Photography Gear for Beginner Photographers
I’ve been photographing as a hobby for the past 2 years. I’ve have started doing it professionally for the past 6 months. I wanted to share all of the photography gear that I have that I know will be helpful to beginners!
Cameras
I have been using the Nikon D3300 for the past few years and I love it!
When I starting looking into photography gear, this is the first camera that stood out to me. I also got it for a really good price so that helped also haha.
Tech specs
Dimensions: (WxHxD) 4.9in (124 mm) x 3.9in (98 mm) x 3.0in (75.5mm)
Weight: 14.5oz (410g)
Single lens reflex digital camera with Nikon F bayonet mount
Effective Pixels: 24.2 million
Sensor Size: 23.5mm x 15.6mm
Storage Media: SD, SDHC, SDXC
Movie: Full HD 1,920×1,080 / 60 fps
Battery: EN-EL 14a rechargeable Li-ion battery
To read more specs click here to be taken to the Nikon USA website!
Lenses
Kit lenses
I bought my Nikon D3300 in a kit. Which looking back on wasn’t the best idea but I didn’t know I would want to start my own photography business back then haha.
The kit lens isn’t the best to be honest. For beginners building up their photography gear, it’s not too hard to learn how to use and you don’t have to spend extra money for a lens.
But if you know you want to start your own business, I would suggest not buying your camera in a kit and buy the camera body/lenses separate.
You can read more about this lens here.
Prime lenses
What is a prime lens?
A prime lens has a fixed focal point. Which means it can’t be zoomed in or out.
I have the Nikon 50mm lens and I use it for every single shoot. I can change the aperture which makes it easy to fit more than one subject into my shot and still have the nice blurred background.
This lens is good for portraits of any kind (lifestyle, business headshots, pet portraits, etc.). I can’t imagine not having this be a part of my main photography gear after using it at every single shoot the past few months.
You can read more about this lens here.
Here are a few of my favorite shots with this lens.
Zoom Lenses
I have one zoom lens and its the Nikon 55-200mm. To be honest, I have only used this lens once.
This lens is good for sports, wildlife, and astronomy photography. I am not so interested in these niches but I have this lens because I got it for free haha.
But I used to it capture my favorite photo I have ever taken so it works! (I’ll share it down below)
You can read more about this lens here.
Wide Angle Lenses
I just recently bought my Nikon 10-20mm wide angle lens. For the price I paid (279 euros) it’s totally worth it.
I definitely plan on bringing this lens with me when I go to Berlin in September (hopefully).
This is a great lens for landscape/travel photography. I’ve taken a few landscape photos and I love how they have turned out (I will share a few down below).
You can read more about this lens here.
Here are a few of my favorite shots with this lens.
Computer
I do most of my editing on my iPad Pro 2020 12.9 inch with an Apple Pencil, Magic Mouse and magic keyboard. I also have a separate case I use for my iPad when I want to edit photos on the couch or for everyday use.
When I started my business I knew I wanted to upgrade from my old computer because I wanted something that I could travel with.
I also still use my old computer which is an ASUS (sorry I don’t know the exact model anymore haha) for transferring files and minor website editing.
I also use it sometimes for editing but I’ll get into that in the next section.
I’ve only been working on my iPad for a couple of months and I love it. It’s so much fast than my old computer and I love that it’s so easy to carry with me around the house. It’s officially part of my everyday photography gear for sure!
Editing Software
The main editing programs I use are:
-Adobe Lightroom (mobile version)
-Adobe Lightroom CC (desktop version)
-Adobe Photoshop (desktop & mobile)
The only editing programs I can get on my iPad are the mobile versions of Lightroom and Photoshop.
So if I need some major editing done, I will hop onto the desktop versions. But using the mobile version of Lightroom is enough for me since I also use my own presets which covers the main editing.
Accessories
File storage
I bought a hard drive from Apple and it’s so useful. It comes with a USB and USB-C cord that you can plug into most devices. It’s super easy to move files back and forth between devices
This is the hard drive that I use to store all of my photos.
Memory cards
I have 4 different memory cards all from the brand Sandisk. I have 2x 64gb, 1x 32gb, 1x 16gb. I use mainly the 64gb cards and bring the other ones just in case. I want to eventually have all 64gb or higher SD cards but for now, this works out just fine.
Here are the SD cards that I have.
Extra batteries
I just recently bought an extra camera battery and its been so helpful. I have a day where I had 2 portfolio shoots and not enough time in between to charge the one battery that I had.
Eventually I would like to have at least 3-4 extra batteries but the 2 I have works for me right now. I don’t have a session every week so I have plenty of time to charge everything up for the next time.
Reflectors
I just bought reflectors off of Amazon and I haven’t had a chance to use them yet.
These are the ones I bought.
What are reflectors used for?
Basically, reflectors are used to reflect light. They help correct shadows on faces or prevent a subject from being backlit too much.
They can also help block out light coming from weird angles.
Adapters
I have a a few adapters that I use almost every session. But the main adapter I use is the Apple USB-C to SD Card Reader.
I use this to move the photos from my cameras SD card to my iPad so I can upload my photos to Lightroom.
It’s also small enough that I can stick it in my camera bag and bring it with me on vacation.
This is the adapter I have.
Lens caps/covers
Having an extra lens cap laying around is always a good thing. You never know when you may lose one on a shoot. All my lenses have caps on them but I definitely need to go out and buy some extras!
Bluetooth remote
I bought a simple Bluetooth remote off of Amazon and it’s worked for me the past couple of years.
A Bluetooth remote comes in handy when you are doing long exposure shots, group photos, or you want to take a self portrait.
This is the Bluetooth remote I bought.
Cleaning kit
Having a cleaning kit is so important. But you also have to make sure you know how to clean your camera properly otherwise you could end up damaging it.
This is the camera cleaning kit I have.
Tripod
I have 2 tripods. One is my main camera tripod and I have a mini tripod that I use for my phone and also for my camera. I want to upgrade my mini tripod for a better one soon.
Camera bag
I have 3 camera bags:
Backpack: It looks like a normal backpack but the inside has adjustable compartments so I can fit all of my lenses and camera in there without too much difficulty. I can also attach my tripod to the bottom of the backpack. I can also put my iPad in the inside sleeve, my wallet and all the camera accessories can fit in the backpack as well. This is the main backpack I use as it can carry most of my photography gear in it comfortably.
Big camera bag: I have a Nikon camera bag that came with my camera kit when I first bought it. It can fit my camera body with a lens attached plus one additional lens. You can also fit a few extra accessories and a small wallet.
Small camera bag: this bag fits just the camera body with a lens attached and there is room for one extra battery. That’s it. I don’t really use this one anymore since I always bring at least 2 lenses with me everywhere I go with my camera. But it’s nice to have just in case you want to go snap some pics of your dog or kids down the street.
I hope you enjoyed reading this blog post and I also hope you found this information useful! Let me know what you think or if you have any questions in the comments below!
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