Uses

There are so many choices for what gear to use - and it doesn’t mean anyone is right or wrong - but sometimes is handy to see what else is out there too. And full disclosure, some of these links will include affiliate links if you make a purchase.

At my desk:

• Apple MacBook Pro (M1 Pro, 14”)
  A little beast of a machine, and while it only has 16GB RAM, is a great example of how Apple squeezes so much power in to their own silicon. Next upgrade, more RAM, but other than that, this machine is still a beast.

• LG 27” UltraFine 5K IPS monitor
  Coming from a 27” iMac, I was worried about missing my 5K resolution. This is the next best thing. Well, was, then Apple’s Studio Display came out. If I needed a 27” monitor now, I’d get that instead. I’d love a 30” or 32”, but can’t quite justify the cost.

• KEF LSX II speakers with SVS 3000 Micro subwoofer
  These speakers are phenomenal. And the sub just elevates them further. If money were no object, I would have bought the KEF KC62 sub, but the SVS 3000 Micro is the next best thing at a fraction of the price. Read more about my speaker journey.

• Apple AirPods Pro
  For exercise, the AirPods Pro are superb. Minimalist, great sound and comfortable fit (for my ears at least).

• Apple AirPods Max
  On long-haul travel, these are superb. And for appreciating or immersing myself in music, done deal. Blue, of course.

• Philips Hue Play Bar
  Stuck behind my monitor, this provides superb ambient lighting on those darker days.

• Elgato Stream Deck+
  With 8 buttons, a touch screen and 4 dials, this is a handy little addition to the desk for quick-reach controls to common tasks, like opening Laravel docs, changing volume and turning on my desk lights. Oh, and turning on the ceiling fan too.

• Okamura Contessa II chair
  My second Contessa: the first was a mesh base and mesh back, but the foam base and mesh back combination I picked for this one is much more comfortable. Great fabric options and customisability, and can get leg and arm colours and styles for all decors. Highly recommended.

• Desky Dual Sit Stand Desk
  I need to remember it goes up too. But a powerful sit stand desk with a simple touch pad to control its height. All of my cables are hidden in the cable channel, and through the monitor arm holding up my 27” display.

For coding:

• PhpStorm
  I’ve tried others (such as Coda, Nova and VS Code) but the “it just works” behaviour and feature set of PhpStorm makes this a no-brainer for daily work.

• Ray
  The lifetime license I purchased one Black Friday a few years ago is getting a solid workout. This app is always open, and makes debugging super simple - and the ray()->queries() call even works with Statamic now too!

• Statamic
  My CMS platform of choice. Provides me with flexibility to build advanced and custom sites, but also offers a top-tier authoring experience for users. Built on top of Laravel, it means that my day-to-day work is all within the Laravel space - even better then things in Statamic are done the “Laravel way”.

• Laravel
  Working with Laravel and Statamic totally changed my productivity - and has led me to be a much happier developer, and met some great people along the way too. Oh, and also got to speak at two Laracon AU conferences too.

• Inertia
  I’ve built Vue-based SPAs the manual way. And oh wow does Inertia make it so much it so much more efficient and simple. A great user experience, delivered through an ace developer experience.

• Herd
  Valet is great at getting up and running with Laravel on macOS, but Herd is better.

• Tower
  I know, a GUI for Git. Yes, but I love it, and made it much easier for Michael to get up and running with Git too.

For photography, I use Adobe Lightroom and Adobe Photoshop.

I’ve been shooting with Canon cameras for years, starting with a 350D, 7D mk II, 5D mk IV, and all of that was sold and upgraded to the Canon R8.

This is offering me everything I want for landscape photography - including a compact size without compromising on being full frame.

I shoot with a variety of lenses RF-mount lenses including

• RF 35mm f/1.8

• RF 14-35mm f/4L

• RF 24-105mm f/4L

• RF 15-30mm f/4.5-6.3 IS STM

• RF 24-105mm f/4-7.1 STM

• RF 70-200mm f/4L

• RF 50mm f/1.8

When travelling, the non-L lenses are incredibly useful, and allow me to use the 75mm filter system from Nisi. But when space and weight is not an option, the L lenses are superb and use the 100mm filter system.

MindShift Gear make some incredible bags too - and for a big hike with lots of gear, the BackLight is my go-to:

• MindShift Gear BackLight 36
  Generously sized and incredibly comfortable: was great with the 5D mk IV, but now with the R8, I feel the 26 would be better-sized (but just so exxy to buy in Australia at the moment)

For travelling:

• Wandrd PRVKE 21L backpack (with Photography Bundle)
  A superb travel pack for photography as well as acting as a day pack. Great materials and workmanship, a cool colour (I’ve got the Aegean Blue one), fits within all carry on allowances, and has plenty of room for the R8 plus two lenses and the 75mm filter system - and the top area for other stuff, and a padded laptop sleeve. This bag had an incredible introduction with a trip to NYC, North Carolina and Singapore, and was superb through the airports and with day use.

• Wandrd ROUGE 9L Sling
  Sedona Orange this time, but a great and roomy camera bag when something a little smaller (or with more back breathability) is needed.

Accessories

• Mindshift Gear Filter Hive
  The best filter pouch for 100mm filters, and straps on to the BackLight’s waist band too.

• Sirui W2204 Carbon Fibre Waterproof Tripod
  Light, robust, great with salt water and sand, this is a beast of a tripod.

• Nisi filter system
  For travel, I use the 75mm system when space is at a premium - superb cute in size but still the Nisi quality I’ve come to expect. When space is not an issue, the 100mm system is used with the L lenses

It has been a while since I’ve upgraded - and have been tempted with the Kontrol S4 mk III, but it is a little dated now so thinking I may as well wait until something new comes out.

• Native Instruments Kontrol S2

• Native Instruments Traktor Pro