August 4, 2023

Have you ever wondered what gear you need for seniors? Which camera is the best? What lenses do you need? Well, I’m here to reveal all of my personal favorites and why!!! Keep reading to find out what I take with me to EVERY senior session!

Camera Bodies

We all have heard the rave over Canon’s EOS R6. I’m not here to say any different! This mirrorless camera is literally life-changing! I have been shooting with the R6 for about 6 months now and absolutely love it! I started my photography journey out on another beloved Canon line – the Rebel series. I had a Rebel T7, Mark ii, Mark iv, and now R6. The colors on the R6 threw me for a loop at first, but I have overcome that and wouldn’t even consider going back to a DSLR now. Although, I do still carry my Mark iv with me to every session as a backup camera just in case.

Let’s Talk Lenses

I shoot with all prime lenses. I have not yet invested in any RF lenses, so I can’t speak for those. However, I love the line up I currently have: Sigma Art 35mm f/1.4, Canon EF 50mm f/1.2, and Canon EF 85mm f/1.4. My all time favorite lens (that I’ve used) is the Canon EF 85mm f/1.4. This lens is just “chef’s kiss.” The high compression gives an amazing creamy bokeh background that I LOVE, and no other lens can compare (in my opinion). My next go to is the “nifty fifty.” This lens is so versatile and I can pop it on in pretty much any situation and create a fully curated gallery with tons of different composition. If you are just starting senior photography, I would recommend investing in a 50mm first because of this reason. I honestly hardly ever use my 35mm unless I want a beautiful wide angle that my 50mm just can’t cut.

The Extras (but necessities)

Now that we’ve covered the basics, let’s get into the little things that I have come to know and absolutely love.

I always shoot with 2 SanDisk Extreme Pro 64gb 200 MB/s SD cards and store them in my water-resistant memory card holder case. When starting out, I only had 1 SD card and 1 CF card. I remember importing them into my hard-drive as soon as I got home and format them for the next day. Don’t be like me, lol. Cards can corrupt so easily and you should have multiple to rotate through + change out every year.

My camera strap! I have a single crossbody leather strap. I always demonstrate to my seniors how to pose, and this strap allows me to be handsfree without placing my camera on the ground (and you don’t want it on the ground, just trust me on this one).

My reflector. I have a 32″ light reflector with the handles. I love popping clean light onto my subjects to get those natural skintones. It makes editing 10x easier. I always thought reflectors were “extra” and not needed. Once I used one for the first time though, it truly did make a huge difference in scenarios where my subject cannot be placed on a natural light reflector such as light concrete. I also use it sometimes to cut haze out of my lens!

My camera bag. I have the Kamrette Lyra backpack. It has so much room with so many pockets. It easily holds my two camera bodies, all of my lenses, memory card holder, extra camera batteries, my reflector, phone & keys, and still plenty of room leftover if needed! I love being able to easily carry it on my back as we move to different locations throughout the shoot AND the fact it can easily be cleaned + wiped off.

I hope this was helpful for you! Please feel free to shoot me a message with any questions!