Russ Tierney

Professional photographer Russ Tierney reveals the Canon kit that he loves using for shooting portraits at his Splash Point Photo studio space in North Wales

I moved to North Wales four years ago, which has led to a change in my kit bag somewhat. I used to shoot a lot of corporate photography, so it used to be full of Speedlites and batteries, whereas these days it's all about the studio space.

Part of the space at my studio, Splash Point Photo, is a pool, as seen in the above picture of Zoe - how I wished I had my mirrorless EOS R5 back then! I dragged the shutter using strobes, but allowed in light from under the water, and some window light, too. My head was pushed against the ceiling while I tried to focus with my EOS 5D Mark III; whereas with eye detect and the flip screen of the EOS R5, it gives me much more freedom.

I used to look at photographers using screens and mumble to myself, and now I realized that I've been missing out! I was hesitant to jump ship early on, but now that Canon has ironed out the kinks in its full-frame mirrorless with the EOS R5 and R6, the new models really show a fantastic advancement.

My other shot with Jasmine (above left) is against the neon wall. It's another custom part of my studio. It can be tricky to work with, as all of the neon signs have a different light output, so shooting Raw is essential - you can then balance the lighting levels in post. The wall also provides some unique photo ops that people travel far and wide to make the most of. I use Luxceo light wands, which are waterproof too, so they can be dunked in the pool as well.

WHAT DO I DO?

Russ Tierney