My gear.

I've had a few questions about my gear.  I'm happy to share!  I am currently shooting with a Canon 6D, the 50 mm 1.4, 85mm 1.8, and the 100 mm 2.8 macro lens.   Why did I choose this camera?  Mostly for the incredible quality of photos in low light situations.  Secondly, I chose this one because it is full frame, which means I can get more of the scene in my camera.  I shoot with prime (lenses that have no zoom) lenses.  My macro lens is incredible.  It's main purpose is to take close up detail shots of things like baby toes :)  But I also use it when I need some distance between me and my subjects (little kids running and playing).  I love the canon 50 mm 1.4 and the canon 85 mm 1.8.  Both of these lenses were recommended to me by Stephanie Klein Photography and are used by many many photographers throughout the world.  Despite owning other lenses that are worth thousands, these are Stephanie's go to lenses.  That is what convinced me to purchase them.  And they're gorgeous.  What is the difference between the two lenses?  Let me demonstrate....I try not to bug my family while I'm learning new things about my gear, so I take photos of my feet.  If I had thought about it, I would have painted my nails or something.  But I didn't, so bear with me.

 This lovely image was taken with my 85 mm.  What the 85 does is throw the background out of focus and "compress" it, or bring it closer to the subject.  It creates fewer distractions in the background and is really great for portraits.  Some people call this "skinny lens" because it is very flattering. 

 

This is the 50 mm lens.  You can obviously see more of my leg because of the shorter focal length, but you might notice that it is a little distorted.   Anything less than an 85 mm will often do that (My calves aren't really that large).  You can also see more of the background, which is good when you WANT to see the background (like at a wedding).  In the case of both photos, the background is blurry because of the low aperture I used (It is possible to have a not blurry background, but who wants to see my messy mantle in great detail?  Although my new camera bag looks pretty awesome up there...)

 

Speaking of my new bag, I have an Epiphanie Ginger bag.  And it's great. 

I use photoshop CS6 for all of my editing.  I do shoot RAW.  I always take a reflector or two with me on photoshoots. 

I also have a Canon 480ex flash, macro extension tubes, and a few protective filters as well as a circular polarized filter.  I set a custom white balance (and I'll show you how to do that, too in my one-on-one mentoring session).  I think that just about covers it!  Let me know if there is anything else you'd like me to share!