For some it's diamonds, for Photographers it's their gear;)

I was going to make this about what is ONLY in my camera bag, but the camera doesn't do all the work. I decided to include all the things you might find me using in the whole picture process.

Nikon D3100

• (2) 18-55 mm

• 50mm/1.8

This bad boy right here is what STAYS in my camera bag. My D3100 with the 50mm lens. At first I didn't believe that the lens made a difference. WRONG. With my 50mm, it's my go to- giving me a blurrier background with more bokeh than an 18-55 ever would. It could happen don't get me wrong, but my 50mm is ole trusty. Wow I sound like I'm from the south. Haha, gotta love it. For portraits this lens is a must have! And no, it doesn't zoom! One downside to that is that some locations don't allow you to move freely, meaning (1) you can't get your whole subject in the picture or (2) you'll get very acquainted with a rose bush... Not speaking from personal experience or anything loll.

Fun fact: I used my Canon for the above picture bc my Nikon was in use.😉

Battery grip

This was my most wanted Christmas gift. Instead of only having the capability of shooting the juice out of one battery, you can shoot with two. It just slips right into your battery compartment and provides extra grip. Not only can you put two of your batteries in there...you can use regular batteries. Accidentally forget to charge your batteries?? Just hit up the nearest dolla sto. SO convenient!!

Canon Rebel t5i

• 18-55mm

• 55-250mm

This is my backup. I usually only break it out when I'm in low-lighting because the ISO goes up to a higher setting on it than on my Nikon. To be honest, I don't know if I like Canon less. I think I use my Nikon more because of the better lens. Eventually, I'll get my hands on a better lens for my Canon, and then it'll be on. Battle of the brands. Nah, I'll always like both. I can't say much for the 55-250mm because I've never used it. Speaking of Canon, I used my school's t5 for a while but with a 75-300mm. That was back when my brother played football. That worked really well; too bad that's all I'll use a longer lens for unless I get inspired otherwise.

Macbook Pro 13'

A PHOTOGRAPHER MUST HAVE. Okay so I previously thought that no way in a million years would a laptop ever be worth so much money. Well it is. I was having issues with editing on my other laptop,,,,it was cheap butttt eh. I would edit a picture to where it would look good on that laptop, but when I would send it to myself, it looked horrendous. Because of the picture quality of the laptop. SO I decided to bite the bullet; this was NOT gonna work for me. There was no possible way for me to afford a new macbook, so I scoured Facebook from one end of the Internet to the other. Eventually I came across a 13' Macbook Pro, 2015 edition for $600. I couldn't really believe it at first; it had to be too good to be true. Nope. I met up with the person that had it, and I brought it home. Best purchase ever. Picture quality= perfect RETINA display (the reason I decided to go for Apple). I don't regret it one bit, but honestly, if you don't do anything involved with videography or photography, there are other laptops out there that are WAY cheaper. Just saying.

Reflector

For those who don't know, to all my newbies out there, it's what it sounds like. A reflector. It reflects light onto your subject whenever you hold it in the right position. NEVER doubt this thing. It will blind you. You may also need to (1) buy one with handles, (2) bring an assistant to help you, or (3) grow another set of arms.

Adobe Photoshop & Lightroom

You guys know the spill about Photoshop and Lightroom from my other posts. But to keep it short, both are FULLY capable of creating beautiful images; that does NOT mean that you can rely solely on that. It takes a well-composed photo to make a good edit.

Pass

Most. Convenient. Computer. Program. Ever. CD's are a thing of the past. I used to use them, but I had so many issues with running out of storage on them just by uploading someone's pictures to it. This computer program allows me to upload your pictures digitally..up to 100 digital images for FREE. From there, you can download and print them. This makes it SO much easier to get pictures to clients. There is no planning when to meet up. With the click of a button, you can have all your images at your fingertips.

In a nutshell, this is all the equipment you see me using. No, photography is not the cheapest hobby, but it's really just what you make it. When you enjoy it, you don't mind sacrificing a little green because it's not sacrificing.