What’s in my Kit?

Everyone wants to know the special tools I have in my kit, that provide the images that I do. I have no secrets, and no special tools. The most important thing to consider when buying any new camera equipment is to learn how to use it.

So here are my goods!

Body

I am a Canon girl all the way. I always have been. Even my point and shoots have always been Canon. I currently have 2 5D MarkII’s. When I first started out I had the good ol’ canon rebel. This was a fabulous starter camera, but I found that it wasn’t the most helpful or generous in low light conditions. It also is not a full frame camera which was very limiting. I absolutely love the 5D MarkII. I would recommend it to anyone looking to upgrade to a full frame.

Flash

I have two different off cameras flashes (speedlite). I have the Canon 430EX II and the Canon 580EX II. I recommend either of these as they do come handy for those low light ceremonies and receptions. The 580 is definitely a stronger flash than the 430, so if you are deciding between the two, spend the extra money and go with the 580. You won’t be disappointed.

Lenses

I use only a few lenses at the time and the reason for that is because I am generally a wedding photographer. My days are fast, and important… Your lenses should be the same. So I will tell you what lenses I have, love and use the most.

24-70mm 2.8-> Fabulous lens! This was the very first L series lens that I bought. I bought it about 3 months into starting my business and still use it a ton to this day. It has a great focal length, can also be used as a macro lens, and gives you an alright depth of field. I would call this an all purpose lens, or my go to lens. I use this for most of the day for wedding coverage. It is great for those small spaces that the bridal party might be getting ready in ect. Highly recommend this lens to anyone. With that being said, I normally wouldn’t use this for an engagement session or a portrait session. Although it is good for almost everything, I use prime lenses for these types of sessions.

15mm 2.8 Fisheye-> Not a ton to say about this one. This is a lens that you can only use for certain things, or if you are wanting to achieve a certain look. It is very dramatic with a lot of distortion. I find it very fun to play with, and you can do some really neat things with it, but not something I would really recommend.

50mm 1.2-> I cannot say enough about this lens. It is fast, awesome depth of field, and great focal length. I have tried other 50mm lenses and found that 1.2 was to die for. Not only is it great for DOF, it is also a faster glass so it’s great for not missing moments. Highly recommend this lens for a prime lens. I bought this about 6 months ago, and use it for every single session I shoot.

85mm 1.2-> Again, fabulous lens. I find it to be very similar to the 50mm. Great DOF. I use this for almost every session I shoot as well. It is awesome for the reception because it allows you to get up close with great “background blur” without being too close to the subject, which makes for capturing moments without being noticed. There are downsides to this lens though. It is massive. Very large and very heavy. I find my hand gets a little sore after doing a whole session with it. It is also a slower glass, so takes a bit more time to focus then the 50mm. So it takes some getting used to. On top of that, it is a bit on the pricy side. However, if you are not a wedding photographer and do a lot of portraits, couples ect…this is an awesome lens to have.

100mm 2.8->My Macro. I absolutely love this lens. All of those fabulous ring shots you see, this was taken with that. Any of my detail shots are normally taken with this lens. If you are going to buy a macro, the advice I would give is, shoot manual focus. The auto focus on this is great, but manual is magic and offers up so much more. And hey, I have actually used this as a portrait lens too, now that’s multi-functional. Love this lens, quite pricy, so it was a big decision for me to buy it, but so worth it!

That’s all I have. No big secrets, no magic lenses or bodies. Again, like I mentioned, knowing how to use your gear is the biggest part of owning it. I highly suggest either renting or borrowing before you buy. Or at the very least having a good conversation with one of your photographer friends about what you are looking for. It is important to find what works best for YOU. I love prime lenses and they do a fabulous job, but I still go to my 24-70mm. That is my preference as a photographer, every one is different.

Let me know if I missed anything, or if you have any questions at all.

~N~