A fashion photographer's kitbag: what Jaroslav Monchak couldn't work without...

As a member of the Ukrainian Association of Professional Photographers, Jaroslav represents Ukraine in the international photographic community, so it's important that his work with both natural and studio lighting is top-notch. "The light in photography is an extremely important factor for me," he says. "I like to work with both natural and artificial light, but I try not to mix them with each other."

That means the optical quality of his lenses needs to complement the high resolution and wide dynamic range of his camera bodies. Not only that, but as the founder of photography school Lighthouse, he has to keep up-to-date with the latest camera tech in order to teach his students everything they need to know.

So let's take a look at what's in Jaroslav's fashion photography kitbag, with four of his favourite, must-have Canon cameras and lenses.

1. Canon EOS R

"The Canon EOS R is the body I use mostly for my personal photo shoots – the ones that are a little more creative," says Jaroslav. "The first thing I look for in a camera body is how it captures the colour and light quality of a scene. Historically, Canon bodies have done this well and the Canon EOS R is no different. The colour in the photos, straight out of camera, looks realistic."

Jaroslav also finds that, although ergonomics are of less importance to him than image quality and colour rendering, the better a camera feels in his hands, the more comfortable he is with shooting for longer.

Moving to a full-frame mirrorless body with its electronic viewfinder (EVF) has come with a short period of adjustment for Jaroslav. "The electronic viewfinder has a slight delay [in showing you the image] compared with optical viewfinders," says Jaroslav, "But the benefit of using an electronic viewfinder is that you can see the dynamic range that will be captured when you press the button. So, what you see is what you get."

2. Canon EOS 5DS R

Mirrorless cameras grow in popularity, but DSLRs have lost none of their shine. For many photographers, including Jaroslav, they are still the go-to camera system for professional work. "For commercial projects, I still prefer to use the Canon EOS 5DS R because the camera has such a high resolution," he says.

The Canon EOS 5DS R packs an impressive 50.6 megapixel image sensor, which records an outstanding level of detail. "My commercial clients demand a high-quality image – often for billboards or huge posters," Jaroslav continues. "That's why the Canon EOS 5DS R is still my go-to for that. I also find the Canon EOS 5DS R has an impressive dynamic range, and that allows me to tease out detail in post-processing software that I wouldn't otherwise be able to get."

Image sensors with limited dynamic ranges will incur some loss of data in dark or bright areas, which gives much less margin for error. The wide dynamic range of the Canon EOS 5DS R, however, enables Jaroslav to enhance images lit with natural light. For example, window light – although soft and flattering for portraits – does fall off in brightness quickly. If subjects are placed further away from the window, light levels can be considerably lower. Being able to save some of the darker areas means Jaroslav can shoot naturally-lit fashion stills without the use of light modifiers like reflectors, or lamps or additional studio lighting, to introduce more light.

3. Canon RF 50mm F1.2L USM

Like many fashion and portrait photographers, Jaroslav is a long-time fan of the 50mm focal length, particularly in a prime lens. He started out shooting with the Canon EF 50mm f/1.4 USM and spent years working with it in combination with the Canon EF 85mm f/1.8 USM to give him some added reach and compressed perspective. But he upgraded to the Canon RF 50mm F1.2L USM lens when it was released, for its improved optical clarity and wider maximum aperture.

"The edge-to-edge sharpness in this lens is fantastic, especially when paired with the Canon EOS R, which I like to do," he says. "Making high-end fashion photographs, I need to ensure that the photos are crisp and sharp in every respect where I need them to be, and this lens delivers that. For me, this lens is perfect whether shooting in natural light or with studio lighting."

Having ultimate sharpness around the edge of the frame means that Jaroslav can position his models anywhere in the scene, confident that he can place the focus where he wants and get sharp and consistent results. With a wide maximum aperture of f/1.2 this also means it's good in low light.

4. Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8L II USM

Jaroslav's current favourite (and most used) lens is the Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8L II USM. He says, "I really like the range of its focal length. I use it mainly in the photo studio, and the zoom function means I can recompose my shot without having to reposition the camera." Combining the 24mm wide-angle end of the zoom lens with a unique angle can help embellish a photograph's story.

In his image above-left, he set the lens to a 24mm focal length and shot from high above the models, aiming down. "This photograph was made for a fashion designer," he continues. "The aim of the series was to capture the elegance of the outfits, so I had to include the whole product in the final picture. I got high up above the models and used a wide-angle so that I could get in close among the mirrors that were positioned either side of me. There wasn't room for much else in the frame so I used the lamps in the background to light the scene."

Jaroslav also likes shooting directly into the sun with the Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8L II USM. "The coating of this lens is so good that I can shoot directly into the sunlight and be met with minimal flare in my image," he says. "That means my clients can see the product or subject better, but I can also use this backlighting style to fill the shot with energy."