Welcome back to Bag Raid, our slightly intrusive series reminiscent of an airport baggage screening—without the tardy security or X-ray technology, of course. This month we unpack Wade Whitington's Hi-Fi Camera Sling. Trigger warning, we find sand.
Photos: Wade Whitington // @wadewhitington
Imagine your schedule booked six ways 'til Sunday documenting fashion, lifestyle, street, music, events, and portraiture. Just when you think your battery has run dry, you load your waterproof housing and motor to the beach for golden hour. Now rinse and repeat 52 weeks of the year. You're not human. You're Wade Whitington.
Bag Raid w/ Wade Whitington
Leica M10 - The dream camera with a 50mm 0.95 and a 28mm 2.8, which I think is the perfect setup for street photography, travel and a light work setup.
Horizon 202 - A panoramic 35mm camera that oozes character.
Godox IT30 Pro - Baby-sized flash that they made USB-C rechargeable for anything with a hot shoe that can sync with my bigger Godox lights.
AirPods - For flights, calls and doomscrolling when not needed on set.
Earplugs - For concerts and working with kids.
Leatherman Wave - This is a new one, but these things are becoming an essential at the moment.
Spare batteries, cards, film, a DiCAPac because I’m always around water, neon tape and a Sharpie to write on the bathroom at the Crix.
Hey Wade, for anyone new to your work, how do you usually describe what you do?
I like to think of myself as a chameleon when it comes to photography because I got into it for the love of the game. I work mainly in fashion and events but have personal works that have been going on since day one in music, underwater and portraiture.
Where are you based?
I am now thankful enough to call Sydney home after 8 years of living here, but yeah, growing up in Adelaide was a trip. Everything is so much smaller and more contained there, hence the move over here trying to really excel and gain that edge up in what I do.
How did you get into photography?
I always gravitated towards cameras from a young age and wanted to be one of two things. A photographer or a bin man, back when they used to ride on the back of the trucks. They changed the laws and now they have the arm, so photographer it was. My friends and I used to skate, ride BMX and snowboard when we could, and those hobbies had so many inspiring photographers linked to them. Always seeing them in video parts or magazines, but it used to either be mags or film, so I spent heaps of time at the newsagent scoping what was new and how I should position myself.
What made you pick up a camera? What was your first camera?
We used to only have disposables around, but my uncle gifted me a Pentax SP1000 for my 14th birthday with a 50mm f2 lens, and that thing came everywhere with me.
You shoot across commercial, fashion, music, and film – how do those worlds influence each other in your work?
Everything plays a huge role, and it’s really good knowing some companies and brands hire me because I have experience in other areas of photography. Being hired by brands because they have seen my landscape work or fashion brands because they have seen my street photos really helps having a large repertoire and not forcing myself into one genre.
You've shot for some high fashion brands – is there ever a sense of pressure working with big names like LV, Hermès etc?
I think it’s always huge pressure for anyone, not just the bigger brands. A famous photographer called Nick Knight summed it up – working in the industry for as long as he has, he says, ‘I am always terrified because he never knows how he’s going to do it’. You go into a job and you can think about how or what you are going to do, but realistically, until you are there it could go any way. Hearing someone of his position say that really helped me understand that we are all just flying by the seat of our pants trying to do the best job we can do, and until we have sent the images off, every job I think should hold the same pressure regardless of client.
Other end of the spectrum, what's the wildest shit you've seen or captured at an event?
Growing up in Adelaide was tough because I had to take on any job I could, and shooting nightclubs was a stable way of bringing in money, and that leads to some people offering you work at 3am in a nightclub that can lead to some weird places. I've seen fights, I've seen public indecency, I've seen it all. I really hated a lot of that world at the time, but looking back I needed that to push me to work harder and get out of that scene because, shit, I'd rather go back to putting in windows than still have to do that.
What do you look for in a frame before you lift the camera to your eye?
Light is obviously the big one. I get a lot of weird looks from people when I’m closing one eye, leaning over at a 90° angle, staring into the abyss sometimes.
Is there anything in particular you like to shoot for yourself personally? Do you still shoot film a lot?
I made a habit of trying to shoot one photo from any event or job I go to that I add to a folder of favourites, and that really keeps the joy of photography alive while it’s also my job. Trying to make little side projects was always a cool way to do things. I had a series of photos of stage managers asleep under the stage or truckies asleep in their rigs around festival sites, or an ongoing idea in my head is carnies that set up rides at events – I always try to ask them for a nice portrait.
You've travelled and shot in places like India, Vietnam – do you have a favourite destination to capture?
India had to be the best and the worst place I have ever been. That body of work is by far the most intense series of photos, and all of them have a backstory. It’s such a beautiful place with so much going on, and at the same time I saw some things most people will never see in their life. The few days near the Ganges River will forever be burnt into my head, including the smell of the open burning corpses, which is normal there.
What is your go-to camera setup?
For work, it’s the Canon R5 Mark II’s and Canon RF glass. For anything else, it’s the Leica M10, and a few different film cameras are always rotating through the pack – 35mm, medium format – and since day one I have always been obsessed with Polaroid thanks to Jason Lee, so a Polaroid is always close.
What’s in your Hung Supply Hi-Fi Camera Sling?
In my Hung Supply Hi-Fi Camera Sling I always have the M10, a 50mm and a 28. The new little Godox flash and usually a Horizon 202, a 35mm panoramic camera. Have been falling in love with that recently.
What’s your favourite film stock?
Have been loving the Cinestill 400D recently, but otherwise it’s just trusty old Ektar 100.
What’s the wildest thing you’ve ever done to get the shot?
Been thrown out of a festival, almost drowned, been punched. I have never been fined though, so that’s a win?
If you could only shoot one camera for the rest of your life, what would it be?
The Leica M system, without sounding like every YouTuber ever, is elite. It makes you want to shoot and get out there. It’s discreet, but it’s a full-frame digital, and then you pair that with the lenses fitting film bodies. It’s just an enjoyable camera. But Canon till I die.
What’s one thing you’re trying to get better at?
Always trying to adapt and overcome whatever life throws at me. Be a better friend and son to my parents.
What's one random thing in your bag that has nothing to do with photography
Protein bars! I always forget to eat lunch or dinner when I should.
