In your bag No: 1454, Sérgio Rola
A very pure setup today from Portugal. Sérgio Rola shares his bag with us, and it is a beauty. Everything you might need and no frills. Check it out.

My name is Sérgio Rola, I am a 39 year-old Portuguese photographer who has been dividing his time between Macau in China and Lisbon. I am moving soon to Berlin – I fell in love with the city, so much art, so many interesting people, how can you not live there at least once in your lifetime? My interest in photography started not long in the past, around five years ago, to satisfy a need: the need to move. Since I can remember, I’ve always liked to walk, be it during the daytime rush hour or just going home after a night out. It has become a spiritual activity where my senses become altered, usually a calming effect kicks in. It is a period where confused mental processes become organised, or at least head there. One day, I though: ‘Perhaps I should start documenting the walks… What if I could transmit some of my emotions and feeling from what I saw or felt during the walks? Or maybe even the lack of it?’ It coincided with the time that I started to travel alone as most of my friends were starting their own families or simply became nine to five workers. The conditions were set for my new interest in photography: boredom and love of walking.

I have a scattered personality so my photography also reflects that but I would say that I do mostly architectural photography and street photography. I have had my work published in a couple photo magazines, and have also done some paid work in photography so I would say my skills have progressed over time. These days I try not to be a perfectionist by spending less time in post-production and more time shooting. Aren’t we all tired of our computers?

The bag

Just a cheap, unbranded one I bought from Amazon. It is small and has an annoying squeak that you notice when walking in quiet streets, nonetheless it is very light, and does its job when I am just strolling around town or travelling abroad. I am trying to live by the “less is more” paradigm so it fulfils the criteria, just the essential gets carried.

Cameras

Olympus OMD-EM5 | My workhorse that I carry constantly. It is light, image quality is acceptable for most digital work, it is not perfect as some buttons feel flimsy but it’s incredibly reliable.

Yashica Electro 35 | My second camera that I bought just last year, it is my first foray into film. There’s a learning curve that has been quite slow for me, I don’t take it out the bag as I wished initially. The results though are quite nice, way different than digital but pleasant and organic.

Lenses

Panasonic Lumix G 20mm f/1.7 (40mm equivalent) | My go to lens, just works for most of the photography that I do as I like to move my feet.

Olympus M. Zuiko Digital ED 45mm f/1.8 (90mm equivalent) | Gets used when I need to get subjects closer or the occasional portrait shots. Sharper that my other Panasonic lens.

Filters

IR Filter | Cool filter that I use for black and white shots on sunny days, especially if there’s a lot of greenery around. The greens become very white creating a surreal feel.

Close up filter | It allows closer focusing and zooms a bit. Rarely used but sometimes you want that macro shot, sharpness does suffer.

16 GB Memory Card | Rarely used, but handy when you run out of memory on the camera.

Cleaning cloth | You know, lenses get dirty as my clumsiness gets on the way sometimes.

Non photographic material

Pioneer headphones | Cheap, plastic and loud enough. You do need to get separated from the outside world once in awhile so they come in handy.

Book – Utopia | The inside compartment fits a small book. I always carry one for the spare time that I have and don’t feel like shooting.

Mobile charger & USB-C cable | Getting that extra juice for my Nextbit Robin mobile phone when needed. This shot was done with it.

International adaptor | The UK plug for the mobile charger means I need to carry this most of the time.

At the moment I am revamping my website but expect some news in a few months.

Instagram | www.instagram.com/sergio_rola/

Tumblr – Digital editing project – All shots in Lisbon | www.mirrorsoflisbon.tumblr.com/

Facebook | www.facebook.com/sergio.rola.da.silva/

Thanks for sharing your bag with us, Sérgio. A very nice setup you have there.
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Cheers
Japancamerahunter