I love seeing what camera gear other pros use, so here’s my list! 😊 I truly believe that photography is as much an art as it is about cameras and lenses and accessories though, and I firmly believe that you don’t need the latest and most expensive equipment to take beautiful pictures. Your artistic vision is the most important tool in your kit!
I happen to use a Nikon which I love, but I know that Sony, Canon and other brands are just as good. I chose Nikon mostly because my mom has a Nikon and I wanted access to her collection of lens. 😉
*Some of the links in this post are affiliate links, which means I may earn a small commission if you make a purchase (at no extra cost to you). I hope you enjoy this article regardless. 😊
Camera and Lenses
Nikon D750 – Most of the pictures on this website to date are taken with either this camera or the previous model, the D610. This is Nikon’s lowest-priced full-frame camera and it delivers fantastic image quality even in low light. The newer, upgraded D850 (which my mom has and loves) delivers even higher resolution, even better dynamic range and faster speed. The Canon equivalent of the D750, the 6D Mark II, also gets very good reviews.
Nikon 50 mm f/1.4G Lens – This is my go-to lens. I prefer a prime lens for most of my pictures for the sharpness and the least distortion. Excellent reliable performance.
Nikon Micro 105 mm Lens – Hands down, my favorite and most beloved lens. So incredibly sharp with the most beautiful bokeh. (I’m all about the bokeh!) Every shot is perfection. Excellent for close-ups of flowers AND for portraits, assuming you have enough room to step back to accommodate the focal length.
Nikon 24-70 mm Zoom Lens – A great all-purpose and travel lens. Excellent image quality, especially for a zoom lens, but bigger, heavier and more expensive than other lenses. We often use this for travel for the wide-angle versatility.
Nikon 28-300 mm Zoom Lens – I don’t need a zoom lens often, but some situations require it, like when you’re shooting birds or monkeys in Costa Rica! 🦜🐒🦋
Fuji X100F – My favorite compact camera, and also the best looking! Amazing image quality with a fixed 35 mm lens 24.3 megapixels. It is mirrorless and has an APS-C sensor, larger than most other compact cameras. I love the classic knob-style controls. I learned about using the iPhone app to take selfies from Carin Olsson (Paris in Four Months), who uses this camera to take beautiful travel selfies! I have a previous model of this camera, but borrow my mom’s new one sometimes for short trips when I’d rather travel lighter. We both have the silver model.
Tripods
Manfrotto Aluminum Tripod with Horizontal Column and Ballhead – Strong, stable and reliable. I love the horizontal arm for flat-lays! We brought this with us to Mont Saint-Michel and were glad we did because it was windy there! It has a hook between the legs to hang extra weight to further stabilize the tripod.
3 Legged Thing Carbon Fibre Travel Tripod – Ken recently bought this tripod and likes it for it’s lighter weight and ability to use a variety of feet for different conditions.
Indoor Lighting
StudioFX 800 Watt Softbox – This light has four bulbs and is very bright and effective at reducing shadows for indoor photography. Plus you can switch two of the bulbs off if you want.
ESDDI 18″ Ring Light – This 100W ring light is dimmable, has temperature control and can hold a phone or SLR in the center.
Accessories
Peak Design Hand Strap – I prefer a hand strap over a neck strap. This one is perfect.
Nikon Rechargeable Li-ion Battery – We have 5 batteries between us and we bring them all with us when we travel. Running out of power in the middle of a photoshoot is the worst! We’ve tried other brands, but the Nikon ones are the best and longest-lasting.
Remote Control Shutter Release – Essential for selfies and situations where you want to avoid camera shake, including flat-lays.
Seagate 2TB Slim External Hard Drive – With RAW image files getting bigger and bigger, we now have quite a collection of these external hard drives to store and back up our pictures! We get them from either Costco or Amazon.
SanDisk 64GB Extreme PRO SD Card – I typically only need one of these for a trip, plus one more for backup.
Camera Rain Cover – Important to have if your camera is not totally waterproof and you are traveling to a rainy destination such as Costa Rica! The one I bought is no longer available, but this one is very similar, with an opening for the eyepiece so that your view is not impeded by plastic.
Camera Bag/case
I like to travel light, and I’m able to because my pack-mule husband Ken carries all the extra lens and accessories. (Thank you Ken! 😘) I prefer using a camera insert inside my backpack instead of a typical camera backpack which is usually heavier and bigger than I need.
Kattee Waterproof Camera Insert Bag – This insert turns any backpack into a camera backpack! The large-sized version holds my DSLR and two lenses, which is all that I typically carry. I love the zipper and top handle and how sturdy it is. I use it inside my large Fjallraven backpack, which is the best lightweight and sturdy travel backpack!
Software
Adobe Creative Cloud Photography Plan – I think that a combination of a full-frame camera and Adobe Lightroom are essential for an artist-photographer who wants game-changing creative control over their images. A full-frame camera captures an incredible amount of detail and Lightroom lets you bring out and edit those details to become the works of art that you envisioned.
I hope this has been helpful! 🧡
Pansy