What Camera Gear do they use?

  Vivian Maier – The Mysterious Maestro of Street Imagery Vivian Dorothy Maier (1926–2009) was an American photographer whose astounding body of street photography remained undiscovered during her lifetime.  Working quietly as a nanny in Chicago, she captured over 100,000 images—mostly in black and white—of city life, and layered them with humanity, wit, and emotional resonance.  Her work only emerged after being discovered in a storage auction in 2007, compelling the world to recognize her visual genius posthumously. Camera Gear Vivian Maier favored tools that allowed candid observation and compositional focus: Rolleiflex Twin-Lens Reflex (TLR) : Her principal tool. Models included the 3.5T, 3.5F, 2.8C, and Automat versions—used for their waist-level viewfinder, medium-format quality, and discrete operation. Rolleiflex TLR Kodak Brownie Box Camera : Her first camera, simple and basic—used during her early years in France. Vivian Maier's Kodak Brownie 35 mm Ran...

  Paul Strand – The Father of Modern Photography Paul Strand (1890–1976) is often hailed as one of the founding figures of modern photography . His career bridged the worlds of art and social documentation, shaping the medium into both a form of creative expression and a tool for truth-telling. From his abstract studies in New York to his portraits of ordinary people and vast documentary projects across Europe, Africa, and the Americas, Strand’s work established photography as a serious art form on par with painting and sculpture. His uncompromising vision, combined with his mastery of photographic tools, continues to influence generations of photographers. Camera Gear Strand primarily used large format view cameras , including 5x7 and later 8x10 models. These heavy, tripod-mounted machines gave him the precision and detail he sought in his landscapes and portraits. For his early street photography, he often relied on a Graflex camera , modified with a dummy lens that allowed ...

  Mary Ellen Mark (1940–2015) was a renowned American photographer celebrated for her compassionate and intimate portraits of people living on society’s margins—from street children in Seattle to circus performers, mental hospital patients, and twin festivals. A Format for Every Story 35 mm Street & Documentary Work Started with analog film: Kodak Brownie at age 9, then Leica M-series rangefinders (e.g., M6 TTL ) and Canon EOS-1N with wide angles (24mm–35mm). Leica M6 She favored 35 mm for fast-moving, immersive street or reportage work—pre-focusing at common distances for rapid response and discretion. Medium Format (6×6 & 6×7) for Portraiture and Formal Essays Employed Hasselblad bodies (often with 60mm lens) and Mamiya 7 with 43/50/65 mm focal lengths. Mamiya 7 Medium format allowed her to build slower, more considered portraits—each frame weighted with presence and visual clarity. Large Format & Polaroid 20×24 ≈ Monumental Projects For amb...

  Peruvian-born and London-based, Mario Testino is known for his glamorous, intimate portraits of royalty, supermodels, and celebrities—from Princess Diana to Kate Moss , Gisele Bündchen , Madonna , Rihanna , and beyond . His work has defined modern fashion photography and is featured across Vogue , Vanity Fair , Burberry , and Gucci campaigns . Gear Evolution: From Contax Point‑and‑Shoot to 100‑MP Hasselblad Contax Point‑and‑Shoot Cameras Early in his career, Testino relied heavily on compact Contax point-and-shoots , often carrying two at once. These small cameras, paired with on-camera flash , allowed him spontaneity and intimacy—hallmarks of his style in early editorial and candid portrait work.   A Reddit thread confirms: Fashion photographers Terry Richardson and Mario Testino both shot on a semi‑regular basis with relatively inexpensive point and shoot fixed lens cameras. Contax T3 Transition to High-End Digital Systems As editorial demands grew, Testino adopted sta...

  Nan Goldin (b. 1953) is an American photographer whose raw, diaristic imagery in The Ballad of Sexual Dependency became a benchmark of confessional street photography. Her visual diary chronicles love, gender, addiction, grief, and intimacy within the underground scenes of 1970s–80s Boston and New York. Aesthetic Ethos & Emotional Vision Photography became Goldin’s voice after her teenage years, marked by family tragedy and immersion in Boston’s drag and LGBT communities. Her lens reflects empathy over voyeurism—always capturing subjects she shared life with. Her breakthrough work, The Ballad , premiered as a slideshow of nearly 700 images paired with music—an immersive, cinematic storytelling medium. Gear Journey: Modest Tools, Monumental Impact Instant Film Beginnings Goldin received a Polaroid camera in high school , which she credits with giving her the confidence to engage people and document her inner circle. Shooting Polaroid forced immediacy and direct connectio...

  Helmut Newton (1920–2004) was a German-Australian photographer whose provocative, cinematic imagery—often erotic, stylized, and framed in urban or hotel settings—became iconic in fashion and portrait photography. His work appeared extensively in Vogue and Elle , and he was celebrated for images that blended scripted glamour with moments of candid surprise. Camera Gear & Toolkit An Equipped Minimalist Newton famously kept his kit small yet versatile: Four camera bodies , five lenses , a strobe, and a Polaroid camera—all fitting in one bag under 40 lbs . This minimalist setup enabled him to work anywhere with ease . Over his career, he experimented with a variety of systems including a 4×5 Graflex Super D , Rolleiflex TLR , Nikon , Canon , Pentax , Olympus , Instamatic , and even point‑and‑shoot compacts like the Stylus Epic —often choosing whichever tools suited the situation best . Graflex Super D Helmut Newton and camera He is seen on a number of pictures using a ...

  Franco Fontana (b. 1933, Modena) is celebrated as one of Italy’s most influential photographers, renowned for transforming ordinary landscapes into vibrant abstract compositions through bold color and minimal form. Vision & Visual Philosophy Fontana emerged during a time when fine art photography was still dominated by black and white. He embraced color early—once saying: Photography should not reproduce the visible; it should make the invisible visible. He often works from telephoto viewpoints , compressing terrain and flattening form to create chromatic bands of fields, sky, and architecture—shaping large-scale landscapes into abstract imagery. Camera Gear: Proven Choices for Saturated Colour Fontana’s equipment was practical yet powerful, enabling his signature visual style: 35 mm Canon film camera (Canon Eos 1) , paired with just three focal lengths: 17–35 mm zoom 35–300 mm zoom 14 mm prime for wide, abstract geometry These lenses helped him control p...

  Here’s a structured profile of Elliott Erwitt —focusing on his photographic vision, iconic work, and the cameras that helped him document life with wit and humanity: Elliott Erwitt: Master of Life’s Subtle Ironies — and the Cameras He Trusted Elliott Erwitt (1928–2023) was a legendary Magnum photographer celebrated for capturing candid moments full of humor, compassion, and uncanny visual wit. His images—whether of dogs, famous personalities, or everyday urban vignettes—convey candid truth through simplicity and timing. Visual Style & Biography Born in Paris to Russian émigrés and raised in Italy and the U.S., Erwitt developed an early sensitivity to cultural nuance and irony. After studying photography and filmmaking, he joined Magnum Photos in 1953 and went on to produce iconic images of children, dogs, world leaders, celebrities, and intrusions of absurdity into daily life . His signature lies in the surprising conjunction: a pair of boots beside a tiny dog, a couple ki...

  Here’s what’s well-documented about Paolo Pellegrin’s camera gear —the celebrated Magnum photojournalist and Canon Ambassador: Camera Bodies & Lenses Canon EOS 5D Mark IV — Pellegrin relied on this full-frame DSLR for major conflicts and documentary assignments, often pairing it with the Canon EF 24–70mm f/2.8L USM lens at 35 mm or 70 mm depending on the story at hand . Canon Eos 5D Mark IV see it on Amazon Canon EOS R5 — In recent years (e.g. in Ukraine, volcanic expeditions, climate change projects), he transitioned to this mirrorless body for its silent shooting mode and reliability, especially under demanding field conditions. Particularly used with the RF 28–70mm f/2L USM lens—a fast zoom offering sharpness and flexibility where he shot at focal lengths like 40 mm, f/14 at 1/1000 sec, ISO 640. Canon Eos R5 see it on Amazon Shooting Style & Kit Overview Pellegrin often travels with a larger base kit (multiple cameras and lenses) plus a lighter day ba...

  Edward Weston , one of the most influential American photographers of the 20th century, is best known for his large-format black-and-white work. Here’s a breakdown of the camera gear he used throughout his career: Primary Camera Gear 8×10 View Camera (Large Format) Camera Type : 8×10 inch view camera Brands : Several over time, including Century Universal and Eastman View Camera No. 2-D Purpose : Used for the vast majority of his most iconic images— nudes , still lifes , landscapes , and vegetables (e.g., his famous pepper series). Eastman View No. 2 Lenses Weston used large-format lenses compatible with his 8×10 camera: Cooke Convertible Lens (12", 13.5", and 21") Goerz Dagor lens (widely respected at the time for sharpness and contrast) Rapid Rectilinear lenses earlier in his career He focused heavily on lens quality and sharpness , choosing lenses that would give him the greatest tonal control and detail in contact prints. Film and ...