The Natasha Coyle Blog

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 Based in Chicago, Illinois. Available for travel.

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What’s in my bag?

 

Over the last few months I have received emails and direct messages on social media asking about what I have in my camera bag. I remember being new in this industry and wanting to know the same thing. When I first started out, I reached out to a few people who I looked up to and asked if they could tell me what equipment they used. I was met with very vague answers and kind of felt defeated. I didn’t know where to start, but I really wanted to know!

So I feel the need to do the opposite of what I encountered and tell y’all things that I wanted to know when I was first starting out. I am going to let y’all know what I have had in the past and what I currently use. Because when you are first starting out, you can not run out and drop a few thousand dollars on equipment. I am happy to say, I have never gone into debt in this business. I add things as I can afford them.

A little over 2 years ago, I walked into Best Buy on Black Friday and bought a Canon Rebel kit camera. What is a kit camera? It is basically a camera body, a zoom lens and some accessories. This specific camera is a crop sensor camera. Again, what does that mean? Because if you are new to photography, all of this lingo can be overwhelming. A crop sensor camera changes the field of view with the same photo that a full frame camera takes. If you were to compare a crop sensor image and a full frame camera image that were taken with the same lens, at the same distance, the image from the crop sensor camera would be cropped in tighter. With that being said, I started my business with the Canon Rebel crop sensor camera. So, it is definitely a GREAT beginner camera.

Over the last few years, I have upgraded and changed a few things in my bag. If you were to peak in my camera bag right now, you will see the following:

Canon 5D Mark iii

This is my main camera body! I love it! I am so glad I made this investment. It has the ability to backup my images, which is super important for wedding days.

Canon 6D

This is my backup camera! It was my main camera body before jumping into weddings. It is a great investment for a beginner full frame camera.

Canon L 24-70mm 2.8 

This was my first main lens investment. It is super versatile and I still use it on occasion if I want wide shots and during dancing at receptions!

Canon L 50mm 1.2

This is one of my FAVE lenses. It is the newest lens in my bag. This has become my go-to lens for portraits.

Canon 85 1.4

This is my other FAVE lens!!! The 85mm creates a beautiful creamy background that I just love! I use this one almost as much as my 50mm.

Canon Speedlite 600EX II-RT

Flash is definitely not my favorite thing to use, but it is 100% necessary for weddings. These speed lights are amazing and sync to each other. You can adjust the power as needed. Using the flashes, one on camera and one off camera, allows for lighter images even at night consistent with my style.

So what does all of that mean? It means I have a main camera body, a backup camera body, 3 lenses and flashes. And I put them all into my Kelly Moore camera bag. I also have backup batteries, battery chargers, SanDisk (this what your images will be stored on), CF cards and memory card cases. Yes, it is a lot. But this has taken me over 2 years to buy. So, if you are just starting out and want to know where to start, I would start with a camera body and one good portrait lens. The Canon 6D camera body and Canon 50mm 1.4 would be what I would buy if I was starting out today!

So, there you have it! You know what is in my bag! I hope you find this information helpful and keep checking back, because I will be spilling even more information for y’all!

 

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