What Camera Do I Use?

One of my very favorite subjects to talk about is photography. I have learned everything I know because of this blog and it has translated into being able to take photos of our family and our everyday life as well. I adore styling a shoot, getting the light right and snapping away. While I am no expert and I still have so much to learn, I am often asked what kind of camera I use and which lenses I shoot with. I thought I would share those details and a little bit more about how I take photos.

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Equipment:

Camera: I shoot with the Canon EOS 70D Digital SLR

Favorite Lens: By far, my favorite lens is the Canon EF 50mm f 1/8.

Second Favorite Lens: I finally broke down and bought a wide angle lens. I did a ton of research prior to purchasing and even went to a couple of camera stores to try out lenses. The Canon EF-S 10-18mm f4.5-5.6 is a fantastic lens without spending a fortune. The photos are extremely crisp with minimal distortion {important when looking for a wide angle lens}.

Tripod: I use a tripod on a daily basis. My husband gave me mine a few years ago and I love it. Because most of my shots are interior for the blog, using a tripod allows me to drop my shutter speed and get a much more crisp shot. Even though you think you have a steady hand, it’s amazing what the tiniest of vibrations will do to a photo. It’s also a great idea to use a timer as just the motion of your finger pushing the button on the camera can cause it to blur a photo.

Manual Mode: I only shoot in manual and really encourage you to try. I promise it is not as difficult as it might sound and it actually allows you to really get the most out of your fancy camera. Think of it this way. What’s the point of having a fancy sports car if you only drive it in around the block? To see how your camera can really perform, you have to take it out for a spin. You’ll be so happy you did. A fancy camera is only fancy if you actually use the settings.

Blurry background:

The 50mm lens is what creates a nice blurry background. You will see a lot of bloggers using this tight lens. Because it is a 50mm, you will not be able to get very much in the shot, but it is ideal for step by step instructions as well as most interior tight shots. You’ll see below that I was able to focus on the supplies and allow the background to fade out of focus. This is also the lens I use to capture bokah {that blurred look of Christmas lights during the holidays}. I really love this lens because you can drop the f stop to 1.8 which means you can really allow a ton of light in to the shot.

Small Spaces:

Up until recently, small spaces have been really difficult for me to capture. There is no way to do it with a 50mm lens. I finally treated myself to a lens that can capture entire rooms. Any time you use a wide angle lens, you need to be aware of distortion. I actually chose the lens I did {after a ton of research and hands on use} because it creates less distortion. This allowed me to snap the photo of our children’s bathroom below without making the room elongate or widen. You never want to create a shot that really isn’t there.

Natural Light:

I only shoot in natural light. This can be tricky if the weather does not cooperate. You can’t replace the beauty of natural light. Always turn off all house lights and play with the camera. . . take many test shots to see how to best capture your setup.

Fashion Shoots:

My husband shoots with the 50mm lens for our fashion photos. Although we are looking at better options. It’s fantastic for close up shots which you will see in the scarf photo, but is a bit tricky for full shots. We struggle with trying to capture a blurry background while keeping the entire outfit in focus. Work in progress. We are always learning and my husband has been amazing with teaching himself the ins and out of my camera and lenses.

Styled Shoots:

Most of my interior shots {95%} are done with my 50mm lens. However, if I am doing anything other than an extreme close up, I always use my tripod. It really does allow you to get a cleaner more crisp shot. If I needed to capture the entire room, I would switch to my 10-18mm.

 

Full Frame or Crop Sensor:

If you are looking to purchase a new lens, it’s vital to know the camera you are shooting with and whether it is a full frame sensor or crop frame sensor. This is important because if you put a lens on a crop sensor, it is actually going to capture less of the photo than a full frame. So you need to understand that when you have expectations of wide angle and zoom lenses. If you are confused about that, this is a good article that explains the difference between the two. My camera is a crop frame sensor for reference. You can see above that a crop sensor is going to capture less. It’s not necessarily a bad thing, but you need to be aware of your camera’s capability.

I also did a post on styling and shooting for the blog which may be helpful even if you do not have a blog but are wanting to take better shots of your own parties or home.

I hope this has helped and at least answered the question, “What kind of camera do you use?” At the end of the day, I think it’s much more about knowing your camera and learning everything about it than having the fanciest one on the block. Don’t be afraid to just start shooting. Play with those settings. The best thing you can do for yourself is to switch over to manual mode. And if you just keep shooting, you’ll see a world of difference. I have so much more to learn. I am constantly reading up on best practices and snapping away. My husband will tell you that I find fault with pretty much every photo I snap but I am still pleased with how far I have come. Cheers to continuously learning.

If you have some helpful photography tips to share with all of us, please include them in the comments below.

In fashion news, I updated the Boutique with my favorite summer shoes.