ESSENTIAL GEAR

The kit Laura relies on for capturing pro-quality animal shots

1 FULL-FRAME MIRRORLESS CANON BODIES

For a long time Laura shot with a Canon EOS 5D Mk IV DSLR, but she’s now finished upgrading her kit and lenses to the EOS R mirrorless system. Her main workhorse is now the 45MP EOS R5, and she has a 20MP EOS R6 as a backup body. Both cameras are professional bodies capable of firing at 12fps with the mechanical shutter (and even quicker with the electronic shutter).

2 CANON L-SERIES LENSES

Laura has a wide range of Canon’s RF L-series lenses, including the Canon RF 24-70mm F2.8L IS USM, which is a fantastic all-rounder, and the Canon RF 400mm F2.8L IS USM, which she takes on safaris. Her go-to lens for pet portraits, both indoors and outside, is the Canon RF 70200mm F2.8L IS USM, which provides Laura with the perfect working distance and zoom range for pets, and also has a wide maximum f/2.8 aperture.

3 FLASH HEADS AND MODIFIERS

Laura has four Elinchrom D-Lite RX One flash heads in her studio. Her usual setup is to have two fitted with 90 x 60cm softboxes at each side, pointing towards or away from the background, and a key light fitted with a 120cm octabox in front and above the subject for fill light and to create a circular catch light. She also has a flash head with a strip box mounted to the ceiling, which she uses when she wants to make sure the background is nice and bright.

4 FLASH TRIGGERS

Laura uses an Elinchrom Skyport Transmitter Plus to fire her D-Lite studio lights, which have built-in receivers. This radio trigger works with all camera brands, including Canon, which is important for Laura as she offers workshops to pupils with all manner of camera systems. It also allows her to turn flashes on or off via the transmitter, rather than walking over to each flash head and doing it manually, so it’s much more convenient.