This is a question I don’t really love answering – mainly because people tend to focus on it way too much!
There are plenty of people who own a camera that cost $$$$ and have no idea how to use it. They switch it on auto mode, take photos, and their photos are just amateur photos.
In contrast, there are also plenty of people who own a camera that only cost $$-$$$, who know how to use it and create absolutely beautiful work.
At a certain point, equipment really isn’t that important! The main situations where gear makes a difference is in printing and low light situations (like nighttime shots). Once you know what you’re doing, then fancier gear can make minute differences in your work. But it really doesn’t make the huge impact that people thinks it does. The artistry happens because of the artist, not because of the equipment.
This is an important thing to know! However that being said, as my career has grown so has my equipment bag! I work with a large variety of clients, and it’s important that I have the tools I need to serve each one the best that I can.
So, here’s a list of the gear that I currently have in my equipment bag for my photoshoots!
My Gear Bag
Nikon D750. This is a full frame camera, which means it does really well in low light, and has a large sensor that captures a lot of detail.
500 mm 1.8 lens. This is currently the only full frame lens I own, and I’ve done almost all of my work on it. It’s very sharp, fast, and perfect for portraits and product photography. I use other lenses as well, but usually rent them when I need them – because good lenses are quite expensive.
Speedlight & Trigger. This is a flash that I can use off or on my camera.
Studio Lights. Currently I don’t own my own lighting kit, but I usually rent Prophoto or Broncolor strobes for photoshoots.
Mac laptop & desktop. I love my Macs for editing. They are fast, and their generally the industry standard equipment in the professional digital art world. I calibrate them frequently to ensure my colors are correct when editing.
Tethering Cord. I use this often when I’m creating studio portraits, product photos, and stop motion videos. The cord attaches my camera to my computer, and I can see the images on the laptop screen while I’m shooting. This helps me fine tune my lighting and pay attention to details.
Tripod. This is a must for using a slow shutter speed and stop motion videos.
Reflector/Diffuser kit. I usually use my diffuser when I’m taking portraits outside, especially during mid day.
Gray card. I use this card to help make sure my colors are correct and true to life when I’m editing.
Kamrette Camera Bag. I love this photo bag! It holds two camera bodies, multiple lenses, my speed light, laptop, cords, and odds and ends that I bring to shoots. The compartments help me stay organized and prepared for every shoot. It also has a gorgeous design!
Nikon 6006. This is my film camera – it’s super old and kind of cheap – but I use it when traveling for my personal film work.
Portra & Fuji 35 mm film.
Mastin Labs presets. Photographers have mixed opinions about presets – and I totally understand why. Many people think you can throw a preset on an image and it will be good. This just isn’t true, haha. It’s important to understand how to edit – that’s a skill every photographer needs to have. Understanding color theory, white balance, color correction, retouching, ect is important! For artists, there’s also something special about creating an image from beginning to end. After all, it is your image and your work, and editing is part of that! This being said, I use presets on my images because of the time that it saves me. I usually use these presets as a base, and make more edits and retouch them more afterwards. They save me hours of time working.
Nikon d7200. This was my first camera, and I almost never use it anymore. I keep it as a backup in case of an emergency.
35 mm 1.8 lens. This is the lens for my d7200.
Pelican SD card case. This case protects and organizes my SD cards.
Hard Drives. I have many of them, and always backup my work on multiple drives.
White Board Reflectors. I use these all the time to reflect & manipulate light.
Adobe Photoshop, Lightroom, Premiere, and Bridge. These are the editing programs I usually use on a daily basis.
Stone/Marble/Paper backgrounds. Over the years I’ve collected many kinds of backgrounds for my shoots.
Props. My prop collection grows with almost every product shoot!
Phew, I think that’s everything! This list looks a bit overwhelming, but it’s actually not that bad. However, you can see that photography requires a lot of knowledge, work, and basic equipment!
What questions do you have?? If you have any questions, or are interesting in working together and learning more, feel free to contact me here!
