What’s in my Camera Bag?

My number one passion in life has always been photography. Seriously, I picked up a camera when I was 8 years old, and I still haven’t put it down. I am obsessed.

I have done a variety of photography (commercial, architectural, travel, weddings, editorial, just naming a few) over the years and I am always learning as I go. My favourite photography styles are commercial product and lifestyle portraits. I would say I’m least passionate about landscape photography and I don’t think I have the eye for it.

In high school I studied Film Photography for 3 years, then I went on to attend Niagara College in their Digital Photography program which was 2 years long. It changed my life!

I have collected cameras, lenses, and some other little gadgets over a few years and my camera bag doesn’t have all this gear in it at once. Depending on what I plan on shooting and where I am going, I bring different items! Let’s get into it.

My Camera

Digital: One of the loves of my life, is my Nikon D4. I actually only purchased it last year. Before that, I was using my Nikon from school (D7100).

The Nikon D4 is an insane camera. I love it, but it is not for everyone! This camera is mainly targeted for sport and wildlife photographers. It’s heavy, large, but very durable.

Film: Honestly, I have too many film cameras. I have been collecting them since I was given my first one (Canon FTb) by my photography High School teacher as a gift. I have only used a few of them, but film is so rewarding to shoot with.

My go-to film camera is my previously mentioned Canon FTb, mainly because I have a lot of lenses for it. My next in line film camera is my Minolta XG9.

Lenses

I have a few favourite lenses for different situations, but these are the ones I use most and always bring with me.

85mm: I shoot a lot of portraits and weddings so the 85mm was the first lens I purchased myself in high school. I would be willing to bet anyone using a kit lens and switching to an 85mm would be pleasantly surprised at how much it changes the game.

50mm: Next on my list is my good old 50mm. On a full frame camera, 50mm is the closest lens to what we see with our eyes. 50mm is small, light, easy to travel with.

35mm: The first time I used a 35mm lens, I went and purchased one for myself immediately after. This is a wider lens so it’s more ideal for my hiking and landscape photos, it really helps me to tell the whole story. If I’m packing light, I’ll only bring my 35mm and 85mm lenses.

Prime: You may have noticed that I only listed prime lenses, and that’s because I only ever use my prime lenses. I have many zoom lenses and don’t even dust them off. The one thing I like about zoom lenses is when I can fully zoom and have the image compressed, however I don’t often need that in my photos. Plus, they’re heavier and don’t perform well in low light settings. I’m a prime girl through and through.

Accessories

Camera Strap: My camera strap was a gift from my fiancé, and I use it constantly! You can find it here. It’s sturdy and stylish.

Camera Bag: I have a variety of camera bags and they all serve different purposes. I have one for winter and snowy situations, one for weddings, a backpack for a lot of equipment, and a smaller one. I have been pretty lucky with camera bags because I have won a majority of my collection of them!

Lens Caps: Do you even own a camera if you’re not constantly misplacing lens caps? I have so many spare ones just floating around at all times.

Lens Hoods: I love using lens hoods! They’re great for those sunny days.

Where to Start?

If you’re looking to get into the world of photography, whether it be for a hobby or professionally, I recommend feeling out some cameras before buying one! It’s quite normal to spend some time in camera shops just playing around with the gadgets.

I am most familiar with Nikon and Canon products so I recommend looking at either Nikon D850, Nikon D3500, Canon EOS Rebel T7 or Canon EOS 5D Mark IV.

Don’t overwhelm yourself with gear at first. Use your kit lens or a 50mm and get comfortable with your camera, learn the functions and figure out what you like shooting. Then you can collect your forever gear as you grow into this new journey!

Have fun shooting, and don’t forget to check out my presets for editing!

Kate 📸🌼