Must Have Photography Gear For Bloggers
I get asked the question often about what photography gear is the best and what camera and lens do I use. I’m more than happy to share my knowledge and thoughts and give you some recommendations to help you in your path to blogger photo stardom! Let me preface though by stating…
that it’s not the gear necessarily that makes the photographer, it’s the knowledge and the experience that you gain by studying the topic and by lots of practice! Although I feel that I’ve certainly come a long way over the years and many thousands of shutter clicks I learn something new every time that I pick up a camera. I was told several years ago by someone that I wasn’t a photographer or stylist but merely a student, and in all honesty I feel that most photographers will look back at their work from a year ago and see how much they have improved…
I’m pretty excited to have been invited to teach photo styling and photography at the Haven Conference in Atlanta next month and hope that if you are going I’ll see you there.
Lets Talk Gear now and I’m most familiar with Canon which I shoot with, so I’ll be focusing on that brand. There is nothing wrong with Nikon or any of the other brands, it’s just that I’ve started when digital cameras came around with Canon and am loyal. I’ll also be giving you affiliate links to what I recommend for beginning photographers on Amazon and should you decide to make a purchase I do receive a very small amount that helps fund my blog. Thank you for that, and you don’t pay a cent more:~}}
Cameras
The best cameras for beginning photographers on a budget is a DSLR and the Canon Rebel is the core of the line for beginners to advanced. I’m not going to go all technical on you, but instead will mention the merits and the fact that many pros use this camera as well. I have had a couple of different Canon Rebels over the years and my two young adult daughters shoot with them and get some fantastic shots. You can go with one of the Canon Rebel older cameras or find something refurbished or used, just know who you are buying from. This one is the Canon Rebel T6i, and it runs around $750 for the body only. If you can afford it, you will have this one for years to come and it’s going to be the workhorse of your blog photography. I recommend NOT BUYING a kit package but the body only, as the lenses included in the kit are not what you’ll ultimately want. It has built-in WiFi as a plus, and you’ll be able to shoot full HD video. Find out all of the specs and read the reviews ON AMAZON
At just under $400 the Canon Rebel T5 kit package is definitely more affordable and is an older more simple model in the Canon Rebel line. Depending upon your budget you might want to start out with this one that includes a basic lens. You’ll find that you outgrow the lens quickly, which is an 18-55mm zoom lens. For more on this one…you can find it ON AMAZON.
LENSES
I’m recommending 2 of the most essential lenses for bloggers and photographers in general today that I use most often…
Sometimes known as the “nifty fifty”, the 50 mm lens from Canon is the best and the least expensive must-have for any blogger’s bag. Known as a prime lens because it doesn’t zoom in or out and your feet need to do the walking with this super sharp lens. It performs well in low light because you can open up the aperture to let in more light. You can achieve that bokeh that everyone loves with this lens and
get amazing depth of field. It’s small and lightweight and I often use it when I’m out and about and don’t want to carry around my larger heavier lenses on my camera, which is a full frame and very heavy. The price is ahh-mazing…at only around $125 ON AMAZON.
This lens is a workhorse and the one that is on my camera probably most often. It’s not inexpensive at almost $1,000 but I’ve had mine for years now and it’s definitely paid for itself many time over with the money that I’ve made using it for photography for my blog and other shooting like magazine work. The Canon 24-105mm is a zoom lens that has a maximum focal length of 105mm and you can shoot an entire room or zoom in close to a subject. The lens has image stabilization which is important with a heavy lens and will get you a clearer shot when you hand hold your camera with this lens on. The auto-focus is crystal sharp from my experience, it’s weather resistant and I’ve used it in low light with slow shutter speeds on a tripod to capture shots in an almost dark room. If your budget will allow, I would have the 50 mm and this one in your arsenal and you’ll be all set for your blogging career for years to come. Find it ON AMAZON
If you enjoyed this post, here are a couple of other photography articles:
Enjoy your photographic adventures and have fun! If you have any questions feel free to reach out. Some more recommendations are listed from my affiliate for you below.