PHOTOGRAPHY & STUDIO EQUIPMENT

I feel at home somewhere between being a nerd and a geek. I love tech as much as I love the art you can create with it.

As I receive many questions about my photography setups, I decided to make a little compendium with some information on my photographic equipment, lights, and computers.

I'm a Leica Akademie instructor and Nanlite Global Ambassador.

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

In terms of Leica native glass, I use Vario-Elmarit-SL 24-90 f/2.8-4 and APO-VARIO-ELMARIT-SL 90-280 f/2.8-4 zooms, alongside the 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 selection of Sigma Art Lenses including the 14-24mm f/2.8, 24mm 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. is also part of my lens collection.

My lighting setup combines Nanlite and Nanlux equipment. For powerful COB LED output, I rely on the Nanlux Evoke 150C paired with modifiers, including the Evoke Fresnel lens, the Evoke reflector with parabolic bracket, and the motorized FL12E focusing lens — all with Bowens mount compatibility, complemented by the PJ-BM-25-45 zoom projector. For flexible panel lighting, I use the Nanlite Pavoslim 240CL and Pavoslim 120C, for continuous lighting. I also use the Nanlite FC-720C LED fixture and a set of Pavotube II 30C RGB tubes — two units used as practical and creative accent lights. The Nanlite Rapid 120 Softbox provides soft light for portraits and other studio work.

I manage a daylight photo studio named StudioB49.

The studio has a white cyclorama, 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, GR3x or GR4, depending on the situation.

I adapt the contents of my street photography bag to each shoot. Beyond cameras, I pack multiple memory cards and a Neewer RGB150 LED Light. For mobile photography and documentation, I carry the Xiaomi 17 ULTRA, Apple iPhone 17 Pro Max, and Samsung S24 Ultra. To stay productive between shoots, I have an Apple iPad Mini 2024. For downtime, I keep a Nintendo Switch 2 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 2025 with an M4 PRO processor and 64 GB 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 display tablet.

For AI, I rely on a PC based on AMD Ryzen 9 9950X3D with an ASUS ROG Astral RTX 5090 32 GB and 128 GB of RAM. For this setup, I use an MSI MPG 321URX QD-OLED 31.5" 4K UHD monitor.

My 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 15-inch MacBook Air (2025) with an M4 CPU and 32 GB 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 16 GB RAM that serves as both a network storage hub and Plex server.

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

Beyond the professional equipment, the studio also reflects my interest in gaming and entertainment. My gaming setup centers around a ROG Zephyrus Duo 16 featuring a Ryzen 9 7945HX processor, 64 GB 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’s gaming consoles include: PS5 PRO, PS4 PRO, Xbox Series X, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch OLED, Nintendo Switch 2, 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.

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

Updated 8 October 2026