60% Off Today! Shop the Enchanted Garden Retirement Sale!

  • Log in
  • Cart (0)
  • Checkout
Pretty Presets and Pretty Photoshop Actions
  • Lightroom Presets
  • Mobile Presets
  • Lightroom Brushes
  • Photoshop 
    • Photoshop Actions
    • Photoshop Overlays
    • Limited Edition Holiday Collections
  • Support 
    • About Us
    • Contact Us
    • Order Lookup
    • Lightroom 101 Workshop
    • Photoshop 101 Workshop
    • Lightroom FAQ
    • Photoshop FAQ
    • Free Lightroom Training
    • Free Photoshop Training
  • Install 
    • How to Install Lightroom Presets
    • How to Install Lightroom Brushes
    • How to Install Presets in the Free Lightroom Mobile App
    • How to Sync Lightroom Presets from CC to Mobile
    • How to Install Photoshop Actions
    • How to Install Photoshop Overlays
  • Blog
  • Lightroom Presets
  • Mobile Presets
  • Lightroom Brushes
  • Photoshop 
    • Photoshop Actions
    • Photoshop Overlays
    • Limited Edition Holiday Collections
  • Support 
    • About Us
    • Contact Us
    • Order Lookup
    • Lightroom 101 Workshop
    • Photoshop 101 Workshop
    • Lightroom FAQ
    • Photoshop FAQ
    • Free Lightroom Training
    • Free Photoshop Training
  • Install 
    • How to Install Lightroom Presets
    • How to Install Lightroom Brushes
    • How to Install Presets in the Free Lightroom Mobile App
    • How to Sync Lightroom Presets from CC to Mobile
    • How to Install Photoshop Actions
    • How to Install Photoshop Overlays
  • Blog
Home   /   Lightroom Tutorials   /   What Kind of Camera Gear Do I Need?

What Kind of Camera Gear Do I Need?

By Anna Gay on May 13, 2013 | No Comments

What Kind of Camera Gear Do I Need?

What Kind of Camera Gear Do You Need?

People who are new to photography often ask me about my gear – what camera I use, and which lenses I prefer. 

My answer to this question used to be fairly simple (when I was doing strictly commercial work), but now that I am in school for photography, I have two sets of gear: I have a digital setup, and a film setup (which is more for school).

While I prefer film, I’ve come to rely on the ease-of-use that digital provides for commercial work.  So, for the sake of this post, I will talk about my digital gear.

Lightroom & Photoshop Facebook Group

Camera(s)

My primary camera is a Canon 5D Mark II. I absolutely love this camera, and it is all I need for what I do. Sure, there are more expensive and fancy cameras on the market, but honestly? I’m not shooting for National Geographic! I just need a lightweight, full-frame camera for shooting portraits and weddings.

Before I purchased my Canon, I was shooting with a Nikon D90. I still have my D90, and use it as backup just in case, for whatever reason, my Canon dies during a shoot. I have never (knock on wood) had this problem, but carrying a backup camera helps me sleep better the night before a shoot.

Lenses

My favorite lenses are the 50mm f/1.4 and the 24-70mm f/2.8. If I am shooting portraits, I will only use my 50mm. For weddings, I like to have the 24-70mm with me to get wide angle shots, and to zoom in a bit closer than the 50mm for candid shots.

If you are new to photography and not sure which lenses you would like to invest in, you may want to look into renting some lenses (or any type of camera gear, for that matter) to test them out before you invest. My favorite place to rent is through Aperturent.

 

Accessories

I prefer natural light, but sometimes, I use a flash for fill light. I use a Canon 430ex ii, because, like my camera, it is light-weight and provides just enough fill light. I also use a flash diffuser to prevent harsh shadows.

One of the items that I absolutely cannot live without is my tripod! Sometimes, especially if you are photographing a wedding in the evening, you may find yourself in lighting conditions that aren’t ideal. Having a tripod handy will let you keep your camera settings at a low ISO and a slower shutter speed, without risking camera shake and blurry photos. If you find that running around with a tripod is too cumbersome, look into a monopod like this.

Editing Software

Editing Software

I edit with both Lightroom and Photoshop. However, nowadays, with all of the improvements made to Lightroom, I use it almost exclusively. I used to do a lot of heavy editing in Photoshop, but, I am at a point where I try to get my shots as clean as I can in-camera, so that I only have to do minimal editing in Lightroom. Plus, I find the workflow of Lightroom is much more convenient than Photoshop.

The above are my absolutely-cannot-live-without items, but I am, admittedly, a gear junkie, so it was really difficult for me to whittle this down to the bare essentials! What are some of your favorite pieces of gear?

*These are all camera accessories that we use and recommend.  Some of these direct you to affiliate sites that offer these accessories at the best price.  Enjoy and please let us know if you have any questions.

Mobile Lightroom Presets

Related Articles

6 Great Photography Projects for Slow Times
6 Great Photography Projects for Slow Times
6 Photography Projects to Keep You Busy During Slow Months Winter is usually a slow time for photography in the north...
Read More
150+ Free Adobe Lightroom Tutorials
150+ Free Adobe Lightroom Tutorials
150+ Adobe Lightroom Tutorials We've put together this fantastic resource page just for you!  It includes OVER 150 of...
Read More
100+ Free Photoshop Tutorials
100+ Free Photoshop Tutorials
100+ Photoshop Tutorials We've put together this fantastic resource page just for you!  It includes OVER 100 of our f...
Read More
Pretty Presets for Lightroom author Anna Gay

Anna Gay

Portrait Photographer

Anna Gay is a portrait photographer based in Athens, GA and the author of the dPS ebook The Art of Self-Portraiture. She also designs actions and textures for Photoshop. When she is not shooting or writing, she enjoys spending time with her husband, and their two cats, Elphie and Fat Cat.

May 13, 2013

Comments

INFO & SUPPORT
  • Lightroom FAQ
  • Photoshop FAQ
  • Contact Us
  • Order Lookup
Sign up for great freebies and tutorials

Get notified about promotions, giveaways and webinars before they happen!

Join the pretty Community

Come join the #1 Lightroom & Photoshop Facebook Group to help you learn how to edit your photos more confidently today!


  • About Us
  • Testimonials
  • Policies
  • Terms of Service
  • Write for Pretty
  • Pretty Scholarship

© 2023 Pretty Presets for Lightroom.