What’s in Tamara Lackey’s Gear Bag?

As much as I like to keep things as simple as possible, it’s extraordinarily helpful to have the right gear on hand when needed. I do most shoots with at least two different cameras and typically work through three to four lenses on each shoot—and that’s the least of what I’ll travel with. 

I’m a big fan of letting the lenses help me vary things up a bit while I stay focused on the subjects and, specifically, the interaction. I really care about expression and authenticity in the images, so I try to “stay” with my subject and not get lost in the gear.

Lackey’s gear, along with her Australian Shepherd/Boxer mix, Dasher, who likes to sit at her feet whenever possible. “He loves editing time, is a very patient lighting model,” she says, “and has never peed on any of my equipment, ever.” Photo © Tamara Lackey

When I travel outside of client work, I like to keep things way lighter and will often travel with just one camera (D810), one lens (24-70mm f/2.8) and a very light, portable tripod (Sirui T-2205X tripod and bullhead).

Pictured:
• Nikon D4s
• Nikon D4
• Nikon D810
• Nikon D800
• Nikon D750
• Nikon 1 V3
• Nikkor 85mm f/1.4
• Nikkor 35mm f/1.4
• Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8
• Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8
• Nikkor 105mm f/2.8
• Nikkor 50mm f/1.4

Not Pictured:
• Nikkor 85mm f/1.8 and 14-24mm f/2.8
• Nikon SB 910 x2
• Reflector (quite a few—Glow and Westcott)
• Profoto portable strobes
• Ice Light
• Light stand
• Gepe Extreme card cases
• G Drive 1TB thunderbolts
• 15-inch MacBook Pro
• iPhone
• Sirui T-2205X tripod and ballhead
• Westcott Spiderlites in studio

Tamara Lackey runs a busy studio focused on portrait, commercial and editorial work. Her lifestyle photography—from children’s portraits to celebrity portraits—has been featured in a myriad of media outlets, including O, The Oprah Magazine, Parenting Magazine, Town & Country, Vogue, Food & Wine, Men’s Journal, Nikon World, Professional Photographer Magazine, Photoshop User Magazine, NBC’s The Martha Stewart Show, ABC’s Extreme Makeover: Home Edition, PBS’ Need to Know and NBC’s The Today Show. She is 1 of only 20 selected Nikon Ambassadors and was the recipient of the 2014 WPPI Adorama Inspire Award as well as the 2015 Rangefinder/WPPI Humanitarian Award. Tamara, her husband and three children, along with their three dogs, live in Chapel Hill, North Carolina.

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