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.

With this in mind, let's find out what it's like to have the Canon EOS R5 in a fashion photographer's kitbag sitting alongside Jaroslav's favourite Canon cameras and lenses.

"At the moment, I am still working with the Canon EOS R, but I had the opportunity to take some pictures with the Canon EOS R5," Jaroslav explains. "I had read a lot about the Canon EOS R5 and in particular about the autofocus system; namely the eye-tracking mode. I tried it, and was surprised at how accurate and quick it was to focus."

The Canon EOS R5's autofocus is programmed using a deep-learning AI that enables it to recognise and track a subject's face and eyes with new levels of accuracy and precision. For Jaroslav, the new technology had an immediate impact. "Of the 2,000 photos I took, there wasn't a single miss and that's really impressive! Just compose an image and press the shutter. It greatly sped up my work and allowed me to concentrate more on working with the model, light and composition."

"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."

As mirrorless cameras grow in popularity, DSLRs still hold their own. For Jaroslav, they remain a familiar 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 full-frame 50.6MP 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."

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.

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."