Photography Gear/Kit for Blogging

My last post on photography tips was well received so I thought it would be nice to do a little sequel to it. Today, I would just talk about my photography equipments because I think there are interesting especially for entry level/amateur photographers like me. I think it's important to note that it is not necessary to have any fancy equipment to create lovely pictures; you can get nice photos with basic cameras, good lighting and a love for photography. While I bought most of these equipments this year, some of them were purchased a few years ago....rambling done...

Camera: I have a few cameras but my favourite camera is the Canon 600D DSLR camera which is a basic entry level DSLR camera and a favourite among bloggers and YouTubers. I love everything about it and I wanted it for a long time ever since I heard about it back in 2012/13. It has a flip screen which is really useful for getting lovely shots at different angles because you can tilt it and you can change the lenses as you please. I just love it!! It's not very heavy but it's not the lightest camera out there. I also use this to film my YouTube videos and the flip screen is really useful to see if I am in shot/focus or not.

Lenses: I have two lenses which I love for various uses. The Canon 600D came with the kit lens which is the Canon EFS 18-55mm lens which I used for a couple of days before buying my second lens. I love using this for outdoor photography as you can zoom in and out and it's truly amazing. I took most of the shots with it on my recent trip to Scotland here. My second lens is the Canon 50mm 1.8 which I love so much as it is amazing for blog photos and portraits. Due to its low aperture, it is perfect for low light situations and I just love using it as it illuminates my photos really well. It's also perfect for taking pictures of beauty products as it zooms in and makes it stand out against a blurry background. I use this to film as well but I would talk about this in another post.

Camera Bag: I got this cute little bag from Curry's and it was on sales for only £4.97...yes, please!! I just spied it on the rack and I was pretty sure it was an error but thankfully it was not. It is from a brand called Goji and it holds majority of my equipment when I am out and about. It has three sections which are padded to protect a camera and two lenses. I store my camera body and two lenses in here. The zipped section contains my remote, lens wipes, memory card, etc. It is really compact and light even when my camera is in. I also like that the velcro dividers in the bag can be removed to adjust the space inside the bag to fit a bigger or smaller camera. The straps are also adjustable and that's so amazing!

Remote Control: If you are a beauty blogger who also does makeup, say hello to your new best friend. I know everyone says a remote changes their "camera life" and I can relate. A remote allows you take selfies without your arm showing and it also allows you take pictures of your makeup for a tutorial because let's face it; not everyone has a standby person willing to help them out with their pictures. I got mine from Amazon and it's the Canon RC-6 Remote Control. When I went back home to Nigeria, I wanted to take a picture with everyone in my family and I was so glad I could. Thanks to this nifty remote and my tripod; I was able to create lovely memories.

Tripods: If you want to take photos which are sharp and non-blurry, you may need to invest in a Tripod. While I don't use a tripod every time I take a picture, I use it for some blog photos and portraits especially in low light situation. I have two tripods and I bought them over three years ago and they are going strong. The first /smaller one is from Jessops and I got it for my smaller camera and camcorder and it's really useful. I also use this with my DSLR and it is surprisingly sturdy. My second tripod is from Hama and I bought it off Amazon and I love it. This is my main tripod and I use it for videos and also taking blog photos. It can be adjusted to various heights and angles and it comes with its own bag so it's easy to travel with although it is slightly heavy.

Memory Cards: I am sure I have gone through quite a few memory cards at several points but my favourite brand is the SanDisk memory cards bought from reliable sources like Amazon or Curry's/PC World although Amazon is way cheaper. I feel SanDisk memory cards are more durable than other brands. It's important to check the write and read speed of a memory card before your purchase it. I prefer ones with a write/read speed of 45MB/s as it means it can be processed faster on my camera and on my computer. Also, the class of the memory card is important and I choose ones with Class 10 on them bought from reliable sources. At the moment, I have 3 memory cards which are all 16GB each and they are for various purposes. The SanDisk Extreme one is for videos because it is records/writes and reads data really fast while the other cards (PNY and a smaller San Disk) are for blog photos.

Memory Card Reader: This was a really random purchase but one I really love; it's the Apple Memory Card Reader which basically allows you look at your pictures directly on your iPad especially if you are on the go. This is really amazing for editing picture son the go or with iPad apps from the App store. For a long time, I toyed with editing my pictures with AfterLight which is an amazing photo editing app that's really popular and with good reason. Now, I just use this to look at pictures on my iPad and upload to Instagram and other social media channels. I love it!!

Camera and Lens Cleaning Kit: One good advice I can give is-----> Don't clean your camera and/or lenses with your sleeves or anything else dodgy...just don't. It just makes it look very gross and it may have a long term damaging effect on your camera (Ok, I am exaggerating but you get my drift!!). First day I got my DSLR, I got the Lens Cleaning Kit which was very inexpensive. Inside the pack, you get a two lens pens for cleaning your camera lenses and filter if you have one. You also get a Microfibre Cloth for cleaning your camera's LCD and it does such an amazing job and you also get a Lens Air Blower which cleans your lenses and LCD as well. This kit has really helped my camera and lenses stay in the best condition.

Editing Software: I now only use Adobe Photoshop CS6 and I am honestly such a novice but I learn a few things everyday and I think that's good enough. I also use PicMonkey for creating collages because I prefer their collages to any other editing software. I may do a beginner's guide to Photoshop if you want but honestly, I know little to nothing on it; I can only share my editing process and if you would like that, let me know in the comment box below.

Others: I have a few other random equipments like a Camcorder which is from Samsung and it is ideal for vlogging although I have not been doing much of it. I also have my Nikon CoolPix Digital Camera which I absolutely love and it takes amazing photos. I also have a couple of battery chargers both for my Canon DSLR and my Camcorder and I take them with me because I don't want my batteries to run out on me. I am looking to purchase an extra battery for my DSLR as it comes in handy especially when I am out and about and I can't charge it.  I also recently purchased a Rode Videomic and some external lighting for my videos which I would be touching on in another post... that's it folks. I am happy to answer any other questions and I would see you in my next post....x