WHAT'S IN MY BAG?
Helloooooo, lovelies!! I'm so excited to share what's in my bag! I've been wanting to do this for a while, but my lack of motivation has held me back a bit. ;) LOL! Here's a look into the gear I use, and why I use it! (Go figure, I would go through all this work to realize I forgot to include 2 flashes in this shot. YAAAYYY absentmindedness! Lol!! Not to worry, I remembered to include one below! The other, I just forgot to include in general. Hahaha.
I forgot to take closeup shots of the straps, but I got several of my straps from Olive & Rye Design!
I forgot to take closeup shots of the straps, but I got several of my straps from Olive & Rye Design!
THE BAG
Can we just take a second to drool over this bag? Seriously, IT. IS. STUNNING. That color...I just droooooool. I am not used to having so much room in my camera bag. I feel like Will Ferrell and John C. Reilly in Step Brothers when they combine their beds into bunk beds. THERE IS SO MUCH ROOM FOR ACTIVITIES. Hahahahahaha. But seriously, I feel spoiled with so much space in my bag. If you look above at the overall gear photo, you'll see that I have 2 bags included. I'm merely showing you how much of a size difference there is between my old bag and this epic bag! I was tight on space with that bag before, but not anymore!! There are so many handy-dandy pockets and compartments for me to keep my lens caps, keys, phone, gum, safety pins, lollipops, band-aids, and all of my tiny gadgets in. It comes with padded separators so you can separate all of your lenses and camera bodies. You decide how many compartments you want, and how spaced out you want them. There are also extra spaces for things like flashes, triggers, extra batteries, and even a laptop! When I'm going to a meeting with a client, I can fit all of my paperwork and may laptop comfortably in there. It is seriously the perfect bag!
THE CAMERAS
NIKON D5This is my newest baby, and I'M. IN. LOVE. I got it for a number of reasons, but along the top were the ridiculously high frame rate and the crazy high ISO capabilities.
And let me tell you...this camera knoooowwsss how to focus, and hold focus. I got the XQD memory card version...it seems to be the "memory card of the future". Hehe. And I have to say, THAT BAD BOY CAN HOLD SOME PICTURES. Oh my word, I absolutely love this memory card. Lighting quick. I also love that it has a touch-screen. Something I wasn't spoiled with from my D800 or D7000. This camera wasn't cheap, but it was worth every penny. It's the camera that keeps on giving. Hahahaha. |
NIKON D800I LOVE the D800. Seriously. This camera was my main squeeze for the majority of my career thus far. It was honestly just nice going from a crop sensor with the D7000 to a full frame. That alone made a huge difference in my photography.
I love the larger screen, video capabilities, and layout of the buttons so much more than the D7000. Because I love to underexpose my photos...I was so happy to be able to drop my ISO even lower than 100. This is an amazing camera. Honestly...if it hadn't started royally messing up on me at the end...I probably wouldn't have bought another camera. I love it that much! |
NIKON D7000This was my very first ever DSLR. This was part of my initial journey as a photographer. I learned everything about photography on this bad boy.
It's not one of those cameras that I think most professionals will settle with for their entire careers, but it is definitely an amazing start-up camera. It functions SO much better than so many other Nikon cameras, but it does lack a lot. But for the price...I would recommend this camera as a first camera for any aspiring photographer!! |
THE LENSES
NIKKOR 50MM F/1.4THIS LENS IS LIFE. For real, if I could only choose 1 lens to have for the rest of my career, this would be it in a heartbeat. This was the very first lens I ever bought...and it would easily be the last. I mean...I might could spring for a 1.2, hahahaha. But really, though, I can't express to you how much I love this lens. Want to know why I love it so much? Sure you do. Otherwise, you would have quit reading by now. Hahahaha. This lens is so incredibly versatile. I can be close to my subject, but still have plenty of scenery in the frame. I can be far away, but my background will still be blurry. I can be close enough to my subjects that they can hear me speak (as apposed to the 200mm. LOL!). I can also get up close and personal in my client's personal bubbles for those intimate shots. The aperture at 1.4 is gorgeously creamy, and the lens is so sharp! I never have soft issues with this lens.
And the best part? IT'S SO CHEAP!!! This is the lens I recommend to anyone wanting to venture into photography. It is by far my favorite lens. |
NIKKOR 135MM F/2.0Okay. Hold the phone. A new lens just arrived in town and it's stealing all the attention. Alright, not really. Buuuuut, it's my newest lens, and it's all the rave. Rightly so! Have you seen the bokeh produced by this lens? If not, you've goooottaaaa scroll down to see some shots taken with this lens.
It's more on the old-school side, but it's perfect...so why change it? I was looking for a lens that gave me that dreamy effect in photos, but wasn't as giant as a 70-200mm or 200mm. I used to own the 70-200mm, and I actually sold it and bought this instead. And I'm SO happy with my decision. First off, this is a prime, so it's a heck of a lot sharper. Secondly, the focal length isn't as long as the 200...so you can be much closer to your subjects. It's light, it's smallish, it's sharp, it's dreamy. This lens is a winner in my book. |
TAMRON 24-70MM F/2.8You want a lens that is sharp? This is your guy. You want a lens that has a wide angle? This is your guy. You want a lens that zooms? This is your guy. You want a lens to get my signature "laying down" shots? This is your guy.
I bought this lens when I started wedding photography. I needed something with a wider angle for just about every part of the wedding day (getting ready, formals, ceremony, reception, etc). I also needed a zoom lens. I could have gone with the Nikon 24-70, but I read so many amazing things about the Tamron. I actually read that it was favored more-so than the Nikon. PLUS, it's cheaper. So...I decided to order one! And guess what? I LOVE IT. Because I don't do weddings anymore, I don't use it quite as often as I used to. I do, however, use it for many large family action shots, as well as my laying down shots. It's wide enough to give me that awesome wide angle from above, but there's no distortion or fish-eye action going on. I would 10/10 recommend this lens! |
THE LIGHTING
THE SPEEDLIGHTSI'll start off by saying that I seemed to have forgotten my brain when photographing my gear...seeing as how I forgot to include 2 flashes in the image at the top of the page, and I forgot to take any pictures of my Nikon flash.
So I'm going to keep this incredibly short and sweet. I love speedlights. They are amazing for adding a little lighting and dimension to your photos...without hauling around a strobe, stand, and softbox. I love using them as my accent kicker lighting in photos. They stay on my cameras at weddings. If you are looking for OCF, but don't have the money to spend on a strobe, I highly recommend you get one! With that being said, I'm a sucker for Yongnuo flashes. I have a Nikon SB-800 flash, and it's great! But honestly, I love these Yongnuo YN467-II and YN565EX flashes. They are amazing, have super fast recycling times, and last a long time with their batteries. Plus...they are sooooo cheap. I have had the YN467-II flash for over 4 years now, and it's still top-notch for what I do. Is it as fancy with all the bells and whistles as tome top-of-the-line Nikon flashes? Nope. But I honestly LOVE the simplicity of it. |
THE STROBESAlienBees - B800
Paul C. Buff Get yours here! Vagabond Mini Lithium Battery Paul C. Buff Get yours here! THIS IS A BEAST. Seriously, I looooooooove my AlienBees. I have 2 Alienbees B800 strobes, and they are utterly amazing. I used them for weddings, and continue to use them for indoor and outdoor sessions! For outdoor sessions, I'll pop my strobe on a stand, throw some sandbags on the stand, put a softbox or umbrella on my strobe, and BOOM. Automatically drastic lighting whether I'm inside or outside. These strobes have crazy fast recycling times, and the power is insane. I have yet to be in a situation where I wished I had more light power from one of these. If you're interested in upping the look of your photography...seriously...run and get one of these!!!!
I aaaallssoooo forgot to take a closeup photo of my portable battery. It's in the image at the tippy top of the page, just under my strobes. It is the Vagabond Mini Lithium Portable Battery. This sucker can hold some power. It's got 2 outlets, which has worked out perfectly for me because I have 2 strobes that require power. This is absolutely necessary for me to have...not only because many weddings are outside when you don't have an outlet, but also because I love to take my strobes with me for outdoor sessions. I'll plug up my strobe to this battery and trek them with me into a field, up a mountain, in the woods...it doesn't matter where I go! This battery would last me a full 10-hour day powering 2 strobes at a wedding on one full charge. Seriously, this thing is THE BOMB. |
THE TRIGGERSI have 4 PocketWizard Plus iii wireless triggers to signal my flashes and strobes to go off. I bought these when I was doing weddings, and continue to use them any time I use OCF for sessions. They are incredibly easy to use. What I love about them is that I can send signals to 4 light sources at one time, and I can easily turn one on or off just with the click of a button. They are a bit pricey, but they are SO incredibly worth it!!
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PHOTOS TAKEN WITH GEAR
NIKON D5
NIKON D800
NIKON D7000
NIKKOR 50MM F/1.4
NIKKOR 135MM F/2.0
TAMRON 24-70MM F/2.8
ALIENBEES B800
