The Stills
photo-only days. Brand, editorial, food, event, product.
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The photo-only kit. Sony A7 III as the 24 MP workhorse, Samyang G Master-tier primes across the focal range (35 + 85 + 135), Tamron 28-75 G2 for environmental coverage. Neewer Q4 400 Ws strobe is the key — battery-powered, daylight-balanced, Bowens-mount, works outdoors. Godox speedlite system on TTL with the Bowens snoot + 25 gobos for creative light. Brand work, editorial portraits, food + drink, event coverage, product detail. Tethered to laptop on the day for client preview before we move on.
05 · in the bag · 12 items
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the-stills-sony-a7-iii.jpg01 · SONY-A7-III
Sony A7 III
24 MP full-frame, RAW workflow
The workhorse stills body — 24 megapixels is the sweet spot for editorial and brand work, with crop headroom for repurposing. Pairs natively with Sony GM / Samyang AF E-mount glass.
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the-stills-sony-24-70mm-f-2-8-gm-ii.jpg02 · SONY-24-70MM-F-2-8-GM-II
Sony 24-70mm f/2.8 GM II
Standard zoom, full-frame
The default lens. Wide-to-portrait coverage, sharp at f/2.8 wide-open, fast AF for moving subjects.
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the-stills-samyang-af-85mm-f-1-4-fe.jpg03 · SAMYANG-AF-85MM-F-1-4-FE
Samyang AF 85mm f/1.4 FE
Portrait prime
Editorial headshot + brand portrait standard. Compressed background separation at f/1.4 with autofocus that hits the eye every time.
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the-stills-samyang-af-35mm-f-1-4-fe.jpg04 · SAMYANG-AF-35MM-F-1-4-FE
Samyang AF 35mm f/1.4 FE
Wide environmental prime
Lifestyle and reportage — the wider portrait + environmental shot when 50 mm feels too tight.
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the-stills-tamron-28-75mm-f-2-8-g2.jpg05 · TAMRON-28-75MM-F-2-8-G2
Tamron 28-75mm f/2.8 G2
Lighter standard zoom
When the day involves a lot of moving + multiple locations, the Tamron travels lighter than the GM II and still hits f/2.8.
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the-stills-samyang-135mm-t2-2-vdslr.jpg06 · SAMYANG-135MM-T2-2-VDSLR
Samyang 135mm T2.2 VDSLR
Cine telephoto manual prime
For deep compression — food close-ups, product texture, isolated portrait detail. Manual focus on a tripod is the workflow.
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the-stills-neewer-q4-400-ws-strobe.jpg07 · NEEWER-Q4-400-WS-STROBE
Neewer Q4 400 Ws strobe
Battery-powered Bowens-mount monolight
The off-camera flash that does the heavy lifting. 400 Ws is enough to overpower sun at f/8, Bowens mount fits the softbox + snoot, battery-powered means no cable hunt outdoors.
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the-stills-godox-v860iii-s-tt350s-xpro-s.jpg08 · GODOX-V860III-S-TT350S-X
Godox V860III-S + TT350S + XPro-S
Sony TTL speedlite system with wireless trigger
On-camera or off-camera speedlite for fast event work. TTL means accurate exposure with no test shots, XPro trigger groups multiple speedlites + the strobe under one controller.
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the-stills-60-cm-bowens-softbox.jpg09 · 60-CM-BOWENS-SOFTBOX
60 cm Bowens softbox
Generic light modifier
Wraps the Neewer Q4 into a soft editorial key. Faster than a beauty dish to deploy, controllable enough for portrait work.
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the-stills-df-digitalfoto-bowens-snoot-25-gobos-4-gels.jpg10 · DF-DIGITALFOTO-BOWENS-SN
DF DigitalFoto Bowens snoot + 25 gobos + 4 gels
Spotlight projection with gobo / colour wheel
Creative shaped light — venetian-blind stripes for portrait work, abstract patterns for product, coloured wash for editorial. The signature lighting move that separates Mona’s stills from straight-on speedlite work.
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the-stills-national-geographic-carbon-tripod.jpg11 · NATIONAL-GEOGRAPHIC-CARB
National Geographic carbon tripod
Carbon-fibre tripod + monopod
Travel tripod for tethered shoots + the monopod for event coverage when crossing a tripod isn’t practical.
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the-stills-c-stand-with-boom.jpg12 · C-STAND-WITH-BOOM
C-stand with boom
Heavy-duty grip + boom arm
Off-camera flash placement — overhead, side, behind — without an assistant holding it.
insurance & certifications.
Procurement-ready. Every certificate available on request the same working day — email the procurement reference and the evidence bundle goes out by close of business.
- Public liability
- £[2m] general PLI for all on-location work.
- Drone insurance
- £[1m, extendable] separate policy specific to CAA commercial drone operations.
- Professional indemnity
- £[5m] covers professional advice and deliverable defects.
- CAA Operator + Flyer ID
- Active, renewed annually. Reference numbers supplied on request.
- A2 Cert. of Competency
- Sub-2kg flight near uninvolved people, per UK CAA Open Cat. A2.
- GDPR / ICO
- Active registration. Data-protection notice at /privacy/.