What’s in my camera bag?

There are many times when I was starting out that I would love to know what was in a photographers “camera bag” so to speak. What camera(s) do they shoot with, what lens do they use and what tools have helped them along the way?

Thankfully, you no longer have to guess with me! In order to help you, I’ve curated a list of my personal photography essentials and recommendations- all tried and true. Believe me, I won’t recommend anything that I don’t love and deeply appreciate.

I hope this guide is helpful for you as you grow your own photography business. These items can also be found over at my Amazon Storefront.

CAMERA EQUIPMENT

Canon Camera EOS 5D Mark IV This camera is a beast. And I’m completely in love with it. After a few years with this model, I am continually learning to use new aspects of what this incredible machine is capable of. The biggest downside to this camera is the weight of the camera body. Otherwise, I have nothing but good things to say about how much I adore this camera.

Canon Powershot G9 X Mark II For a compact, point and shoot - this is my go to for travel photos. If I don’t want to bring my large DSRL with me, I always travel with this guy. It’s a compromise between an iPhone and my DSRL. It takes wonderful images, fast and keeps a charge for a long time.

Canon 35mm f/1.4 II USM Lens - Hands down my most used lens. I shoot mostly with this lens as I can capture such a variety. It’s an incredible lens with stunning images.

Canon Len 50mm f/1.2 II USM Lens The perfect standard lens. Ironically, it is my least used lens. BUT if you are switching into the professional world of photography, you can’t go wrong with this dependable lens.

Canon 85mm f/1.2 II USM Lens - This portrait lens is PURE MAGIC. Seriously, if you ever invest in a second lens off of your standard shooting lens - this is worth it’s weight in gold. When I shoot with this lens, it makes me fall in love with photography all over again. It sets itself apart from all the others. You can see every pore, line, hair, blood vessel.. the ability to capture fine detail leaves you marveling at man’s ability to create a machine. Trust me.. this lens is life-changing if you shoot portraits.

Ona Camera Bag - Bowery Size - This is a great camera bag for every day use. Not only is it functional but also stylish for both men and women. Well made and ages beautifully. Soft leather and protects the camera/lens. Plus it a great company to support!

60 inch lightweight tripod After decades with a clunky, heavy tripod, I can’t believe I didn’t switch to this sooner! It’s an inexpensive and yet sturdy tripod.

SD Card Extreme Pro 128 GB When I purchase SD cards, I tend to purchase either the 64 or 128 GB cards as they allow you to shoot many projects on one card and the cost is on point.

Memory Card Case In order to keep up with all my SD cards, I make sure to label and keep them organized in these handy card cases.

PHOTOGRAPHY BUSINESS

LaCie LAC9000298 Rugged Mini 2TB External Harddrive I’ve used these external hard drives for decades and they’ve been dependable and easy to access my work.

Buffalo Linkstation 220D 6TB Home Office Private Cloud Storage This is a new product to me but, I’m excited to have a private storage and not solely depend on iCloud to store my work especially with the 100k+ iPhone images I have! It’s a way to take full control over your images and keep them safe. Backup your work in three places! This is one of those places.

Pelican Case 1510 - This is great for storage of gear you aren’t using. But it’s also great when traveling. If you have a job that requires traveling, this is a must-have to protect your expensive equipment. It’s also great when flying.

Macbook Pro 16 inch This is the third MacBook Pro I’ve owned and each time they’ve been wonderful laptops for my photography and design work. I recommend making sure you add apple care when purchasing.

Lightroom CC This is my favorite software for editing photos.

Photo Studio Light Box When photographing products or food shots, this is often a help set to have especially in the winter months or on overcast days when sunlight is not available. This kit is easy to use and comes with several different backdrop colors.

Squarespace My favorite place to build my online presence. I’ve created three sites using squarespace and have loved what the platform is able to do for me. Once you learn to use the tools, the sky is the limit! You can create to your heart’s content. It makes building a unique website affordable and accessible.

Design Aglow I primarily have used their products when it comes to needing template for written contracts. I HIGHLY RECOMMEND these if you are a wedding/family/portrait photographer.

Pixieset Create beautiful online client photo galleries. Share, deliver and sell your work to your client in a fast and easy way. Recently they’ve launched websites templates that are modern and beautiful.

Format This is a website template that is specifically for photography. They are wonderful to showcase your work and grow your business. Clean, easy to use templates at an affordable price.

Skillshare Online classes on anything and everything you need to learn, this place is my go-to to learn how-to advice when needing to learn a new skill or improve upon a skill. I highly recommend.

Flodesk Create appealing campaigns to grow your business.

RESOURCES

Art-Write: The Writing Guide for Visual Artist by Vicki Krohn I am beyond grateful I discovered this book on how to write an artist statement. Vicki helped me write a clear and concise statement that I was proud to post along side my work. This is wonderful for anyone who is sharing the art publicly. It is an easy to read book is about communication: what you write should be a bridge between your art and the public.

The Mind’s Eye: Writings on Photography and Photographers by Henri Cartier-Bresson

On Photography by Susan Sontag

The Negative by Ansel Adams

Building A Storybrand by Donald Miller

This is Marketing by Seth Godin

Read This If You Want To Take Great Photographs by Henry Caroll

Why People Photograph: Selected Essays by

The Essence of Photography: Seeing and Creativity by Bruce Barnbaum