It’s taken me years to dial into the exact equipment I need to create the kind of photos I love. I have experimented with multiple cameras and lenses. These are what work for me now, but I certainly did not start out with this list. Every photographer has a different set up, so don’t place too much weight on what anyone says or has, and think you need the exact same equipment.

Here is the run down of everything I use:

CAMERAS:

Nikon D750 FX Format DSLR - my main camera for photography, videography, and social media. Nikons are built like brick shit houses, and I happen to live in a harsh climate. My camera is constantly exposed to salt spraying off the Gulf, high humidity, and sand.

GoPro Hero 7 Black - I mostly use this for underwater adventures paired with a Telesin 6 inch dome port.

DJI Mavic Pro - My drone. I love this drone. Super easy to fly, great photos, and not too expensive for beginner fliers.

Iphone 10 - for instagram stories and occasional Instagram posts such as shell photos!

LENSES:

Nikon AF Nikkor 1923 35mm f/2D - my favorite portrait lens or everyday lens to capture people and landscape. I use this all the time!

Nikon AF-S Nikkor 20mm f/1.8G ED - This wide angle lens is amazing for capturing vast landscapes. It’s my second favorite lens.

Nikon AF-S Nikkor 50mm f/1.8G - beautiful portrait lens.

Nikon AF-S FX Nikkor 85mm f/1.4G - this is a beast of a lens, and pretty much all I use when I photograph weddings. Super sharp with beautiful backgrounds. Amazing for portraits as well.

THE COMPUTER STUFF:

Macbook Pro - I do all of my editing and work from this laptop.

G-Technology 2TB G Drive Mobile - I love these! They’re so small and easy to use. I always have one for usage and one for back up simultaneously. Always back up your photos. I’ve sadly learned this lesson the hard way.

Adobe Lightroom + Photoshop for editing

CAMERA BAGS:

Mountainsmith Borealis 35L Camera Backpack - This bag is like the clown car of photography bags. I can fit my camera, lenses, drone, laptop, iPad, and have additional room for a water bottle, and clothes. AND IT FITS IN AN OVERHEAD STORAGE BIN! This is the bag I take when I’m traveling, and want all my gear. It keeps everything seperate and well cushioned.

Ona The Astoria Camera Messenger Bag - The perfect camera bag for a wedding or shoot where I need multiple lenses, accessories, etc.

Ona The Roma Camera Bag Insert - This insert magically turns my other bags into a camera bag. Perfect when I just want a regular bag and to have my camera and even an extra lens safely stored.

TRIPOD:

Manfrotto Compact Action Aluminum 5-Section Tripod - I love this tripod, and use it for all of my selfies. It in inexpensive which means I don’t feel bad with how much I abuse it. It’s constantly in salt water and coated with sand. The only limit is that I cannot shoot straight down with it, but that’s okay.

SD CARDS:

SanDisk 64GB Extreme Pro Memory Card - I have about 10 of these at any given time.

Beeway Memory Card Case Holder - The safest place for your memory cards.

FUN STUFF:

Polaroid Originals OneStep 2 VF - So much fun.

Polaroid Originals Color Film for 600 - instant film

Fujifilm INSTAX Mini 9 - These are just so fun to carry around with you. Try documenting your day or weekend with one!

Fujifilm INSTAX Mini Film - instant film

Doxie Flip Cordless Flatbed Photo Scanner - The scanner I use for instant film.

And there you have it! Remember that you don’t need the best and most expensive equipment to take a good photo. I do believe that high quality equipment is important, but there is a balance to be found. It takes time to build up your equipment, and you definitely do not need all of this to start out. When you see a beautiful photo, it’s not the camera that made the shot… it’s the artist behind the lens. You can get creative with pretty much anything!

With LOVE,

Lindsay