*This is a sponsored post. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
My love of photography began as a teenager and became a real passion, I even went to University to study it and worked as a professional photographer for a couple of years after completing my course. After spending two years photographing children and families that passion waned and I didn’t pick up a camera for a year after closing the business. Over the years I’ve been running this blog that passion has gradually returned and I love taking photographs again.
I’ve used everything from my Dad’s first camera, a Lubitel, to SLR cameras and I love experimenting with new lenses and techniques. In this post I thought I would share my favourite pieces of kit and give you an insight into what I carry in my camera bag. If you’re looking to buy a new camera make sure you check out Tesco who sell the Canon EOS 1200D which would be my suggestion for anyone getting into photography.
My camera is the Canon EOS Rebel T3/1100D. It’s an entry level digital SLR that does everything I need it to. The photo quality is excellent (especially for the price), it’s easy to use and the battery life is fantastic. I haven’t felt the need to upgrade as I think using a more expensive model would restrict my usage. At the moment I can carry my camera in my handbag and not worry about it too much meaning I take it with me most of the time. An expensive model would have to go in my kit bag which I only take out if I know I’m definitely going to need it. I have a habit of losing lens caps so at the moment my lovely camera is currently sporting a cheap replacement which doesn’t fit very well and often pops off. If you’ve lost yours I recommend paying the extra for a branded replacement!
The Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 II lens is without a doubt my favourite bit of kit. I’m pretty sure it’s the cheapest lens you can buy for a Canon DSLR and there is a similar Nikon option. Although it’s made of plastic so feels a bit toy like I use it more often than my 18-55mm kit lens and think the images are noticeably sharper. It’s perfect for portrait photography, close ups and macros as the out of focus area is soft and the colours are perfectly represented. It’s a prime lens so it forces you to be more creative with your shots; something I think can have a drastic impact on the standard of your photography.
My kit bag of choice is the Lowepro SlingShot 200 AW. It’s a backpack with room for your camera and 3 or 4 lenses depending on how you configure its Velcro dividers. It also features numerous compartments for your memory cards, filters, cables so you can keep everything together. The real beauty of this bag is that you can swing it round to your front for easy access to your camera and the rest of your kit. The opening of the main compartment is the right way up so you don’t have to take the bag off when you want to change lenses, much more convenient than putting it on the ground of having to ask for help! If it starts to rain there is a waterproof cover which can be pulled out from the bottom of the bag and stretched over it to keep everything safe and dry and there are numerous other handy features like hooks to attach things and dust cover to protect LCD screens. The quality is fantastic, I’ve had it since 2008 and it looks brand new. I find it really comfortable to wear for long periods of time as long as I don’t make it too heavy and wear it a little bit higher than I am in today’s photos!
In my kit bag I also carry extra SD cards, a lens cloth and a spare battery, just in case!