What’s in my camera bag?

Our cameras are essentially boxes with lenses attaches that let light in and help us to make pictures. I repeat this line over and over to my high school photography students to reiterate that fact that making great pictures does not equal having a particular camera (box) or the best camera (box). When was the last time you heard a chef say that the meal they made was because they had a great stove?

Alright, on to what’s in my camera bag…

You know the story, I was a homeschooling mom with a blog and I took pictures for the blog. My camera broke and my husband got me a camera for my birthday.

That new camera happened to be a Nikon d5100 and placed my life on an unexpected path. What’s in my camera bag today is somewhat different than how I first started out.

My hands down favorite camera body was the Nikon d700, I say was because these days my favorite is the Nikon d750. I never thought I’d stop crushin’ on my d700, but as a wedding photographer, the dual card slots, the ISO capabilities and the light weight of the d750 make it the optimal camera for me on wedding days.

Now onto the glass!

My FAVORITE lens is the Nikkor 70-200mm f2.8. I purchased this lens on my way to Cliff Mautner’s Lighting and Skillset Bootcamp five years ago, and I have never looked back. I use this lens for the ceremony, portraits, some details, the first dance, you name it.

The Nikon 85mm 1.8d – I think this was the second lens that I purchased after learning about the best focal lengths for portraits. I still use it for portraits during the bride’s getting ready time.

The Nikon 50mm 1.8 – This was the first lens that I bought while I was learning how to use my camera in manual mode. It’s usually hanging by my side with the 70-200.

The Nikon 35mm 2.0 – I use this lens when a wider focal length is needed while getting candid shots during the getting ready, and taking overall photographs of the ceremony or reception room.

The Nikon 24-120mm f/4 – This lens now fills the role of my 35mm, but only stops down to f/4. Not an issue for me because of the ISO capabilities of the d750 if I’m in a low light situation, and I also tend to use this lens with off-camera lights or an on-camera speedlight.

The Nikkor 105 macro – LOVE this lens for ring shots. That’s all I have to say. This was a recent purchase and replaced my Nikkor 60mm macro.

Here are a few other gadgets and tools that I use throughout the day:

Holdfast Camera Strap – can’t live without this!!
MagMod for my speedlights
Sandisk Memory Cards
5-in-1 Reflector
60-inch umbrella
Rogue flash bender

Thanks for reading the what’s in my camera bag edition!

Have an outstanding day and I hope you make something beautiful!