Artomology Photo tips – top 10 photography tools ( part 1!)

Finally,  the equipment list requested a thousand times!

These are the pieces of kit that I pack most often when I am going on a scouting expedition, to just have some fun and see what I see. So, I am able to roll with the punches and capture whatever magic comes my way, this is what I take:

1. The Camera

I use the Canon EOS system. I have a 5D Mark II digital SLR. What an amazing piece of technology it is. The quality of capture is breathtaking. I can use it in very low-light and deep shadow, tripodless, crank up the ISO and get the shots I am after. What a wonderful art tool. I love it. I adore it. I worship it.  I will drop it like a hot potato when Canon bring out their next marvel of course. I am what the industry refers to as “an early adapter” 😉

Why the 5D ‘Prosumer’ (don’t you HATE that word, I don’t know why marketing people thing we would identify with it…but here I am using it…sigh) model? It has more points of measurement than the cheaper models (but that 7D looks pretty nice…!), and I have found that this makes a HUGE difference to exposure and the low-light/low-noise capabilities are a little photographic miracle. Why not the ‘Pro’ 1 series? Simple, too heavy!

Why Canon? My first camera was a hand-me-down Canon, so that is why I started with that brand. As the photography bug bites deep into your soul, you may start a lovely lense collection like I have, and that pretty much locks you in to a brand of camera. I have used Nikons and Sonys in the past, and would recommend them also.

2. lens 1 – My Canon macro 50mm 2.5  lens:
It is beat up and battered from years of use because I use it like a microscope and poke it at things for the closest possible view, and sometimes my aim is off, and I bump in to things… but I have never damaged the glass though! When I am so close, weird and wonderful things start happening to colour – but I will save that discussion for another time!

3. Lens 2 – Canon 100mm 2.8 Macro:
My new baby. I resisted getting this lens for years because it was the most regularly ‘recommended’ macro lens, and I don’t like being regular! However, even though creeping up on butterflies and dragonflies with the 50mm lead me to develop Hiawatha type skills,  I did miss a lot of shots. So I gave-in and got this Macro lens, so I could stand further away, and still get an ‘up-close’ view. But what I found is that this lens delivers a totally different perspective. I hold the camera and stand differently when I use this lens. The 50mm and 100 mm Macro are not an either, or situation for me. I wear them out equally!

4. Lens 3 – Canon 50 mm 1.8:
I feel as if I am the last person into photography to get one of these lenses. It is light, cheap and offers a light filled view. When I finish with my macro lenses, I will pop the 50mm 1.8 on and photograph the whole scene to get a wider understanding of the environment I am focusing on.

Stay tuned: i will complete my list!