My Gear - What I Use to Capture Images and Create Art

It is kind of fun to see what people have in their camera bags and, for that matter, to find out what they carry their gear around in. So, I thought you might like to take a look at my gear.

I am not a big believer in buying the newest, greatest gadget. I'll spend money on education, wardrobe for a new concept shoot, etc. before shopping for the awesome digital camera that cleans the dishes, too, just because it is the hottest new toy. Cameras and lenses are tools, just like paintbrushes and canvas. You can use a pretty basic camera to capture beautiful images if you understand the exposure triangle and have an eye for composition.

That said, there are things I'm not willing to compromise on when it comes to gear for weddings. You should have a professional grade camera. You should have a fast prime or two, as well. And you absolutely should have some light modifiers and at least one speedlite.

Which means I sort of have two kits - fun and serious. Fun is micro four thirds cameras and lenses, old Polaroid cameras, Lensbaby and Holga plastic lenses. Fun is...well, it is fun. Serious is full frame, back up body, back up cards, back up batteries and back up lenses.

I'll start with my actual camera bag, which is a simple Vivitar backpack. It isn't perfect. I would like it to fit two Canon bodies easily. And it doesn't. I can reconfigure it so they fit, but it is so tight that the lenses end up having the AF buttons turn off when I take the cameras out. So, it is good for one camera body, several lenses and a speedlite. There is plenty of room for extra cards and batteries. The trolley insert is useless because I cannot find the trolley for sale anywhere and the laptop pocket will not fit my older laptop, which is a big clunky thing, but easily fits newer models. Overall, a nice backpack, fairly functional and holding up after almost a year of pretty heavy use. I haven't checked it, but it has been on several flights as a carry on and my gear made it through the trips just fine.

Sometimes, you just can't improve on the original. This is the case with the Canon 5D camera. It is commonly called the Classic by photographers. Although newer models, such as the 5D Mark III, have a lot of great improvements, such as less noise at high ISO, I have yet to see a camera beat the Classic when it comes to on location or in studio portraits. So gorgeous and creamy and just...I tell you, it is unbelievable. And did I mention the price? You can buy a nice, lightly used body for under $800. A bit more used and you'll be at about $550.




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