Happy Wednesday everyone! I hope that your week has been a good one so far. If you read my recent post titled {Life Update: 5-Year Blogiversary, Photography, COVID} then you would have seen that I recently launched my photography business called Madalyn Dobbs Photography. With this business, I offer many different photo sessions including family, lifestyle, event, engagement, and more. I also take pictures for my other businesses including Adorned With Delight and this blog. Since I enjoy learning what other's have in their photography toolkits, I decided to share with you all what I personally use for my photography business, what items I would recommend, and a few items that I don't currently use but would be great additions to any lineup of photography tools.
Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. As an Amazon
Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. For more information, see
my full Disclaimer here.
Camera Equipment
Camera
Of course, the most important tool when doing photography is the
camera. I currently use the
Nikon D3500. When doing my research to decide which camera to get, I read a ton of
reviews that backed this camera on being a good beginner camera with
plenty of opportunities to advance with it. So far I have really enjoyed
using it and have found that it offers the right amount of controls
without including unnecessary options. The weight and size of it are
also really beneficial because it is not huge or heavy like some other
cameras are -- making it easily transportable. The one downfall of the
camera is that it is not wifi compatible. However, it does have
Bluetooth so photos can be sent easily to a phone.
Lens
I currently use two lenses. I have the AF-P DX NIKKOR 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G VR
lens as well as the AF-P DX NIKKOR 70-300mm f/4.5-6.3G ED
lens. I like having both of these since they can be used on a variety of
subjects and have varying focal lengths. If you are looking into
investing in some lenses I highly recommend these two since they are so
versatile and have autofocus and vibration reduction which are also very
beneficial.
Battery
I currently have only one of the
Nikon 27126 EN-EL 14A Rechargeable Li-Ion Batteries that come with the camera but I definitely want to get at least
one more in the future. It is nice to have at least two charged just in
case one of them dies when on a shoot or I want to shoot for a longer
period of time.
Battery Charger
I also only have one of the
Nikon MH-24 Battery Chargers but I am planning on purchasing a second when I purchase a second
battery so that I can charge both batteries at the same time.
Memory Cards
As a photographer, you can never have too many memory cards right?
Whenever I find one that I forgot I had, I do a little happy dance
since I can always use the extra storage. The one that I am currently
using is a
SanDisk Extreme PLUS 32GB SDHC UHS-I/V30/U3/Class 10 Card that has
up to 90MB/s read and 60MB/s write speed
card. There are so many different options when it comes to memory
cards but I am very happy with the speed and storage of this one. It
has met all of my needs and has not disappointed.
Photography Accessories
External Hard Drive
I have a PNY 32GB Attaché 3 USB 2.0 Flash Drive but I want to invest in a large hard drive sometime soon. Taking the extra step to backup files can save the day when something unexpected happens.
Bag
I use the
Nikon Deluxe Digital SLR Camera Case
and I really like the size of it. It isn't too big but still holds my
camera, both lenses, accessories, and still has a ton of extra space.
Having one bag that fits everything makes the organization really easy
and gives me peace of mind knowing that my camera equipment isn't just
tossed into a bag getting scratched or damaged.
Strap
I use the Nikon Neoprene Optic Strap that comes with the camera but I have had my eyes on a few cute ones
from Amazon like
this one
and
this one. The Nikon strap works perfectly well but it doesn't hurt to get a
cute one, right?
Lens Accessories
There are so many lens accessories that are available for purchase. I
recently added the
Lenspen UltraPRO Lens Cleaner
that cleans lenses from smudges and fingerprints to my collection.
Every photographer should have some sort of cleaning tool for their
equipment since it is bound to get dirty at some point. I also have a
few other accessories that I am interested in including
this kit that includes a lens and filter accessories.
Box Lights
When I take indoor photos such as for my other businesses, I use my box
lights to add more lighting. I purchased the LimoStudio Softbox Lighting
Kit from Amazon (here is a similar one) and they have helped improve my photos big time. Lighting can be the
make or break tool when taking photos of any kind.
Reflectors
Another tool that has to do with lighting is reflectors. I have
the Neewer 43 Inch/110 Centimeter Light Reflector 5-in-1 Collapsible
Multi-Disc with Bag that comes with translucent, silver, gold, white and black. What I like about these are the different options you get since it is
five reflectors in one. The size is also really big making it easier to
reflect light onto a bigger area.
Tripod
The tripod that I have is the
Sunpak Platinum Plus 5858D 58". I use this when I want to be in the picture and when taking action
pics and the camera needs to be more stable. This tripod folds up
easily, is lightweight, and comes with attachments to use my phone as
well which is really handy.
Backdrop
I don't have a backdrop or stand yet but I am interested in getting one
in the future for my business photography. Either a white backdrop or a
design
such as this one
would be ideal.
Flat Lay Accessories
I like using backgrounds for flat lays such as boards or backdrops with
accessories such as ribbons and other decorations. I particularly like
using
wooden backgrounds such as these
to add more character to detailed photos.
Post-Processing Equipment
Pixieset
I use
Pixieset for my website and client galleries. I use the free version and it offers everything that I need including
gallery management, a website, and options for print ordering and client
gallery apps. I like the ease of use and the growth opportunity that it
provides.
MacBook Air
I have a
2015 MacBook Air 13-inch
that I do all of my work on (not just photography) and it has done me
very well for the 4 years that I have had it with no issues at all. It
handles image processing very well and the upgraded storage helps me
organize client's photos.
Lightroom
It's probably no surprise that I use
Lightroom
for my photo editing since most photographers do. I have tried a few
different software and nothing seems to beat the advanced tools that
Lightroom offers. I also get a discount on it through my college which
is a huge plus. If you are interested in getting Lightroom I highly
recommend looking to see if your school or work offers any discounts on
it.
Presets
Going along with Lightroom, I also have tried and made a
few Lightroom Presets
that make editing so much faster and efficient. I like putting my own
style on them but using them for quick basic adjustments makes the
turnaround time so much faster.
that make editing so much faster and efficient. I like putting my own
style on them but using them for quick basic adjustments makes the
turnaround time so much faster.
Business Resources
Financial Software
I came across
Wave one day and
have stayed with them ever since. They offer so many tools including
accounting, invoicing, payment, payroll, and even banking solutions for
small businesses. For a small business owner who has so many things to
work on, Wave has honestly made the financial side of things so much
easier.
Contracts/Policies
Having legal contracts and policies set in place is so important for
the protection of photographers and clients. I am including this in the
list because having these prepared is a safety measure that should not
be overlooked and should be included in any photographer's
toolkit.
Educational Resources
There are so many educational opportunities available for photography
including books, courses, classes, and more and many resources can be
found for free. My
favorite course is actually on YouTube here. The photographer also offers an ebook and other resources for
purchase. Other resources that I don't currently use but have caught my
attention include photography reference cards and guides for topics including poses,
lighting, and composition that would be great in any toolkit to help jog your memory when
needed.
Organizational Binder
The last item that I have in my photography toolkit is an
organizational binder. Having all of my most important documents and
business information in one place makes finding things so much easier.
In my binder, I keep things such as branding information, contact
information, pricing and policy sheets, blank contracts, mileage, and
financial logs, session checklists, and many more resources that I take
with me on every session. This tool has been very beneficial to me and I
highly recommend every photographer to incorporate some kind of
information and resource hub (either physical or digital) into their
business.
That is all that is in my photography toolkit! I am sure that this
list will change as I learn more but for now, those are my most-used
tools and resources for photography. If you want to learn more about
what I use and how I organize my business then feel free to leave a
comment and I will be happy to help!
Are you located in Texas and want to book a photography session with
me?
Check out my website at Madalyn Dobbs Photography
and follow along on
Instagram @madalyndobbsphotography
to get all the photo info and to book a session. I would be so happy
to capture your special moment!
Well, that is all I have for now. As always, thanks for reading, and
don't forget that you can follow by email by
subscribing to the email list
in the pop-up, sidebar, or footer of this blog. The list is constantly
growing and I would love to have you join it and be a part of our
little family! ♥
What are some items that you have in your photography toolkit? Let
me know below!
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