Wednesday, November 13, 2013

What's in our camera bag?

We're always curious to see what other photographers shoot with and wanted to put together a list of our equipment in case anyone was wondering. Keep in mind, cameras & lenses don't make a good photographer, it's the talent of the photographer that is the main factor. Yes, better quality equipment does help, but if you don't know how to properly use it/your camera, your photos won't get any better.

So what are we packing in our camera bag these days?

Canon 7D cameraThis is the camera we use at all our sessions. It is amazing and has so many great options for focusing, changing settings, color balance, etc.
Canon 50D cameraThis is our back-up camera. We rarely use it these days, but it's nice to have around in case something happens to the 7D. Or if the both of us are shooting at a session/wedding, I (Shamara) use this camera to get additional shots.
Canon 50mm 1.4 lensThis lens is on our camera probably 80% of the time. It's great in low light, it's great for people in motion, it produces a gorgeous blurred background. We love this lens for group photos, close-ups and active toddlers :)

Canon 85mm 1.8 lensThis is my (Shamara) favorite lens for portraits. I feel that it focuses better and is a bit quicker than the 50mm. But you have to stand further back from your subject which limits when we can use it. If you're in a tight space, this lens probably won't get your whole subject in the frame.

Canon 100mm 2.8 macro lensWe don't use this lens much anymore, but we've taken some amazing close-ups of flowers, bugs, rings and animals with it. I love that you can capture every tiny little detail of an item with this lens.
 Canon 18-200mm 3.5-5.6 IS lensWe bought this lens a few years back because we loved how big of a range this lens has. It works great for landscapes, casual photos, buildings and when you want to fit a lot of things in a photo. The quality isn't as good as our other lens, though, and we don't use it much at photo shoots unless we are desperate. We're thinking of upgrading to a better quality lens with a range, but we'll need to save up a while for a replacement :)
 Canon 430EX II external flashThis was one of our first purchases when we started taking photos of other people. We prefer to take natural light photos, but this has come in handy so many times and has saved our photos when the light was too low. It's also great for indoor sessions/weddings when you can bounce the light off the ceiling or wall. We'd love to upgrade to the 580EX II someday, but this one works great for the time being.

Photographers, what is your favorite piece of equipment that you shoot with? What are you currently drooling over and saving your pennies for?

Sunday, November 10, 2013

October 27th, 2013 - Family Photos

October was a busy photo month for us with everyone sneaking sessions in before the rainy season. We had a lot of fun at this family shoot at Bush Park and were so happy that the rain stayed away. And how adorable is this family of 6?! :)

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Friday, November 8, 2013

October 26th, 2013 - Maternity/family photos

October 26th started out a bit rainy, but cleared up for our photo session (although it was pretty chilly). We did half maternity and half couple/family photos and the gorgeous fall trees provided the perfect background for both!

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Wednesday, November 6, 2013

October 23rd, 2013 - Family/kid photos

Fall in Oregon is gorgeous and so colorful! So what better way to celebrate the season than with cute kids playing in leaves and trying on their Halloween costumes?!

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Sunday, October 27, 2013

July 17th/October 6th, 2013 - Senior Photos

I have been waiting years for my little sister to become a senior so we could do her senior photos! The time finally came and we've spent over 5 hours of shooting so far and still have another violin-centered session to go. It's fun taking photos of someone you know so well and it certainly doesn't hurt that she's gorgeous and so photogenic! :)

Here's a small preview of her sessions. Check out our Facebook page for additional photos: Senior Rep Liz - full gallery