What's in my bag?
I recently decided I’d restart a photoblog. I used to write one a long time ago but, as always, life got in the way. I figured restarting one might encourage me to pick up my creative work once more, to give me something to aim for. Seeing as Covid-19 removed the possibility of doing portraits for a good while back in 2020, it really threw me off just as I launched this brand new website. So to try and get back into the swing of things, here I am!
I do have some photo ideas in the works, but seeing as they’re not done yet, I figured I’d make a “what’s in my bag?” post! Not only does it provide an inventory for me, but it’s something I get asked for from time to time so it’ll be nice to have a post to point to!
In the spirit of full disclosure, the links below are affiliate links from Wex, Adobe and Amazon, and by clicking them you’ll be benefitting me by helping me get a small commission on any of the items you buy. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. It doesn’t make the item cost any more than it would otherwise. I also don’t recommend things I either don’t own or wouldn’t buy.
With that out of the way, onwards to the list!
I’m a Nikon girl.
I know, there’s a massive debate over Canon, Nikon and now Sony, but honestly, get what suits you best. The best camera is one you can a) afford and b) like. They have some minor differences, such as Nikon having better low light performance and Canon having better focus tracking, but it doesn’t usually strike me as a huge difference. Go to a camera store, try a few out, see what you like best. I mainly picked Nikon since I’d heard good things about the quality and range of their lenses, and lenses are one of the most important things you can put on a camera since that’s what all the light passes through!
I’ve linked to a used version on Wex as that seems to be the only way to get them these days (used). Have a shop around though, read reviews, try different cameras to see what suits you.
This is my baby. I bought it one day once my student loan had come in…and then about half of it immediately went towards this lens. Zero regrets. It’s amazing and incredibly versatile. Why the massive price tag? Because, unlike prime lenses, telephoto and zoom lenses (like this one) have moving parts. These moving parts alter the focal length and can cause diffraction. This means you lose some of that crystal clear sharpness. In order to maintain the same level of sharpness despite the moving parts, lens design and coatings come into play a lot more. So it’s basically had a lot more engineering go into it. Is it worth it? Absolutely, in my opinion!
This is what’s referred to as a gelded lens, meaning it has no aperture controls on the outside of the lens since it’s all controlled electronically within the camera. It doesn’t work with all cameras, however - I used an un-gelded version of this lens for a while since my D5000 couldn’t handle the f2.8G. It’s a good little lens and excellent for many different applications, including portraits, and I think every photographer should have one. An interesting side note is that 50mm is also the closest you’ll get to the human eye’s field of view on a full-frame camera (though it’s worth noting that 50mm is more like 85mm on a cropped sensor depending on the crop factor of your camera).
I got this one as I really needed a macro lens for a client brief involving photographing jewellery. It has optical stabilisation and is also fairly good for portraits, though I’ve yet to try it properly with that yet. It’s a great little lens and I find owning a macro lens opens up a lot more possibilities creatively for me! I used to reverse my un-gelded 50mm prime for macro shots, which is kind of the Macguyver way of doing it with a reverse adapter ring, but having a lens dedicated to that purpose is so much better.
Easily the best tripod I’ve ever used and owned. The link is for the 263AB version as I can’t find mine online, but this one seems extremely similar (I think they may actually be the same based on unboxing videos I’ve seen and even the Amazon product images - it says 263AT on the leg).
The ball head is fantastic as well. It’s so easy to make minor changes and it holds fairly solidly, though I’ve found it can slip a little with my heavier lenses on the front, though I find that’s the case with a lot of heads.
It has little spirit levels to make sure everything is level (or not if that’s your preference) and extends quite high. One of the things I really like about the tripod is the ability to pull the centre column up and out and reattach it again at 90º, or whatever angle you like. So you don’t just get up and down, but horizontal too! The above image demonstrates one of the more extreme ways it can be set up. It even has a little hook on the end to help keep it weighted in position no matter how you have it set up. So you could use it to make extra sure it won’t move or add sandbags to act as a counterbalance if you’re using it horizontally. It’s a very handy feature, especially if you do self-portraits as I do sometimes.
6. SB-900 + Yongnuo Flashes
I’ve had my SB-900 for a very long time, and it’s still going strong. It’s an excellent speedlight, and I’d recommend it to anyone who was thinking of getting one. It only seems available used these days, however, so I can’t easily link to one, but I do recommend Nikon flashes.
Despite knowing they’ve brought out newer ones since I’ve not felt the need to upgrade with this one. I did want to buy some more flashes though, and couldn’t afford another Nikon branded one, but I had heard good things about Yongnuo so decided to give them a try. They’re not as high tech as the SB-900 and are fully manual, but they work well in slave mode or with a trigger and receiver and are excellent value for money. None of them have broken on me, and if you decide to go down the Yonguo route then they have their own little ecosystem of sorts where you can use one as a controller and the rest as slaves wirelessly, just like Nikon branded ones do. The only thing mine don’t have is TTL, but I don’t tend to use that anyway! Other Yongnuo flashes do have or support this feature, however, like the YN600EX-RT, YN565EX, YN568EX and YN685. I have the Yongnuo YN560-III and YN560-IV, the latter of which can be used as a controller/master. If I ever buy a fourth speedlight, I’d get another Yongnuo. At under or around £100, their value is hard to beat if you’re comfortable using manual flash.
If you use speedlights and don’t want them stuck to your hot shoe all the time, you need a trigger and at least one receiver. I tend to use 1-3 lights for my photos and can get away with one trigger and one receiver, setting a third flash to slave mode (it flashes when it ‘sees’ a flash).
There are many out there, some of which might be better than the ones I have, but I’ve used these for years and they’ve yet to give up the ghost on me. Calumet still sells them for £49 at the time of writing, but make sure you get the right kind for your camera. I’ve linked to the Nikon version as that’s what I use. There is a Canon version of this specific trigger.
8. Reflector
I use a mahoosive 110cm 5 in 1 disc reflector by Neewer. It’s cheap, it’s easy to use, it’s ace. It even came with clips! Reflectors are pretty handy to have, especially when they have the option to act as a scrim to diffuse harsh light on a sunny day. No squinting, please!
Ideally, I’d have a studio space (one day!) or a dedicated room big enough to take paper or vinyl backdrops, but right now I don’t so this is my go-to if I need it. It’s a bit tricky to fold up again, but it’s massive and works well for portraits if you don’t have or don’t want to use a plain wall. It folds up nice and small (if you manage to fold it!) so storing it away when not in use isn’t an issue.
This is FANTASTIC! It’s so affordable but so strong. It’s excellent for pairing Bowens mount light modifiers like softboxes and beauty dishes, as well as smaller modifiers like snoots. I use it with my beauty dish, which is a massive, heavy metal thing and it has no issues at all keeping it steady. Plus, it takes up so little space.
I’ll be honest, I bought this so long ago I don’t remember where I got it from. I don’t think it’s branded. If I find otherwise I’ll update this post, but it’s 71cm in diameter and has a removable honeycomb grid, white/translucent diffuser cover, and a diffusing dish attached on the inside. I’ve added a link to the dish that looks closest to the one I have, but honestly, they’re all going to be about the same. Mine is silver inside.
If I had to offer any advice, I’d say you should consider getting a collapsible soft version of a beauty dish, if space is an issue. I sometimes wish I had as it’s a bit of a hassle to get out and put away and store since it takes up so much room. I either leave it up 24/7 in my office or store it away in the garage if I know I won’t be using it for a while. I tend to only use this for my creative shoots as taking it with me to a client’s house while possible, is a bit of a faff, and the client won’t necessarily have the room needed to set it up! I’m open to the possibility, however.
Great light stand. I have some cheaper ones that I use for lighter setups, but this is the one I tend to use with my beauty dish. It’s rock solid. The air cushioning is nice too. It’s currently unavailable, but I’ve linked to it anyway so you can read the specs. If you can’t find this one, I’d recommend one with air cushioning as a feature.
I use this with my umbrella mount. It’s handy. I also use it with my flashes sometimes as it lets me angle them in different ways. I also bought the Type E TFJ (New Version) Professional Universal Light Stand Swivel Flash Holder (which is a bit of a mouthful but you know what some of those listings on Amazon are like). I got a second one as I found myself wanting a second for some setups. They’re both good though. The latter is currently unavailable but I included a link so you can compare.
It’s a telescopic boom arm with an adjustable hook for counterweights. I don’t use it much, but it’s nice to have. Unavailable (I’m starting to notice a trend here) but included a link for specs.
15. Various bits and pieces
I’d be here all day if I listed them all, but I’m talking things like sparkle lights, lens calibrators, lightboxes, lens cleaning stuff, sensor cleaning pens…some are somewhat specific, others are highly generic. I’d suggest just following what your needs are and reading reviews for those!
16. 27” iMac
I have to have a big screen. It just makes editing so much easier. It’s got plenty of RAM that I can add to if I like, and I have a lot of external storage. A lot. I’ve linked to a model that’s the most similar to mine, though mine is a late 2013 model and that one appears to be a late 2012 model. They’re pretty easy to buy refurbished or second hand, it’s actually how I got mine! Shop around though and do your research, as computers are a highly personal thing.
17. Wacom Intuos 4
I think I got the small since it’s not much bigger than a sheet of A4. I almost went for the large, but someone pointed out to me that you tend to zoom in to edit things, which is 100% true for me. I’ve not felt limited by the size of the tablet. It’s amazing to edit with and though it can take some getting used to, it’s so much better and more natural than using a mouse or a trackpad. Trackpad editing is horrific! (Been there, done that!) There’s much more up to date versions than this one now, however, so I’ve just linked to the most recent one as the Intuos 4 isn’t as easy to get these days. But mine is still going strong, and if I ever need to get a new one I’d go for another Wacom in a heartbeat.
A display calibrator is pretty crucial if you plan on printing your work. The colours on your screen aren’t likely to match those of a printer you use. To get the best, most accurate results, you need to calibrate your screen. It helps you to get accurate skin tones if nothing else but mainly helps to keep your prints accurate to what you see on the screen, and therefore true to your creative vision no matter what you’re making. I used a Datacolor Spyder 3 for years but it died a death after not using it for a while. I’m not sure why. I’d heard good things about the X-Rite i1 Display Pro though as it seems to be the gold standard amongst many. I’ve found it really good so far and I’d highly recommend it.
19. Adobe Photoshop + Lightroom
I couldn’t be without either. I get them via the Creative Cloud Photography Plan which includes them both for £9.98 per month. Honestly, I barely notice £10 going out of my account every month. It’s always up to date, and I don’t have any issues with it. I much prefer this to having to drop several hundred pounds every few years for the newest version.
I love Adobe software. I find it incredibly intuitive to use and there’s a lot of guides out there so it’s easy to learn.
I’m currently side-eyeing Capture One, however, as I think it has superior tethered capture options. I have used it extensively in the past during my degree, so I’m considering using it again as Lightroom tethered capture leaves something to be desired at times, namely connection issues and lag. But it works well enough otherwise. I still like it as part of my workflow.
And that’s all for now! I might add to this post in future as I update or add to my kit, and it’s by no means everything I have, but it does include the key elements of my kit that I couldn’t be without. I hope it’s helpful, or at the very least interesting in some way, and if you have found it helpful I’d really appreciate it if you helped me out by purchasing via the above links!
One of my favourite places!