Are you a beginning photographer wondering what all gear and equipment professionals use? I was there at one point, myself. I was so overwhelmed with all of the choices, and it was difficult knowing what exactly I needed and what I didn’t. Since then, my photography equipment has grown, and I’m here, today, to fill you in on which things you should consider buying FIRST, and which pieces of gear can wait. Today, I’m showing you exactly what’s in my camera bag with links so you can grab the items, too!

CAMERAS + LENSES

When I was in the beginning stages of my professional career, I was so overwhelmed with equipment options. I did SO much research, read SO many reviews and blogs. Eventually, I dove in and purchased a 50mm f/1.8 prime lens for my existing Nikon D90. A prime lens is basically a lens that doesn’t zoom, but I chose it because A) It’s great for portraits and B) It’s reasonably priced. This particular lens will cost you just a little over $200. I definitely recommend making this your first portrait lens!

Since then, I have also upgraded my camera body to a full-frame camera, the Nikon D610. I don’t recommend upgrading your camera body until you have become skilled and comfortable with the lenses you have. In fact, I would even recommend spending money on upgrading to several professional lenses before upgrading your camera body. It seems backwards, I know…but trust me, it’s a far better use of your $$$.

If you shoot often, I definitely recommend having a decent backup camera. I use the Nikon D7200 as my backup just in case something gets dropped or goes missing. Yikes! Never fun to think about, but it’s always good to be prepared for the worst. It’s not pictured below, because I was using it to take the photo!

My main, go-to lens nowadays is the Nikon 70-200mm f/2.8 VR II. Known as a portraiture lens, this mammoth is well worth every penny you spend on it. However, be sure that this kind of purchase is something your business (and bank account) is ready for. At a steep $2,000, this lens packs a powerful punch on the savings account. Rest assured, there are more affordable options that offer comparable optical results such as the Tamron version of this lens {links below}. Due to it’s price tag, I would say that you can hold off on adding this bad boy to your arsenal.

I also have a go-to travel lens. My husband and I love to travel, so it was important for me to have a versatile lens to carry with me so that I didn’t have to bring along my super expensive equipment. The Nikon 28-300mm f/3.5-5.6 is that perfect lens for me. Again, at almost $1,000, I would recommend holding off on this bad boy lens as well.

LINKS!

THE BAG

I absolutely adore my bag. There are some cons that comes along with it. But for the most part, it’s an amazing addition to your gear and keeps everything nice and safe! It’s the Tamrac Evolution 6, and it has traveled with me to Hawaii’s rain forests, into South Dakota mountains, across Wyoming deserts, through Yellowstone’s wildlife terrain and beyond. It has the perfect amount of storage without being too bulky. I will travel with this guy until the end of time. And at $130, I feel it’s a very reasonably priced bag for the protection that it provides.

The cons are few…really just one. I am actually growing tired of carrying this guy with me on my family portrait sessions. It’s not convenient to get into on the fly. So instead, I will be converting to an ONA bag sometime this year. ONA is known for their amazingly stylish camera bags, and I can’t wait to give them a try!

LINKS!

OTHER GADGETS

It’s a good idea to keep backups of everything…not just your camera. Multiple memory cards, batteries, and chargers is always a must for me. I love using the Eneloop batteries and charger made by Panasonic. They last a LONG time, and are super reliable. The only downside is they take forever to charge. That’s no biggie to me. I just pop them in before I go to bed, and they’re good to go by morning.

I hate batteries falling all over the place in my bag, so I have a handy, dandy battery holder for the extras.

I am sure to always keep at least two extra, fully charged camera batteries on me at all times. You just never know when you’ll need one.

Memory cards are almost the most important to me. You never know when you’ll lose one or when one will corrupt. When the unspeakable happens, you gotta be ready for it.

I always keep a simple trigger system handy. Since we travel a lot, it’s always nice to be able to take photos with both of us in the photo. The trigger allows us to take multiple shots without needing to run back to the camera each time to set the timer. SUPER handy! And at only $30, it’s super affordable!

I am super anal about keeping my equipment clean, so I always bring along extra front and back lens caps. You pay good money for this stuff, it just makes sense to take care of it, right? So please, don’t toss those things back into the box. Keep them with you, and USE them.

A simple flash system isn’t something I need often since I am a natural light photographer. However, I keep it on me just in case. And because I don’t use it often, I’m not going to spend a lot on it. It’s one of the only off-brand pieces of equipment I own. If you’re not going to be a heavy external flash user, save your dollars and spring for the Yongnuo 560III instead. It’s a powerful flash considering it’s less than $100! I also purchased wireless flash controller for it, which would allow me to control the flash off-camera. Super convenient!

LINKS!

THE PRETTY STUFF

I just recently received as a gift a cute little owl that’s placed over the end of your lens and used as an attention-getter for little kids and babies. It makes the difficult task of getting the kiddos to look at the camera a lot easier. Such a clever idea!

My camera strap is almost my favorite things about my camera. It’s so me, and it’s so comfortable (after you get the leather broken in). The people over at Fotostrap really know what they’re doing when it comes to making stylish camera straps that keep your precious baby safe! Not only are they stylish, but they give 10% of their proceeds towards an incredibly note-worthy organization called Fotolanthropy. Go ahead, click that link below and read about it! They hold sales quite often, so stick around for one.

LINKS!

Well, there you have it folks! I hope you have enjoyed this little peek into my camera bag. If this has helped you, let me know by leaving me a comment below! If you have questions, ask them too. I would love to hear from y’all!

If you would like more information about my mentoring or photo editing services, please get in touch with me and let’s be friends!

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