General Gear Overview
- Canon Camera body
- Camera Strap
- Bag
- 50mm Camera Lens
- SD Card
- Editing Software
- Digital Gallery Software
Here is a list of some things I personally use daily in my photography business. You DO NOT need to purchase or use the same equipment or products that I do. I felt this just might help give you an overall Idea of the kind of equipment you may need to invest in if you are looking to get into photography or are just curious of the photography process.
Camera Body: Canon EOS 6D Mark II DSLR Camera
I have honestly loved this camera body! It is very beginner friendly and produces amazing photos. It took a little bit of learning to get used to but I honestly feel like that's a process you have to take with learning any professional camera. It really only took me a few practice sessions to learn how I wanted to shoot my clients.
It has a touch viewing screen which you can tap to focus, which is a great feature! Has all the features you need to start out, changing lighting, shutter speed, ect. It has a Wi-Fi feature that will convert images straight from your camera to your phone wirelessly! You don't even need to slide your SD card into your laptop if you don't want to. I honestly just upload the images straight to the lightroom app on my phone and the pictures instantly upload to my lightroom editing software on my PC.
You can find the camera here if you'd like to check it out or see what other people are saying about it!
https://amzn.to/3YdUywf
Camera Strap
This is a simple yet necessary piece of equipment! It's really affordable to purchase and there are tons of fun options to help customize it to your own personal style and preference. Here's the same on one I purchased! It fit my personality and it was only $10!
https://amzn.to/3OBW3kQ
Camera Bag
If you purchase a camera brand new, it's likely it'll come with its own carrying case, for me I purchased my camera secondhand and it didn't, luckily there are also some really useful bags out there that come in a variety of colors and styles. Some have multiple compartments that hold multiple lenses, which is so useful! You can really go as simple or as complicated as you want. This one is great and comes with a lot of fun color options.
https://amzn.to/3DxOd5e
Lens: Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 STM
While having a good camera body is important, it's even more important to invest in a good quality lens. Your photos can go from 0 to 100 really quickly just by simply changing your Lense. There are a lot of options out there for lenses. A staple in any portrait type photography is a 50mm lens, it's perfect for close ups and anything in a studio. Once you start wanting to expand your shots investing in an 80mm or even a transition lens would be really beneficial, but in boudoir you could basically go the whole time using a 50mm.
This is the same one I have, and I honestly love it. It's so great for beginners and produces high quality photos. Someday I may want a lens with a zooming capability, but for my portraits it produces beautiful shots and I love it!
https://amzn.to/3DABvTb
SD Cards
In photography, you can never have too many SD cards! Memory and storage are super important when you are constantly taking so many photos. luckily, I feel SD cards are generally really affordable, however cheapest isn't always best! I'd recommend always getting a 170mb/s SD card for higher speed. Trust me, the few extra dollars will be worth it! The amount of GB you want to invest in is up to you, but I'd make sure it stays at 170 mb/s. I generally go for the 128GB just for higher storage, I can go a bit longer between shoots before having to switch cards. I personally use sandisck but it really doesn't matter which brand you use.
https://amzn.to/3OdmLPc
Editing Software
Editing is probably one of the most important aspects of my business, and really any photography business. You can turn one photo from dark and uninviting to bright, moody, and fun. I strongly suggest finding a good software. I keep things simple and currently use Adobe Lightroom and am in the process of looking into photoshop.
I feel lightroom has been super easy to use and to learn, with anything new it can be overwhelming at first, but with YouTube and some mentor sessions with other photographers I feel I picked it up fairly quickly. If I can learn you for sure can!
Another great tool in editing is presets. If you don't know what presets are, they are presold settings in your editing software that will edit each photo the same each time, so you can learn what each setting and adjustment does and also edit loads faster. I personally wouldn't recommend relying on presets alone because it's not a "one size fits all" deal. Each photo is different and may need additional adjustments so it's important to learn how to adjust your settings to fit your style.
*Not affiliated with lightroom.
Online Client Gallery
If you plan to sell or provide an online digital gallery, you will need a program or business to provide this service for you and your clients. Currently I have a Pixieset subscription. This allows me to create private online galleries that I send to my clients. I usually send the link via email, and then they are provided with a private download pin so even if someone were to somehow see the link, they can't download their photos.
Overall I feel it's an affordable option, and it's very convenient for me and my clients.
I'm not affiliated with pixieset, but I have enjoyed using their services.
