Inside the Wanvela Photographer's Kit

The cameras Wanvela photographers use

Wanvela has 4 photographers, all on Sony mirrorless systems for lightness, sharp lens range, and low-light performance.

• Main body · Sony A7R V (61 megapixel), for landscape, group portrait
• Secondary body · Sony A9 III (24 megapixel, 120fps), for candid moments, running kids

Marco, our Italy specialist, carries a Leica SL3 as a third camera for formal dinners (silent shutter, less intrusive).

Lenses - the everyday rotation

• 16-35mm f/2.8 GM, landscape, hotel interiors, groups
• 24-70mm f/2.8 GM, daily workhorse, 80% of frames
• 70-200mm f/2.8 GM, portrait compression, distant subject
• 85mm f/1.4 GM, formal portrait, low light
• 14mm f/1.8 GM, astrophotography (aurora, milky way)

Accessories

• Profoto B10X, portable strobe for formal portrait
• 3-stop ND filter, for wide aperture in daylight
• Polarizing filter, for sea, sky
• Carbon fiber tripod (Sirui T-024SK), for aurora, long exposure
• L-bracket, quick switch between portrait/landscape orientation

Storage and backup

Not losing images is the top priority, Wanvela photographers run three levels of redundancy:

• Card 1 in slot A of the camera
• Card 2 in slot B (simultaneous write)
• Daily backup to 2 external SSDs (Samsung T7 Shield)
• Cloud upload (LumaFusion) when hotel WiFi allows

4–6 TB of files across a 7-day trip, everything mirrored to the Bangkok HQ before the trip ends.

"The best photos I take are ones the client never knew I was taking, the real moment, not a pose." - Marco, Wanvela photographer, 4 years

How a Wanvela photographer thinks

The brief every photographer gets before a trip:

• "The client paid you to be here, make the photos worth the price."
• "But don't make them feel like subjects, make them feel like friends."
• "Unposed photos are the best photos."
• "One formal family portrait per trip, pick the best day."
• "Camera goes down at aperitivo, it's a mental break."

A day in the life

Marco on an Italy trip, day three in Tuscany:

• 5:30 am, scan weather, scout sunrise location
• 6:15 am, out into the vineyard before sunrise for landscape
• 8–9 am, breakfast at Banfi, casual photos of clients (50–80 shots)
• 10 am–1 pm, Brunello tasting + cooking class (300–400 shots)
• 1–3 pm, long lunch, Marco eats with the family, camera nearby (100 shots)
• 3–5 pm, truffle hunt with Donatella + Lagotto dogs (500–800 shots, kids with dogs)
• 5–7 pm, Pienza cheese tasting (200 shots)
• 7:30–10 pm, dinner, Marco shoots only key moments (50 shots)
• 10 pm–12 am, backup, cull, color preset, sleep

Day total: 1,200–1,800 shots → cut down to 80 in the final album sequence.

Album delivery

After returning to Bangkok, Marco takes 9–12 days on the album:

• Day 1–2 · cull 8,000–15,000 shots → 600 candidates
• Day 3–5 · color grade 600 shots in Capture One
• Day 6–7 · final selection 180–260 shots
• Day 8 · layout in Pic-Time gallery
• Day 9–10 · 30–60 second video reel
• Day 11–13 · client review + revisions
• Day 14 · final delivery

His best photos

Marco, the photos he's most proud of:

1. An 8-year-old with the Lagotto dog Pepe, on Donatella's farm
2. K. Pim's parents celebrating their 25th anniversary on the Le Sirenuse balcony at sunset
3. A 72-year-old grandmother in traditional Thai dress standing in Versailles' Hall of Mirrors

Read how the 2-host model works.