Gear

The Academy with John Gress

Gear

 

 

Pimped and Altered RocknRoller MultiCart top shelf to assemble quickly
06/28/2019
Equipment Review

How to Fix Your RocknRoller MultiCart’s Top Shelf

Modifying a RocknRoller MultiCart R8 so the top shelf, Quick Set Shelf, assembles with ease in seconds rather than minutes when you get to...

Continue Reading
Hardware that you would use in studio by matthews and Kupo
11/07/2018
Gear

Hardware Studio: equipment that will make your photo studio hum!

Everyone has a light stand, even make up artists. Some photographers have boom arms but when you really want to refine your work, or...

Continue Reading
My garbage can full of photo modifiers
04/02/2018
Equipment Review

A garbage can full of modifiers, that’s perfectly normal right?

Let’s pretend for a moment I am sitting inside a reality show confession booth. Instead of disparaging the other characters on the show, I’m...

Continue Reading
Chicago Portrait Photographer Vintage Lights and Painted Backdrop
03/24/2018
Gear

What ARE those lights I keep putting in my photos…

One of the most popular questions I am asked is: what are those lights in the background of my portraits? Aside from the one...

Continue Reading
Canon C200 with a gold mount battery
01/16/2018
Equipment Review

Powering a Canon C200 with Gold Mount Brick Batteries

After picking myself up off the floor following my discovery of the sticker price for Canon's C200 batteries, I decided to look at other...

Continue Reading
Shooting test footage with my new Canon C200 and comparing it to the C100
11/07/2017
Equipment Review

Upgrading to the Canon C200 (Test Footage) from the C100 and 1DX Mark II

I recently purchased the new Canon C200 and decided to shoot some test footage to compare it with the Canon C100.

Continue Reading
Broncolor Siros 800S and Profoto D1 Flash
06/28/2017
Equipment Review

Broncolor Siros 800 S v Profoto D1 500 AIR Review

The first time I showed my old assistant my Profoto D1 Air 500 Monolights he remarked how sexy they were…. that’s all he kept...

Continue Reading
I found window light nirvana with a Elinchrom Rotalux 74-Inches Octabox Light Bank on a Gravity Backdrop
05/29/2017
Equipment Review , Studio Lighting

Elinchrom vs Profoto: Why I Own 4 Octaboxes

If you were expecting a side-by-side head-to-head comparison of these modifiers, this review is not for you. Over the course of 10 or so...

Continue Reading
Chicago Photographer John Gress using a Photek Softlighter II Umbrella
03/18/2017
Equipment Review

The Photek Softlighter II Umbrella… the Best $115 You’ll Ever Spend

When I received a Photek Softlighter II for Christmas in 2015, it quickly became one of my most treasured tools. I first became aware...

Continue Reading
Profoto D1 500 AIR Monolight acute2 dome color balance test
12/29/2016
Equipment Review

Does using a Profoto Glass Cover D1 Frosted dome or a Acute / Pro head make a difference?

Test results & review showing if using a Profoto Glass Cover dome or a Profoto Acute or Pro head makes a difference compared to...

Continue Reading
03/28/2012
Equipment Review

It’s Christmas in March – New Cameras!

It's an exciting day! Right before I left town I got a call from Adorama saying two Canon 5D Mark III cameras were on...

Continue Reading
05/13/2011
Equipment Review

Rice Saved The Day

Anyone who knows me, knows that I am the clumsiest person on earth. After I finished shooting the Kentucky Derby Saturday I knocked over...

Continue Reading