What's in My Bag, Part 1: Families

As a photographer, I am often asked about equipment.  There is SO much out there, it’s hard to know what you really need!  

Every photographer is a different and I by no means claim to have the definitive answer, but I’ve found what works for me and I go with it!  As long as you find the gear that works for you and you feel comfortable using it, that’s what matters!

So I’m starting a “what in my bag” series- all about what I use- when and where!  

This is my workhorse kit and what I use 80% of the time.  

My Canon 5D Mark III is a solid and dependable body- you can’t go wrong with this bad boy.  It’s top of it’s class and has a full frame sensor to capture all that wonderful light.  I love that it has 2 card slots to allow me to record to 2 cards simultaneously!  Extra backup is always a good thing!!

It also has what my brother-in-law refers to as “machine gun mode”- high speed shooting to allow me capture those split second expressions and movements from those little ones!

 

My 50 mm lens is my go-to portrait lens.  This lens most closely resembles the human eye and is very flattering for people!  (very key!)

I use a prime lens (meaning it does not zoom) but it allows me to open up the lens more, let more light into the lens to achieve those creamy shallow depth of field (blurry background) look.  I typically don’t go below 2.8 when shooting families to keep focus, but I’ll go lower when shooting landscapes and things that don’t move as fast!

I always carry an extra battery and SD cards, as you never can be too prepared!

This little guy always comes with me- sometimes kids just need a little extra encouragement to keep their focus on the camera, and this helps!

 

My trusty blanket is also another main stay for getting everyone on the grass together.  I also keep a spare in my car that has works in case the grass is wet!!

 

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