PHOTOGRAPHY
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Camera, lenses and editing software – In this resource page you'll find all of the products and services that I use to take my photos
Camera
My current camera – I use a Canon EOS M50 Mirrorless Camera. This is a new camera from Canon that came out last April {2018} and it includes everything I've been looking for in a camera, for a very long time. This very small camera comes with a touch screen, Canon’s newest image processor, an image stabilizer, an amazing focus up to 143 pixels, a 4K video, and a 24 megapixel sensor.
My previous camera – Canon EOS 70D. The camera is very easy to use, has a touchscreen that can flip around, a great focus system with 19 focus points, a sensor with high resolution, quick photography pace, and built-in WiFi capability. Highly recommended for video footage, too.
Lenses
* Because mirrorless cameras are generally fit for EO-M type lenses, and most of the lenses I own are EO-S, I decided to buy the Canon EOS M Mount Adapter. I was happy that such an adapter exists, and will allow me to connect all of my lenses to my new camera, as they are all of very good quality.
Sigma 18-35mm F1.8 DC HSM ART – Excellent quality zoom lens. Suitable for shooting every day photographs, fashion, landscapes and architecture photography and video footage, at a great price for what you get.
Canon 24-105mm f / 4 L IS USM – A stunning lens used to shoot a wide variety of photos.
While it does not provide a very shallow depth of field, the sharpness of this lens is simply outstanding.
The 24-105 focal length allows me to leave this lens on the camera most of the time, rather than swapping lenses frequently.
A small drawback is its weight – it is not the lightest lens out there.
Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 II – A great lens for portraits and stunning close-ups thanks to the depth it provides {blurring of the background}. The lens is very sharp, gives very colorful images, light, compact, and equally important – extremely cheap relative to other lenses. Worth every penny.
Tokina AT-X 11-20 F2.8 PRO DX – A wide lens with superb optical quality, very sharp and perfect for shooting interiors, architecture and landscapes.
Canon EF 85mm f/1.8 USM – An amazing portrait lens! Sharp, fast focus, with 1.8 maximum aperture for great background blur (“Bokeh”) and mainly gives a great value for its price.
Canon EF-M15-45mm – When I purchased my new camera in London it arrived in a package with a small and useful kit lens, which is always nice to have in your bag {it is priced rather inexpensively when purchased with the camera, and thanks to its size and functionality it’s great for traveling, but bear in mind, if you’re willing to spend a little more on lenses, there are better ones out there}.
Smartphone Lenses
For a while now I have had my eyes on smartphone compatible lenses. I tried a few cheap options from AliExpress and was very disappointed. After a little bit of research I found great lenses made by Sandmarc that offer a package deal of good quality lenses, a special lens case, clip and pouch {I bought lenses for the iPhone 11 pro max, but they have lenses for all types of iPhones and also lots of lenses for GoPro and DJI products}. The lenses are of very good quality {you’ve got to hold one to understand}, and are very simple to attach. In my opinion, this is a small, mobile accessory that can totally advance the photos I take on my smart phone, as well as my Instagram stories. I decided to go for the photography Pro Edition – iPhone 11 Pro Max package which includes four lenses:
Wide lens edition – This is a wide lens that allows almost 2 times more field of view than a regular iPhone camera. While the iPhone 11 Pro has 3 lenses and one of them is quite wide, the built-in lens creates very big distortions that are sometimes difficult to fix even in editing.
One of her coolest features of the lens is the possibility to make a wide lens night-mode and take out stunning photos at night !! {This feature cannot be used with the iPhone's built-in wide lens}.
I discovered that with the clip they provide you can also set up the lens on your selfie camera, and voila! Your selfies look a lot wider and lot better! 🙂
Fisheye lens edition – We are familiar with this special lens from GoPro cameras. The lens increases the camera’s field of view by nearly 5 times, and gives a very special curving effect to the image. It's great for narrow spaces or really close-up photography, so it's always good to have such a lens in the toolbox.
Macro lens edition – This is a macro lens that is suitable for close up shots. The lens allows you to take excellent pictures of small objects or close-ups of an object. Unfortunately, the downside of macro photography with an iPhone lens is that the phone and lens leave a relatively small space for focus. That is, it is necessary to get really close to the object in order for it to be completely in focus, which makes the image composition smaller. But, in terms of quality, the photos are definitely excellent and sometimes it is hard to believe they were taken on an iPhone 🙂
Telephoto Lens Edition – In this case too it is a super quality lens with premium glass that allows optical zoom of almost twice what I have in the regular lens of the iPhone. It is important to note that the 60mm lens is simply great for street photography, portrait photography and even lifestyle.
If you make a purchase through my link, and use the cupon code “HEDONISTIT” you’ll get 10% off discount!
Drone
DJI Mavic Pro Fly More Combo – One of the best purchases I made in the field of photographic equipment. This little “bug” is quite the capable one! It allows me to shoot videos and photographs from angles that until recently belonged to imagination alone. This little drone that fits right in my backpack is one of the best tools. It is simple to fly, and the quality of photos and videos it produces upgrades each and every one of my posts I use it for.
Tripod
Besides a camera and good lenses, a tripod is a MUST for anyone who is interested in taking her pics to the next level. A tripod is usefil not only for night time shoots, but also architectural shoots, Flatlay shoots, Videos and of course for shooting yourself :). Photos taken with a tripod will usually be sharper, clearer, and allow you to preview the frame and modify it without changing the angle.
This is the first tripod I ever bought, and I still use it from time to time. It is light to use and to carry. Another useful function this tripod has is that it can be dismantled and used as a monopod – which is actually a one-legged tripod, which is very convenient for taking photos on trips.
Besides a camera and good lenses, a tripod is a MUST for anyone who is interested in taking her pics to the next level. A tripod is usefil not only for night time shoots, but also architectural shoots, Flatlay shoots, Videos and of course for shooting yourself :). Photos taken with a tripod will usually be sharper, clearer, and allow you to preview the frame and modify it without changing the angle.
Gimbel
Gimbal Stabilizer for Smartphone – great for videos, turns those amateur videos into professional ones. Today, especially, when most smartphones generate film in high quality. The Gimbal helps to film a smooth, stable video, and transform your smartphone into a high-quality video camera. This is a relatively cheap upgrade that adds a great deal
Lighting
I prefer to use natural daylight, but sometimes additional lighting from a certain angle can really change the atmosphere and quality of a photo. This camera light is strong, mobile and very comfortable to carry around. It ranges between white and yellow lighting and the battery holds over 10 hours!
Bags
30 liters Backpack by Peak Design – This backpack is probably the best in the world! The bag is very comfortable on your back, protects incredibly valuable equipment {my laptop, my camera and lenses, for example}, with a functional and modular design that helps with keeping the bag in order, and no less important – it also looks really good! If you purchase in sum of $19.95 or more through my link, you’ll automatically get 10% off discount!
This clever sling bag, designed by the excellent Peak Design team, holds the little camera perfectly with a little extra room for 2-3 lenses and a few accessories. It is simply perfect for those days when you don’t want to be out with all of your equipment, and all you need is a smaller, lighter bag.
Like the rest of the company's products, this bag combines a functional and modular design that enables a certain order to be kept inside the bag and the protection of the expensive equipment, and it also looks excellent – this time we took the stunning Ash color with brown details.
If you purchase in sum of $19.95 or more through my link, you’ll automatically get 10% off discount!
Camera Grip Holder
Know how sometimes you really want to capture a specific moment but until you take your camera out of your bag that magical moment has passed? Oh! That's exactly why the camera clip holder was invented – it let's you take out the camera quickly giving, providing maximum accessibility so there's no chance you'll miss a shot 🙂 There are many camera holders available on the market, but since I was super happy with the bag I bought from the company Peak Design, I decided not to take a chance and to go straight for the option with the highest quality.
True, it isn't cheap – but when it comes to expensive equipment like a camera and lenses, you really shouldn't compromise. Since my photography equipment is advanced and heavier than amateur cameras, I decided to choose the CapturePRO Clip which fits the equipment best and will give it the maximum protection needed. If you purchase in sum of $19.95 or more through my link, you’ll automatically get 10% off discount!
Image Editing
All the images that are posted on the blog, or even those that I add to my photo albums, undergo editing with the great Adobe Lightroom software. The software makes every photo amazing thanks to the changes it makes with the lighting and atmosphere of the image. Sometimes, I also like to use Adobe Photoshop, to edit architectural images and to add captions and graphics on images. You can buy a monthly subscription for these two programs on the Adobe CC website at an amazing price which also includes the software updates when new versions come out.
Video Editing
I edit my videos with Filmora. This software is very intuitive and easy to use and offers super cool features like designed headlines that get updated according to different holidays, cool filters and video tutorials that made me a better editor ;). This program is much cheaper than other editing programs and very worthwhile.
2 Responses
When I first started taking food photos this post would have been so helpful! I’m so glad you wrote this to help people who are just starting out cuz it will save so much time. Plus tripod is so great!
Danielle | FollowMyGut.com <3
I know!! I wish i knew all those things from the very beginning – it took me forever to decide which tools to use to get the best photos possible.
Thanks for that kind comment 🙂