Photo Friday! Take a peek inside my camera bag.

Awhile back, I attempted to write a blog post with tons of various photography-related info squeezed into one crazy long post. It was just a little glimpse into my photography brain. However, after receiving several inquiries about my photography/equipment/post-processing/photo style/etc. and also taking a cue from my super creative sister, Susan, who currently writes a weekly photo series on her own blog, I decided…why not do the same and start a blog series that goes into a bit more detail about photography? So here I am. I’ll try and cover lots of different photo-related questions that I’ve received over the past few months. If there’s something specific you’re dying to know, tell me, please!

Okay, so first things first —  one of the most frequent questions I get is… what equipment do I use??? Well, take a peek inside my cruising camera bag…

Canon EOS 7D.

My SLR camera body. What I love about it…the bang for the buck! The 7D comes close to the 5D Mark iii in many of its features, but at a price that is $2,000+ less. And hello, that is a deep discount. Plus, it’s fast! The 7D can capture images at up to 8 frames per second in machine gun mode, which puts it in the category with other pro-level sports cameras. What I don’t like about the 7D…well it’s not a full frame camera, meaning what I see behind the lens is a bit less than what I would see with a full frame camera. My next SLR body will definitely be the Canon 5D Mark iii because of the full frame sensor.

Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8l ii lens.

I recently added this awesome lens  to my camera bag shortly before leaving on our cruising adventure. This particular one has easily become my “go-to” lens because it gives me flexibility of a zoom lens while maintaining the awesomeness of a low aperture value. If you can only have one lens, and you’re not sure what kind of lighting or space situation you’ll be up against, this or a similar zoom lens is one you would probably want in your arsenal.

Canon EF 50mm f/1.4 lens.

After beginning my photography career with the Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 lens that one of my sisters handed down to me, Jereme kindly bought me the f/1.4 as a birthday present a few years back and it’s become one of my favorites as well! As a family photographer, I normally use this lens for portrait sessions. It’s a prime lens, which means it does not zoom in or out at all. If you want to zoom in or out on your subject, then you have to move closer or further with your feet! The low aperture (“f” value) gives that beautiful, super-blurred background that I love love love.

Canon Powershot G12.

My Canon Powershot G12 point-n-shoot is just plain fun. I’ve had it for about 4+ years, and it really does take pretty amazing photos. It’s great to grab and stick in my purse or take along when I just don’t want to lug around the “big” camera. It has great video capability which comes in handy all the time. Plus, the 3-inch LCD display is super nice (and great for selfies since it rotates around to the front)! This was taken from the cockpit of our boat while under full sail (the G12 was the only camera handy and look how awesome of a shot it captured)…

GoPro Hero3.

This is one of the newer additions to my camera bag and another super awesome birthday gift from Jereme (he’s the best!). I was dying for something that was A. waterproof and B. very durable. The GoProis just that. Although I’ve pretty much used it exclusively for video or underwater photography, it has lots of other great uses too. Here are some of the fun videos we’ve made using the GoPro (and iMovie) and one of my favorite underwater photos from the Bahamas…

iPhone 5.

The iPhone’s camera really can take a very nice photo! And if you don’t have any other equipment, why not make the best of what you have? I am kinda-sorta obsessed with instagram and utilize iPhone photos exclusively when posting insties. But here’s a word to the wise…when using an iPhone for photos, make sure you only zoom with your feet. In other words, never ever use the little slider at the bottom of your screen – unless you prefer super low quality images. And speaking of the iPhone, I especially love using the VSCO photo editing app with my phone pics. The matt finishes in VSCO are my go-to filters for instagram.

Oh, and for anyone wondering, I really use an actual camera bag. My Epiphanie bag has definitely taken a beating over the past year and half, but I still love it!

So…what burning photo questions do you have for me? Want to know about my editing process or more about composition? Let me know what you want to see and I will try and deliver.

Happy shooting!

>>Thanks for visiting LAHOWIND sailing blog! We’d love for you to get to know us and follow our story as we attempt to navigate a whole new world of sailing, as we cruise the Caribbean. …Learn more about us and our sailing + cruising adventures.