Hey Ya'll ! How are you doing today? Hope you've had a great week! This week I want to talk about gear you actually need as a photographer. I just watched a great video by Cody Mitchell on this subject.  I'll be piggy backing his video. Please watch the video on this link Camera Gear You Actually Need as a Beginner. It is a fantastic video and explains in more detail than I am going to in this blog. What he says makes a lot of sense and I believe I have touched on most of the items before in blogs but maybe not as much detail as he does. First of all most of us have way too much gear for what we truly need. I am no exception and am trying to pair down my gear but it's very hard because I do love gear so much. As photographers we think that the better gear we have the better photo's we will produce. In the beginning we think this way and buy all sorts of gear that we do not need.  Lenses and the most expensive body that we can afford and all the accessories that every manufacturer is trying to sell us. But to tell you the truth 80% of my photo's are taken with the same camera and lens combo and all of the other stuff I bring is usually just extra weight. In the beginning we bring all the gear we can and we spend most of our time trying to figure out the correct combo of stuff to use. Paralysis by Analysis . The inability to make a decision when faced with multiple options. We think as beginning photographers that the more gear we have the better chance at getting that winner shot but in fact too many choices especially as a beginner slows you down so much that you miss a lot of shots by the inability to make a decision. So as a beginner as Cody Mitchell says you really only need 6 items and that's what we'll talk about today.

Camera. Of course you need a camera but it doesn't need to be the most expensive camera. As I have said in the past I use "Used" cameras that are cheaper and considerably not as fancy as the newer ones. And as far as I am concerned I get great photo's. And if I don't it's not the Camera's fault it is usually mine. Depending on your budget there are all sorts of options available. Cody goes over a list he has compiled in his video and shares links to a spreadsheet he had made with different budget options depending if you're starting in film or digital photography.

Lens. As I mentioned above I shoot almost all of my photo's with one lens. A zoom lens. It's in the focal range I think you should start with. A standard lens 24-70mm. It will cover a wide range of situations that you will encounter as a beginning photographer. This is also where I think that you should invest the majority of your
budget. A good lens last a long time and will outlast any body that you buy. I think the saying is you date camera bodies but you marry lenses.

Tripod. You should have a good tripod. A sturdy tripod that will hold the heaviest camera/lens combo that you will have. This is an item that you don't go cheap on either. You don't want to break the bank and with tripods ( you easily can) but you don't want to go cheap either . Somewhere in the middle. A good tripod will last for years and years. My travel tripod I've had over 10 years and I've just bought a larger tripod that I expect to do the same.

Camera Bag. You need something that will carry all of your new gear. But you also want it protected also. Bags are my weakness and I have bought bunches of them.  You should have a bag that you can carry with you that is comfortable and protects your gear. A sling bag that can carry your new camera/lens combo is a great choice for walking around town. If you are doing more landscape stuff a backpack will come in handy make sure it has a spot to carry your tripod.

The next two items to me are optional depending what kind of photography you are doing. If you're doing Landscapes or maybe using film. I have both and think when you need them you need them. For me and the type of photography I do Landscape/Travel and Film I consider them essential but if you're doing wildlife or portraits not so much.

Remote Shutter Release Cable. The remote shutter release cable lets you fire the camera without touching it. Sometimes at low shutter speeds just touching the camera to press the shutter button causes enough shake to blur your image. And for long exposures you can lock down the release for as long as you want to take very long exposures.  Some would argue that you can set a self timer on your camera to get the same effect and to a point they are right depending on how long the exposure is. They are inexpensive and you must get the one that fits your camera especially digital cameras .  They tend to have proprietary connections on some cameras .

_MSP9577 Hand Held Exposure/Spot Meter for film, Most digital cameras come with very good meters built in to the camera that will give you average meter readings which work well in most situation. But film cameras may have old meters that aren't accurate or not have a meter at all. A good meter when shooting film is essential I think. If you are a portrait photographer and use external lights. Meters come in handy when figuring out the exposure when using strobes. I think that this item should be purchases if you are primarily a film photographer or are going to use strobes. Meters are expensive and if you don't need one I wouldn't spend the money.

So those are the 6 things that were mentioned in the video but I would add maybe a camera strap. A neck one or a wrist strap to keep your camera safe when you are handing your camera so you don't drop accidentally .  Other than that I think that you can make great photography with the items listed above and really learn your craft with only these items. So until next week Get out and Shoot!

Hey if you want to check out my photography go to my instagram account Max Stansell Photography there are over 2000 post there. Here is the link

 Max Stansell Photography Instagram Link