First and foremost, let me start off by saying that the most important element for a great photo is having an eye for composition. This requires patience, testing different angles, clearly identifying your subject, and capturing its beauty with your own creative spin. You can have state of the art equipment, but if you don’t compose your photo properly, your fancy camera will not magically make your pictures beautiful.
First and foremost, let me start off by saying that the most important element for a great photo is having an eye for composition. This requires patience, testing different angles, clearly identifying your subject, and capturing its beauty with your own creative spin. You can have state of the art equipment, but if you don’t compose your photo properly, your fancy camera will not magically make your pictures beautiful.
The second most important element is having the right tools that will allow you to take your creativity to the next level- try out creamy bokehs (blurry backgrounds), capture subjects from a distance, create tack sharp images, play with exposure times and so much more.
If you are a beginner purchasing a Digital SLR Camera, this article is for you. I will outline the MUST HAVE gear you will need for almost any type of photography.
MY 3 MUST HAVE LENSES
You have purchased your Digital SLR Camera which probably comes with a standard kit 18-55mm zoom lens. When I first bought my camera, I thought this was the only lens I would ever need. And I was wrong. In my opinion, the lens is a lot more important than the actual camera. Testing different lenses in one image will give you 3 completely different photos to choose from.
Zoom Lens (18 – 135mm, 55 – 200mm, etc): You need a versatile zoom lens that will allow you to capture images that you couldn’t possible get close to. Whether it is wildlife, flowers, people, a zoom lens is the most versatile lens you need to have in your camera bag.
Prime Lens (35mm, 50mm or 85mm): I personally recommend a 35mm because it has a wider angle allowing you to be closer to your subject. The prime lens with a 1.8f stop is the ideal lens for portraits since it creates the blurriest backgrounds, which is the desired effect in most portrait photography.
Wide Angle Lens (10-20mm, 12 – 24mm): I absolutely love my wide angle lens. This lens is perfect for shooting architecture (bridges, building, indoors) since it will allow you to fit the entire scene in your frame. It is also a very beautiful lens for story telling. This lens will enhance and enlarge any foreground subject and connect it to the background, allowing you to tell stories through your photography. For the more creative types, you can purposefully distort your subject to obtain unique effects.
MY MUST HAVE 2 FILTERS
First, let me tell you to invest in good quality filters. They can range in price but what you need to look for is that they are glass filters, not plastic. I strongly urge you to not buy cheap kit filters (for example – 5 filters for $30 on Amazon), because they will reduce the quality of your images and create terrible colour casts which are almost impossible to fix in post-processing.
What is the point of investing in an expensive lens when you will place a cheap materials in front of it? I understand that you are starting off and you don’t want to break the bank, so I recommend Hoya, Tiffen or Photorepublik filters. They are affordable and very high quality.
Polarizer Filters: The effects of polarizers are hard to replicate in post process. They are the ideal filter if you love shooting landscapes. They increase contrast (especially in the sky by intensifying blues), minimize haze, reduce glare from water and glass surfaces, and increase vibrancy in colours.
ND Filters: The main use of ND filters is the ability to photograph waterfalls or clouds with long exposure settings during daytime. It achieves this by reducing the amount of light passing through your lens. This filter is a must have to improve landscape photography, especially if you are shooting during daylight. The stronger the ND Filter, the longer you can set your exposure. If you tried shooting a waterfall with an average of 4 second exposure in a bright setting, the result would be an overexposed photograph that would be unusable. A strong ND Filter fixes this issue.
ADDITIONAL ACCESSORIES
TRIPOD: This is essential for doing night photography or taking shots that require long exposures. I would classify this as anything longer than a second. Your camera is extremely sensitive and will pick up your slightest handshake or breathing. Set up your tripod, compose your shot, and set your timer to take the photo to ensure you don’t have any accidental blurring.
SHUTTER RELEASE: This is a good little tool if you want to have your shutter open for longer periods of time than your camera allows. Most cameras will allow an exposure of 30 seconds. But what if you want an exposure of 4 minutes to capture clouds moving over a mountain? Set your camera to bulb mode and use the shutter release button/cable. This device allows you to hold the shutter open for as long as you need.
CAMERA BAG: You have spent a small fortune on all your accessories. Do not throw it in your purse or gym bag. Invest in a quality camera bag that will separate, cushion and protect your gear. I also suggest a bag pack style of camera bag. Equipment can get very heavy and carrying it all over one shoulder will get tiresome and painful. Buy one that you will grow into, because believe me you will keep buying more things no matter how many times you tell yourself “I’m done! This is the last thing I need!”. I say that on a weekly basis.
That is me on the right with my ridiculously large camera bag. And every single compartment is packed with all of the above described items.
LIGHTROOM: I consider this tool more than just an accessory. Lightroom is my best friend. My buddy. And sometimes- my saviour. LR will help you recover photos that you might have thrown into your laptop’s waste basket. It will bring out details from shadows, intensify colours, remove pimples and wrinkles, add brightness or darkness to your photo, etc. It will take your photos from “really nice” or “lame” to a WOW shot!
