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A picture of Noah Kalina
Image by Jorge Colombo.

Noah Kalina

Artist, photographer

in artist, mac, photographer, podcaster

Who are you, and what do you do?

My name is Noah Kalina. I am an artist and photographer based in Lumberland, New York. I also write a weekly newsletter about all sorts of things and have a podcast with Adam Lisagor called All Consuming where we buy random DTC products, review them and talk about life.

What hardware do you use?

I am writing this on a 2017 iMac Pro (3.2GHz 8-Core) with 64 GB of ram. I still have and use a 2013 15 inch MacBook Pro (2.6Ghz with 16GB ram) which I think might be the best computer ever made. I backup all of my work on a Synology DS1815+. This unit is currently filled with Seagate 10TB IronWolf HDDs. More backup includes a ton of WD 1TB Passports that I usually bring when I'm traveling for a photo shoot but I also really love the G-Technology 1TB SSDs because they are so small and so fast. I think the Unitek USB 3.0 card reader is the best card reader.

My main camera is a Phase One XF body with an IQ360 back. I use an 80mm and 45mm Schneider-Kreuznach leaf shutter lenses and 35mm and 120mm Phase One lenses. As a backup camera/ video camera I always carry a Sony α7R III. I have a Voigländer 15mm, a 25mm Zeiss Batis, Sony 35mm, 50mm and 80mm lenses and a 200-600mm lens for birding.

I store my camera equipment in a Ruggard electronic dry cabinet. I can usually fit what I need on my back with my Incase DSLR Pro Pack.

My everyday project is currently being photographed with a Nikon COOLPIX S10.

I use a Mavic 2 Pro drone with a smart controller which is such an incredible piece of technology that blows my mind every time I use it.

One of my favorite things is this Viofo A119 V3 2K dash camera. I can't imagine driving without that thing running. The Campark Trail Camera is more useful than you think.

I use an iPhone 11 Pro and will probably upgrade on this next cycle.

My main lighting kit is two Profoto B10 plus battery powered strobes. They are incredible but maybe just a tad bit underpowered. I have a bunch of modifiers for those but I won't go into the details on that. My Phase One has a built in trigger for those lights but if I'm using the Sony I have a Profoto Air Remote.

I use an Induru CT314 carbon fiber tripod with a Manfrotto X-PRO 3-Way head. I also have a small Benro tripod with a ball head just in case I need to pack light. I also like keeping a Platypod for super tight spots or random angles.

I print with an Epson P900.

I have a DJI Ronin-SC with a SmartHD monitor attached to it.

For podcasting I use a Samson Q2U mic and Koss Porta Pro headphones. Those headphones look like they would be terrible but they are incredible.

I use EERO for mesh wifi around my house and somehow it works so my internet is super fast in my studio which is pretty far from my house.

I have three Charette flat files to organize prints and other miscellaneous items in my studio and they might be the best thing I've ever purchased that felt really expensive at the time but turned out to be an incredible investment.

I love my VariDesk Essential 36 which I love as I am a big proponent of never sitting down.

While not technically part of my work kit, I highly recommend that everyone purchases a Toto WASHLET - I have the K300 and it's worth every penny.

And what software?

I process almost all of my photographs with Capture One. From there I am a full Adobe Creative Cloud subscriber but I mostly use just use Photoshop. I like to manage and view my files with Bridge. I will occasionally process images with Adobe Raw.

If I am editing video, I will use Final Cut Pro X.

I have my entire 30+ TB archive backed up in the cloud using Backblaze B2 cloud storage. I also have all of my phone photos backed up to Google Photos and Amazon Photos. I recommend both of those for the search feature which is totally incredible. I also have most of my bigger projects backed up with Dropbox and use it to share files with clients.

Slack to communicate with a few people.

Paperless by Mariner software to organize and store all my receipts. This makes tax time super easy and efficient.

Sequence to make time-lapses. Dark Sky for weather. Mint for finances. Tiny Scanner for scanning receipts on the road. The Merlin Bird ID app is an absolute must have and if you aren't into birds you will be after spending a week with that app. 1Password for passwords and important things. Overcast for podcasts and Spotify for music.

What would be your dream setup?

Mac Pro with dual XDR displays on top of a giant 4x6 foot adjustable standing desk. I would definitely upgrade my IQ360 and move into an IQ4 100MP. I'd trade all my lenses in for the blue rings. I would also have the XT system just because. I want a drone the size of the Mavic Pro but with a camera on it that had medium format clarity and resolution.