Curious to know what’s in my camera bag or the gear I take with me to my photo sessions? There are a couple of staples that I keep in my bag at all times, just in case. Here’s what’s in my camera bag that I can’t leave without!

Camera Bag:

Amazon Find: Nothing too over the top or fancy! This camera bag was exactly what I needed for my photo sessions. It’s easy to wear, lightweight and carries my necessities. Family sessions are fast moving, so I needed something that I could easily move around with. Someday I’ll upgrade! But for now, this was a great Amazon find that ticked all of my boxes.

Camera Body:

• Canon Rebel – again, nothing too fancy again here either! This Rebel has been faithful to us. It’s made its way to the other side of the world, to Japan with my husband, and back here in the states.

Lenses:

• Canon 50mm 1.2 – this is by far my favorite lens! I did my research, waited awhile, saved up and finally upgraded to this.

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• Canon 50mm 1.8 AKA the “Nifty Fifty” – I feel like every beginner photographer starts out with a Nifty Fifty, or they should! It’s one of the best lenses out there, especially for the price. I’ve shot plenty of sessions on my Nifty Fifty and some of the shots captured on there are some of my absolute favorite shots to this day. Truth is, a good photographer can shoot great shots from any camera as long as they know how to use it correctly.

• Canon zoom lens – Although I primarily use my prime lenses, I do find myself pulling out the zoom lens on sessions! For those who don’t know the difference, a prime lens is “fixed”, which means it can not zoom in or out. I physically have to MOVE. So if you see me backing away during a session, it’s not because you smell, it’s because I need to get everything in the shot! If I’m doing a large family session or one that takes place in a small room, I definitely need my zoom lens. To see an example of this, scroll to the bottom of this large family reunion session I did here!

Other Necessities:

• Extra Batteries – especially for those long days of shooting. While they do last quite awhile, from time to time I’ve found myself burning through and having to switch between sessions.

• Lens Hood– this can be a life saver during those sunrise and sunset sessions! They block out unwanted sun glare.

• Expodisk – to get that white balance and exposure correct from the start! Thanks so much to Amy & Jordan Demos, the Expodisk pros, for teaching me how to use this gem!

External Hard Drive – with an entire 1TB of data storage! This is where I store all of the raw, culled files from photo sessions, as well as the edited galleries and favorites. I don’t like taking chances with losing any precious memories. Simply backing them up on my laptop once they’re off the memory card isn’t enough peace of mind for me!

That’s not all! Then believe it or not, I usually carry with me a stepstool and an umbrella! Both of these help to keep the sun glare off of the camera lens.

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