the stills right into a time-lapse film that is able to go as quickly because the shot is completed.

Since it may be used whereas disconnected from the telephone, I set it up and simply stroll away because it makes a time-lapse whereas I’m gathering my different photos, and I received’t really feel too unhealthy if somebody decides they want this setup greater than me.

Lenses

Fujifilm XF 16-55mm f/2.8 R LM WR – sometimes, that is the lens on the digital camera arrange for the wide-angle view, and it’s by far probably the most helpful lens of any that I’ve.

Fujifilm XF 50-140mm f/2.8 R LM OIS WR – that is the lens arrange for telephoto. I don’t actually really feel the necessity for a zoom on this digital camera, nevertheless it’s so good, so why not?

Fujifilm XF 14mm f/2.8 R  – I’m not an enormous fan of tremendous huge lenses as a result of typically the compositions really feel just a little pressured, however once I want one thing wider, I’m at all times comfortable to have this one in my bag.

Fujifilm XF18-55mm f/2.8-4 R LM OIS – my spare wide-angle lens and particularly essential to have once I have to shoot handheld video. I discover the IS constructed into the lens indispensable for video.

Fujifilm XF35mm f/1.4 R – my first Fujifilm lens and nonetheless my favourite, as photos taken with this lens simply appear to have just a little one thing additional that I can’t actually clarify.

Fujifilm XF23mm f/2 R WR – once I’m uninterested in carrying across the giant f/2.8 huge zoom, I’ll put this lens on for some time and really feel rather less conspicuous.

KMZ Jupiter-8 50mm f/2 LTM – a Soviet lens tailored to GFX, and surprisingly, it covers the GFX sensor and not using a laborious vignette. This lens is one other arrow in my restricted view quiver.

It’s particularly good huge open as a result of the picture has a degraded high quality that’s very nice for some topics. It additionally makes me comfortable to make use of a crappy previous Soviet lens on a hundred-megapixel trendy digital camera.

A few of the different stuff I carry with me:

Godox AD200 – I don’t have a tendency to make use of these a lot, however once I do, they’re at all times dependable and work nice for me.

Godox TT685F – a really efficient lighting software.

Godox Xpro-F set off

Lowepro Specialist 85 AW – this specific bag will not be made anymore, so I needed to troll eBay simply to seek out one. For my kind of images, a backpack doesn’t actually work, so this bag is extra like a fanny pack that you could put on in entrance for full entry when taking photos.

Lowepro additionally made a shoulder harness setup that may be clipped on, turning it right into a backpack for these occasions once I have to climb one thing steep or trip a motorcycle.

I even have an Previous Lowepro TLZ SLR bag, because the one talked about beforehand will not be that large. The GFX and Plastic Diana normally get stuffed into this one.

Manfrotto 190XDB aluminum medium-size tripod – easy to function and simple to hold. Un-killable, so I don’t see any motive to switch it. Plus, it as soon as helped me transfer a rattlesnake off the path, so I preserve it round for good luck.

 A Leica tabletop tripod; I don’t appear to have the ability to break this one both, and random low-cost ball heads from Amazon and numerous Arca-Swiss knockoff quick-release plates.

For my {hardware} and modifying, I exploit a 14-inch Macbook Professional M1 Laptop computer and Photograph Mechanic for ingesting my images. Lightroom Basic is what I exploit for modifying, and I usually incorporate the Fujifilm profiles, with my favourite being Basic Chrome.

Outside Analysis Alti Mitts – I discover these indispensable for excessive chilly climate images. They’re truly too cumbersome to function your digital camera, however I put on a skinny pair of glove liners beneath, and I take off one to take my photos.

They’re additionally fairly useful to maintain your additional batteries heat at thirty levels beneath zero.

Baffin Pack Boots – I form of really feel like Frankenstein strolling round with these boots, however when it’s actually chilly, they’re the one choice to preserve my toes heat.

Ewa-Marine Underwater bag – I rescued this previous factor from the trash within the Nationwide Geographic photograph tools store. The vinyl bag with a glove inside was initially supposed for use with a small movie SLR.

Once I began utilizing the Fujifilm X cameras, I shortly realized that an XT digital camera and 14mm lens would match completely inside. With the digital camera set to auto, I solely want to achieve the shutter button. It will get used fairly ceaselessly once I’m out on the water.

As I’ve written the descriptions right here, I ponder if my photographic fashion isn’t similar to throwing spaghetti on the wall and protecting no matter sticks.

In fact, I’m at all times engaged on two issues in my head, the images I do know the shopper is anticipating and the images that I would like. Generally the 2 grow to be the identical factor, and we’re each comfortable.

www.danwestergren.com | @danwestergren