my photography gear

I often get asked about my camera gear. What I have and use at any given time can change, but some of my favorite equipment stays the same. I have some tried and true standbys that I use almost every day. I always love getting a peek inside other photographers’ work spaces, studios, and camera bags so I thought it would be fun to write about mine. This post will contain information about all of my gear, I will follow up with another one on my little office space.

My bags:

1. Kelly Moore B-Hobo (heather grey). My most recent addition, I needed a new purse-like camera bag. This one is reasonably sized and not too heavy but actually holds a lot more than you’d think. It can hold my camera and 2 lenses, an iPad, and has a bunch of pockets for the little things. You really would have no idea this one was a camera bag. This is what I use for indoor shoots and every day walk-around photography.

2. Crumpler Mild Enthusiast Camera Bag (medium). This is the bag you are most likely to see me carrying to outdoor shoots and for street photography. It slings comfortably across my back, and even though looks small it can hold my camera and up to 3 lenses. You can also recreate the 80’s with this one and wear it as a fanny pack or belly bag (I have yet to do that though!)

3. JoTotes “Betsy” (chocolate). My sister in law gave me this bag for Christmas a few years ago and it has held up so well. It’s very sturdy and this is the one I like to take on airplanes. It easily fits my camera and 3 lenses, and has some outside pockets for more stuff.

Cameras:

Let me preface this by saying I am a Canon girl. It’s what I’ve always used so there is familiarity there for me. Nikon and Canon are like comparing apples to apples. Both are great, just subtle differences. Mirrorless cameras are getting better and better, and some people think they’ll eventually make bulky dslrs and their lenses obsolete. I admit, I’m intrigued by their small size and the quality of images I’m seeing coming out of them. And would like to get a Fuji mirrorless someday…just add that to the long list of things I’d love to have!

1. Canon EOS 5D Mark III Digital SLR Camera. This is my main camera body that I use daily for my personal work as well as everything I shoot for clients. I love love love this camera! Canon really improved and expanded the focusing system with this camera and its ability to shoot in low light is amazing. You can push the Mark III’s ISO incredibly high – letting in tons of natural light and allowing this camera to practically see in the dark. Because I shoot using available natural light 99% of the time, this camera has really allowed me to get shots I otherwise would not have been able to get.

2. Canon EOS 3. This old 35mm film camera is a heavy, clumsy beast. It’s beat up and weighs a ton and I love using it. They stopped producing these in 2007 and nowadays you can pick one up for cheap – I got this one for less than $200. And the great thing is that it takes all of my lenses. I love shooting film. It makes you really slow down and think when you’re shooting, and you don’t get to see the results for a while which makes getting those film scans back like getting a little Christmas present. There’s just something intangible and imperfect and wonderful about film that cannot be replicated fully with digital.

3. Olympus TG-3 Waterproof 16 MP Digital Camera. I really wanted something I could use underwater but didn’t want to spend the almost $2K I’d need to on an underwater housing for my dslr. This camera is so much fun! It shoots still and video underwater or above, and I chose it specifically because you can adjust settings manually. It has a pretty wide aperture for a point and shoot: going down to f/2. That wide aperture is important for getting enough light in while shooting underwater. It’s the perfect beach camera because sand and water can get all over it and it’s no problem. And my kids can drop it (which they have) and it’s all good. All of my underwater shots, and some of my beach shots are taken with this camera. You can see some of these shots here and here.

4. Canon EOS 5D Mark II Digital SLR Camera (not pictured because I used it to take these pictures)! This was my first full frame camera and I still have it on hand for backup. Switching to this camera from a crop sensor camera made a huge difference for me and now I’m hooked on full frame cameras.

Lenses:

I (currently) only have and use prime lenses. Prime lenses have a fixed focal length, if you want to zoom in or out, you’ve got to use your feet to move closer or farther away from your subject. I like to shoot pretty wide open a lot of the time, and prime lenses are great for this and suit my style. I’m usually shooting fast moving kids and dogs and prime lenses are equally fast. I do plan to add a zoom to my lens lineup someday, I have rented some zooms on occasion and do love the convenience of being able to switch focal lengths with just one lens. Not to mention I don’t have to run around quite as much!

1. Canon EF 85mm f/1.8. This was my first prime lens and it’s still my favorite. I use it 75% of the time when I’m shooting outside. It is sharp, fast, and light. It renders color and skin tones beautifully and is about as close to Canon’s legendary “L series” of professional glass as it gets, without the L series price tag. I love the bokeh this lens produces too. Probably 75% of my portfolio was shot with this lens.

2. Canon EF 50mm f/1.2 L. This lens can be finicky, but produces beautiful portraits. It’s my go-to when I’m shooting head shots and for school portraits. It’s crazy sharp, even at it’s widest apertures.

3. Sigma 35mm f/1.4 DG ART. Sigma has been producing some amazing lenses lately, especially with their “ART” series, that has become serious competition for L glass. I actually sold my Canon 35 1.4 L to get this lens after I rented it to see what the hype was about. This lens is amazing and what I use almost exclusively indoors. You can shoot in extremely low light situations inside with this lens and I love the wider angle.

4. Lensbaby Composer Pro with Double Glass Optic. I don’t use my Lensbaby a ton, but it’s fun when you want to get creative. It’s a manual focus lens and it’s really quirky and fun to use. There are lots of different optics for this lens that can be switched out to achieve different effects, but I use the double glass optic that it came with most of the time.

Also in my camera bag:

1. ExpoDisc Professional White Balance Filter. I love this thing, it works great and I need to use it more. It really cuts down on editing time, by giving you perfect white balance if you take the time to use it every time your lighting changes.

2. Canon Speedlite 430EX II Flash. Although I rarely use flash, it’s handy to have one and know how to use it. I shoot a lot inside of my clients’ homes and lighting situations can be tricky. Sometimes I need a little extra boost of fill light and I use this flash to bounce more light around.

3. LensPEN Lens Cleaning System. This is a must-have for me. I am a freak about keeping my lenses clean, and this little guy works like a charm to get dust and smudges off of your lenses. I’m always buying these as gifts for photographer friends. They’re great!

4. Zeiss Lens Cleaning Wipes. When things get a little too messy for the Lenspen to handle (i.e. a dog runs up and licks your lens, a toddler touches it with their sticky fingers…), Zeiss cleaning wipes come into play. I always have these with me. They also work great for cleaning sunglasses.

5. Attention-getter. Camera Creatures Lady Bug. Occasionally I bust this little guy out to grab attention and eye contact from little kids and dogs. He goes right around my lenses – it’s basically a scrunchie for your camera lens (remember those? yikes). And there’s a squeaker inside. Which is a good thing, unless there is a border collie off-leash in the park you’re shooting in who thinks it’s a toy for him and won’t leave you alone (true story…)

6. Business cards. I try to remember to carry these around with me, but I’m not always good about it.

7. Sharpie Pens. Oh, how I love these pens. Chances are, you don’t get as excited about office supplies as I do. You may not love Sharpies as much as I do either. These things are awesome I use them all the time. They don’t bleed through to the next page and have a super fine tip.

8. Extra Canon batteries: Canon Battery Pack LP-E6. I always, always have at least one backup battery with me.

9. Pez or smarties, or some other non-messy candy. Always on hand for bribery that doesn’t turn tongues and lips red or blue!

10. Random rolls of film. Some of my favorites are Ilford HP5 (black and white) – my favorite for street photography in the city, and Kodak Portra 400 (color) – my favorite at the beach.

11. CF memory cards. I use Sandisk Extreme 8 GB and 16 GB cards and carry about 4 around with me in my bag. Sandisk 8GB Extreme CF memory card.

12. Lip balm with SPF 20. Baby Lips Moisturizing Lip Balm, Quenched. Maybelline Babylips looks and sounds like it’s made for 13 year olds (and maybe it is) but I love this stuff and it works great!

13. Tic tacs and/or gum. For me and to share.

Not pictured but always with me: tissues, baby wipes, camera remote, and my iPhone (my 4 year old was playing games on it while I took this picture!)

*this post contains affiliate links, I am not paid to write about or recommend any of my gear, this is the stuff that I use every day!*