I know that when I started my photography journey I had no idea what camera bodies were “good” and what lenses to get. I used my trust pal Google to research what other photographers were using and why. I would see these long names for lenses like the Sigma Art 35mm 1:1.4 and had no idea what the heck those numbers even mean! Now I’m going to warn you, this is my personal oppinion and I by no means know EVERYTHING about every make and model of every lens. I’m just here to tell you what I use and why I like it, ok? Cool.
pc: Caitlin Taylor Photography
Camera Body:
Two-ish years ago, one of my co-works was selling her Canon Rebel T2i for $300 with a kit lens. I thought, cool that sounds like a decent price for a what I thought was a nice camera. My awesome fiancé bought it for me as a birthday gift, so we can really thank him for allowing me to find my passion. Thanks hun.
I knew I needed to upgrade the body of my camera, because things were getting serious with this whole photography thing. I decided to go with the Canon 6D and I LOVE IT. It is full frame sensor, has wifi built in, and video recording. I love it so much that I bought two! I also picked the canon 6D because it was more reasonably priced.
pc: Caitlin Taylor Photography
Lenses:
Everything I saw online said to buy a 50mm, so I literally found the cheapest canon 50mm 1.8 (bought for $125) and I was shocked by how different it made my picture look compared to the kit lens! This was a total game changer for me. I usually recommend this lens for anyone who is starting out and looking to upgrade their kit lens. The 1.8 aperture allows you to get a really nice bokeh (blurry background) and works great for portraits.
I got two more lenses after that. I got the Sigma Art 35mm 1.4 which is a wide angle lens that is great for big family pictures, landscapes, and also works well for portraits. Most people say that this is the lens that could shoot a whole wedding with! This lens is very versatile. My next fav is my canon 135mm which is great for shooting couples with but you have to back up. Its gets those nice up close pictures without being in your couples face, like a creeper. And don’t even get me started on how yummy the bokeh is on this bad boy! This lens is so fun to use.
Other Equipment:
For Christmas, Nick got me a brand new Camera Bag Backpack and it fits all my gear in it! The bag is linked here BAGSMART Canvas&Leather Retro Camera Bag NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC
lots of pockets and is super comfortable.
This has to be the best harness around. It doesn’t catch my hair and is really smooth to use. This was custom made to fit my body but you can find it on etsy.
I also have two off camera flashes which a necessity for weddings. I have the Yongnuo YN600EX-RT II speedlite and the Canon Speedlite 430EX II. I also purchase a MagMod Mag Sphere to disperse the light from the flash more evenly.
Its ok to build your equipment collection slowly. It is a big investment but it is necessary if you want to take your business to the next level. If you want to learn more about how I got started or how to shoot in manual I’d love to teach you!
