PHOTOGRAPHY AND STUDIO EQUIPMENT
Leica SL3/SL2s Cameras and Profoto Lights

I found my dimension in that space that fades between being a nerd and living as a geek. I love tech as much as I love the art you can create with it.

Since I'm receiving many requests asking about my photo setups, I decided to make a little compendium with some information on my photographic equipment, lights, and computers.

I'm a Leica Worldwide Ambassador and Profoto Illuminati Ambassador.

My professional work is built around the Leica camera system, complemented by Profoto lighting equipment. Since 2016, my studio and location photography has centered on the Leica SL system. My current camera bodies include two Leica SL3 and one Leica SL2-S.

In terms of Leica native glass, I work with the versatile Vario-Elmarit-SL 24-90 f/2.8-4 and APO-VARIO-ELMARIT-SL 90-280 f/2.8-4 zooms, alongside the exceptional Leica APO-Summicron-SL 50mm f/2 ASPH and Leica APO-Summicron-SL 90mm f/2 ASPH prime lenses. I've expanded my creative options by incorporating several Leica M lenses through the Leica SL-M adapter, as well as a comprehensive suite of Sigma Art Lenses including the 14-24mm f/2.8, 21mm f/1.4, 35mm f/1.4, 50mm f/1.4, 105mm f/2.8 Macro, and the 135mm f/1.8. The Panasonic LUMIX S 24-105mm F4 MACRO O.I.S. rounds out my lens collection, offering additional versatility for certain shooting scenarios.

My lighting arsenal is equally robust, featuring 2 Profoto Pro-11 Generators with 4 heads and 2 Profoto D2 studio strobes for traditional studio work. For continuous lighting needs, I rely on 4 Nanlite Forza 500 LED light panels and 4 Phottix Nuada R3 and R4 LED light panels, giving me the flexibility to handle any lighting situation that arises.

I manage a beautiful daylight photo studio named StudioB49.

The studio has a white limbo, makeup room, storage, and offices. This is where I hold my Portrait and Post-production Workshops in Rome.

My primary street photography companion is the Leica Q3 with its 28mm 1.7 Summilux lens. I frequently pair this with the LEICA M11P, which I use with various lenses, particularly the Leica Super-Elmar-M 21mm F/3.4 Asph.. For backup, I usually carry one of my Ricoh cameras - either the GR2, GR3, or GR3x, depending on the situation.

My street bag contains essential gear tailored to each shooting situation. Beyond cameras, I pack multiple memory cards and a Neewer RGB150 LED Light. For mobile photography and documentation, I carry the Xiaomi 13 ULTRA, Apple iPhone 16 Max, and Samsung S24 Ultra. To stay productive between shoots, I have an Apple iPad Mini 2024. For downtime, I keep a Nintendo Switch OLED loaded with classic JRPGs, and for moments of reflection, a pipe filled with fine Latakia tobacco.

My SoHo studio, updated in December 2024, reflects my dual passions for professional photography and geek culture. Beyond the expected photography books, the space is decorated with artbooks, action figures, gaming hardware, and various collectibles that showcase my love for comics and gaming.

For post-production, I rely on an Apple Mac Mini 2024 with an M4 PRO processor and 64GB of RAM. My imaging workflow runs through a 32" Asus PA329Q ProArt 4K monitor, while detailed retouching work is done on a Wacom Cintiq Pro 24 PRO display tablet.

My robust backup system consists of two Synology NAS units: an 80 Terabyte DS1819+ and a 96 Terabyte DS1821+, both configured in SHR2 for redundancy and connected via gigabit LAN. For on-location work, I use portable RAID 1 SSD devices. Critical files are further secured on external drives stored off-site, while the studio's main portfolio is maintained across three cloud services: Dropbox, Google Drive, and Microsoft OneDrive, stored in both TIFF and JPEG formats.

I work primarily within the Adobe Creative Suite environment, utilizing Photoshop, Lightroom, Premiere, and After Effects. For 3D rendering, I rely on the latest release of Blender 3D.

My mobile workstation is a 13.4" MacBook Air 2022 with an M2 CPU and 24GB RAM, connected to a BenQ PD3200U monitor and a Wacom Intuos L Tablet. For remote access and media streaming, I maintain an i7 Mac Mini 2012 with 16GB RAM that serves as both a network storage hub and Plex server. My studio manager Antonella operates on an M1 Mac Mini 2022 with 16GB RAM, paired with a BenQ BL3200PT monitor and a Wacom Intuos 5 S tablet.

The studio's audio setup features a Denon DNP-800NE network streamer, connecting to my Spotify and Apple Music playlists.

Beyond the professional equipment, my passion for gaming and entertainment is evident throughout the studio. My gaming setup centers around a ROG Zephyrus Duo 16 featuring a Ryzen 9 7945HX processor, 64GB RAM, and an RTX 4090 graphics card, connected to an ASUS ROG SWIFT PG348Q curved gaming monitor. My gaming library spans across Steam, Origin, EPIC, GOG, and Microsoft platforms.

The studio houses an extensive collection of gaming consoles: PS5 PRO, PS4 PRO, Xbox Series X, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch OLED, Xbox 360, PS3, PS2, PS Vita, Wii, GameCube, 3DS, NVIDIA Shield, and various retro gaming systems. As an avid RPG and JRPG enthusiast, I've surrounded my workspace with a curated collection of Blu-rays, artbooks, and gaming memorabilia.

Equipment List:

That's all I guess. Any more questions? Write to me :)

Updated 27/12/2024