IN MY BAG

So I have been trying to find time to post this for a while! People are always asking me what equipment I use and what they should buy to learn with. I think the best way to answer these questions is with 2 separate posts. Today I will discuss what tools I use in my business and [hopefully] later this week I will have time to post what equipment you should invest in if you are serious about learning :)

MY CAMERAS

I am a Canon girl. I have nothing against Nikon, but my first investment was a Canon, and after you start with a brand, there is no reason to change.

I cannot say enough about my camera. I LOVE it. Absolutely, truly, madly. I purchased a

Canon 5D Mark II

last year and I think it is the Bees Knees. It has incredible ISO capabilities, which come in handy since I shoot with natural light only, and sometimes in client's dark homes. For a backup I carry my older Canon 40D. If you just clicked the link, you will see it is discontinued. I hit over 10,000 frames with it sometime last year. It continues to be a wonderful camera.

MY LENSES

Right now I seem to shoot almost everything with my Canon 24-70/2.8. Most of the time super fast children are a part of my sessions so I need a zoom that is faster than my feet! When I want to take a step back and just watch as a session unfolds, I use my Canon 85mm/1.8. It allows me that distance while still providing the cool depth of field that everyone loves. Every now and again I pull out my Canon 50/1.8 [Nifty Fifty]. For any beginning photographer this is a lens you can't afford not to have. It lets you play around with extreme apertures and it costs less than $100! I have a 35/1.4 on my wish list as well as a Canon 100/2.8 Macro for photographing newborns :)

I have lots of other lenses that I use for around the house shooting and such too. They are too middle of the road for use in my business, but they are great for snapshots and beginners. I will mention them in my next post.

HOW I CARRY IT ALL

I am an Etsy lover, so I was super-pumped to find this gem on there. My Ketti Bag! If you follow me on Facebook you know how much I anticipated its arrival. It is a super stylish camera handbag. It allows me to carry my monster camera anywhere safely and without drawing attention to it. It look just like a big purse, but has all of the padding and separate compartments of a camera bag. Have I mentioned how much I LOVE it????

When I am on a shoot, most of the time I have my ShootSac wrapped around me. It holds all of the lenses that I brought along and fits snugly against me so that when I end up on the ground for a shot, my bag doesn't flop all around. I can't decide on a cover, so for now my bag is just the basic black...

MY TOOLS

Other than my camera, my best tool is my Mac. I use an extra screen with it to make my workflow faster. I edit all of my images with Photoshop CS4. I know some photographers use Lightroom, but I find that Bridge and Photoshop do all that I need them to :)

Occasionally I use a reflector for shooting newborns indoors. This comes in handy on really overcast days.

And of course, I have an entire cabinet of blankets of all sizes, colors, and textures to carry with me. Never know when you will need one!

That is about it! I always LOVE to get my hands on new lenses, so I'm sure if I do get a new one, I'll write all about it!

Have a most wonderful day!!

delightfully,

Monica