As a small business owner, there’s always something to spend money on. Especially when you are just starting out. I always have had a list of gear I wanted to help me grow my business.
As a new photographer it’s important to invest your money in two things. Your website and your lenses. In my opinion your website is what gives people the first impression of your business. By having different lenses it’s a long term investment. Over time the camera bodies will need to be upgraded.
I shoot full frame and I shoot with Canon. I started with Canon from the first time I started to learn photography. People ask me what brand should I go with Nikon or Canon? Too me, It’s a personal choice. It’s what I got used to in the beginning and stayed with it for eleven years and counting! I love canon’s color! I shoot with my favorite 1DX-Mark 2 and my back up camera Canon 5D Mark 3.
The Glass:
I have a bunch of different lenses but over time I have found that I gravitate towards different ones for different jobs. Below is how I use them. Not to say everyone else feels the same way. Just my reasoning.
My Telescope Lens:
All three of these telescope lenses are heavy, I’m not going to lie. I do use a tripod with the 100-400.
First lens to the left: Canon 70-200 f/2.8 IS II USM- This has been my long time favorite lens. I use it for weddings, family sessions and sports events. I live on 2.8 aperture. This lens I could not live without. I know a lot of photographers don’t like this lens because it’s heavy. But I use this is almost every session I have. I love the Bokeh it provides, the stabilization and the zoom. I’m not big on zoon type lenses.. but this one is worth it!
Lens in the middle: Canon 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS II USM- This is fairly new. This was purchased for personal use. My son plays a lot of soccer and this is what captures most all of his games and action shots on a tripod.
Third lens to the right- Canon 200mm f/2L IS USM- This one is my FAVORITE lens that I own! Hands Down, it’s a game changer! It’s not for everyone! It’s very heavy! But when I want amazing compression (BOKEH) this is what I grab. You have to have a ton of space to back up for the long length but it’s worth it to me! I shoot wide open around 2.0!
My Primes
First pictured on the left: 50mm f/1.2L: This lens was my first real “L Series” lens. I started out with the 50mm f/1.4. Most photographers call it the nifty 50. Then over time I swapped it out for the 1.2. As you can tell it is very versatile. You can get groups of people standing close, detail shots, and even close up shots! Something always to keep in your arsenal.
Second lens pictured in the middle: 85mm f/1.2L II USM- This lens I use almost every session as well. It never disappoints. I use it for families, seniors, weddings, kids, you name it. It always gives the creamy BOKEH that we photographers live for.
Last lens on the right: 135mm f2L USM- This is one of my newest lenses. It is light weight, sharp and gives amazing bokeh as well. This is my go to lens for headshots, and close ups.
Least used lenses in my bag
Even though I labeled these as my least used lenses, they are still amazing and I do use them in different situations. I just don’t bring these to every single session. Just for special weddings, dance studio portraits, baby sessions etc.
First pictured on the left: 24-70mm f/2.8 II USM- This lens I put in my bag when going to soccer games for group shots, dance portraits and other group shot settings. It is my work horse for different kinds of events.
Second Lens pictured in the middle: 35mm f/1.4 II USM- This lens is defiantly great to have for those wide indoor shots in tight spaces and you don’t have room to back up. Especially for weddings, special events, and landscape shots. Since the aperture goes so low to 1.4 it lets in more light, therefore does better in darker rooms that aren’t well lit.
Last lens on the right: 100mm f/2.8 Macro: This is the lens I would love to use more often. It takes lovely close up macro shots of anything, flowers, ring shots, and even baby lips! I would like to do more with this lens. I get so inspired by those photographers that take snowflake shots with it.
Flashes
Canon 600EX-II-RT (3): This year I just upgraded to 2nd version. I had version one and loved it but wanted to expand my arsenal and have flashes that recycled faster. My goal this year is to sync these all together, on light stands with umbrellas, so that they give off softer light and can do more creative things. Hopefully I will have more pictures to add as I use them more this year. Always pushing myself to try new things.
I hope you’ve found this helpful. If you’re still unsure of whether you want to invest in any of these lenses, you can always rent them for a wedding from BorrowLenses.com to try them out.
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