So for as long as I have been a blogger/content creator, I have always taken my own photos and on rare occasions (holidays, or family photos for some sort of milestone) we hire an actual photographer. In my opinion I have come a long way, and so has my equipment.

if you are wanting to start taking photos, or wanting to become a content creator you can do so 100% with iPhone only pictures! My iPhone is what got me through the beginning of my journey, and I still use it for brand photos from time to time. However, I love the freedom and flexibility I have with my cameras and different lenses, it itches my creativity itch.

Since I could remember, I have always been into art of some sort. I loved and still do, love to draw. When I was like RJ’s age (7 or 8) I used to draw floorpans of houses I wanted to build, and I’d even make out different elevations. Once digital cameras became a thing- remember Kodak digital camera with like a .5 inch screen display? I have never put the camera down. In high school I took 2 semesters of photo, and Renaldo spent every cent he had to buy me a better digital camera so I can really elevate my photo skills.

When I had my first child, I took almost all of his themed photos and edited them all. And that’s something I did for every child. However, by the 2nd child, I was using my iPhone and realized it was better than my 8+ year old Digital camera and just didn’t have the funds for a DSLR or a mirrorless camera. So I worked with what I had. As my business grew and I gained a steady income- that steady income being from my blog and social media, I realized that good camera equipment is an investment, since after all, photos and content was paying my bills.

So like renaldo always does, he surprised me with my first ever mirrorless camera which he knew I had been eyeballing for a long time. When I got that camera it was big for me and my blog, I was ready to take my content to another level. However, the lens that came with it were the stock lens, not the very best. But like I always do, I work with what I got and within my means. Once I broke the camera lens to that camera, I had no choice but to upgrade my lens. and once I upgraded them, I realized that a camera can be great, a photographer (me) can be great, but the lens also have to be great. So that’s when I started researching different lens and I’ve become obsessed with switching up my lens, and really playing with them. The need to meet my creativity needs are met through photography.

In this blog post, I am going to share EVERYTHING I use, down to my iPhone camera settings, and some of my favorite presets. 

Cameras

These are all the cameras I use, from my iPhone, to vlogging (I don’t vlog lol), to underwater, to my high quality family shots. I will include links to everything, so you can easily check out pricing and even shop if you’re ready to elevate your content. What I love about all my Sony cameras is that they’re all E mount cameras, so I can interchange my lens between the camera. So my investment in $800 lens can be used for each of my Sony E mount cameras.

Sony 5100

This is the vlogging camera, not that I even vlog. But whenever I need to record a video and I want to see myself, I use this one, The camera screen completely flips up so you can see yourself while recording. It does not come with a viewfinder, but that’s okay with me because again, this camera is exclusively for videos. Here are some shots taken with this camera. 

Sony a6000

This was my very first camera that Renaldo had surprised me with! this is what I have been using from 2017 up until a month ago. This is my baby. She holds it down for me, and fits in my purse! This Sony mirrorless camera is perfect especially for a beginner photographer. You can pair it with any E mount lens which can really take your photos to a whole other level, despite her petite size. The camera is affordable, and super user friendly, but I definitely recommend watching some how-to videos on YouTube so you can really use your camera to it’s fullest potential-that’s how I learned how to shoot in manual. Currently, the camera is on sale for $100 off!

Sony a7ii

My newest baby, and my new favorite. My a6000 was good, but this is better. With a $1599 price tag, it packs a punch! Almost all my photos in the last 2 weeks have been taken with this camera, and going forward it will probably be this camera. however, I will still pack my Sony A6000 for quick trips, because unlike the Sony A6000 this one is bigger, heavier and not so purse friendly. Not saying it won’t fit, but it most definitely is bulkier. It’s also very user friendly, especially coming from another Sony camera. Here are some shots taken with this camera. 

GoPro Hero 7

ALL my underwater shots are taken with our GoPro Hero 7. It is 4k and records AMAZING videos underwater and outside of water. It can switch from fisheye, which is a pretty cool action shot look, but it can also shoot regular. Here is a link to the hero 8, and the hero 9 (the newest one). But ours is the model from 2 years ago and it’s great!! Here are some shots taken with this camera. 

Iphone 11 Pro Plus

This is my cellphone, and a few brand photos have been taken on my iPhone, and before I had my camera- this is what I used and made $$$ from it. So don’t feel discouraged if this is all you have for right now! So when I shoot on my iPhone, I use portrait mode on 1x setting. When I shoot videos on my iPhone (99% of my instagram story branded videos are shot on my iPhone) and I put the setting on 0.5x, I love this setting. It makes my videos so smooth!! I have seen a ton of hacks and tricks when it comes to shooting on an iPhone, like shooting a picture on regular “photo” mode, zooming out to .5x and turning the camera upside down. I have yet to try it, but it looks really cool from the photos I’ve seen. To really enhance the photos, are sure you edit your photos in Lightroom with some of the presets I have listed below! Here are some shots taken with my iPhone. 

Mavic Air 2

This is my husband’s baby/toy! We got this to really get some fun shots, especially when we are on vacations. My husband swears this is his favorite quarantine purchase after our home gym, but he loves it, and I love it too (although I have no clue how to fly it). The drone is great for getting arial shots, and video footage! We went with this one because of the features, all the sensors It comes equipped with, and the quality. We purchased it from the Diji site (not amazon) so we purchased a few of the extras that go with it, along with the highest protection plan, because this was one of our biggest investments! CLICK HERE for a video we shot with our drone

Lenses 

Lenses are definitely an investment, but once you get one and see the difference it Maes with your photos, you’ll understand! All these below are the ones I currently own, use and love, along with shots taken with the lens!

Sony 50mm 

This was my first lens ever, that I purchased for my camera and it was the game changer. I was able to get that super blurred background (aperture), and crisp look to my photos. This is when I thought I was a real photographer and was shaking something LOL. I used this lens exclusively for almost 6 months before I moved on. The only reason I upgraded was because this lens had a very tight frame, and I had to stand REALLY far away to get everyone and everything in the frame. Again, this is an amazing lens for an AMAZING price, I use it ALL the time for product shots and also for portraits. Here are some shots taken with this lens. 

All these shots are used with my own custom preset, not for sale….yet 😉 

Sony 35mm

This was my next upgrade to my lens, and I bought it based off of the reviews. Like I said before the 35mm gave me more room to work with when it came to getting everyone in the shot. So this became the lens I use for family shots almost 95% of the time. Almost all of the photos you see on my feed since January was shot with this lens. Its amazing and super versatile. Here are some shots taken with this lens. 

Sony 24mm 

This is my newest addition to my camera family, and easily my most favorite. I mean it’s love, and everything I’ve ever wanted in a lens. I love that I don’t have to stand so far away from a subject and it’s crisp! This lens is perfect for focusing on something, blurring the background, but getting a lot of the surroundings IN THE FRAME- something my 35 ad 55 lacked. I can actually capture our feet in photos and the background all at the same time. with a low f stop, I get the perfect blur that I want, with minimal distortion. This lens comes with a price at $1300 but it’s 101% worth every single penny. I’m happy I waited so long to buy it because I was able to appreciate all the other different lenses before it, and still utilize them and get creative with it, because I worked with what I had! Here are some shots taken with this lens. 

All these shots are with my customer preset, but the middle shot is with Julia Trotti “Almafi” preset.I tweaked it to make it more my style, but it is a great preset regardless!  Info on the preset down below. 

Sony 28mm-70mm (kit lens for a7ii) 

I barely use these, but if you’re buying the Sony a7ii, these are coming with it. I have taken some great shots with these! I like that it’s not fixed, meaning I can zoom in and out, but again it’s not my favorite! If you’re investing in the a7ii, you will enjoy taking photos with these and they definitely get the job done. however, once you introduce better lens to your a7ii, you probably will never grab these ones very often. Here are some shots taken with this lens. 

Equipment

Tripod 

disclaimer: The one I linked, is not my exact one because mine is no longer in stock and I can not find it anywhere. But I checked out the specs on this one and the reviews and its comparable to mine. So I feel safe sharing this one with you. If you hate it, you can always return it to amazon. They’re great about returns! 

Anytime I take family photos of us, which is like 90% of the time- I use my tripod to capture these shots. I have gone through my fair share of tripods, and so far the one I have is the oe I like best, however I am looking at other options because there are a few things I don’t like. But the positives of this one is that it’s a great price, and sturdy, perfect if you’re starting off! Whenever I do upgrade my tripod, I will most likely keep this one in my trunk as backup! I can’t tell you how many times I have eft my tripod at home which resulted in Renaldo being excluded from pictures.

Camrote App (for controlling my camera) 

This is the app I use to control my camera. My Sony camera comes with an app as well, but I actually like this one more. I can do interval shooting, meaning I can have my camera take x amount of pictures over the course of x amount of time. This is perfect for family portraits, so you don’t have to be constantly pressing the shutter through the app. Within his app as well, you can transfer photos from your camera to your phone for quick editing on the go!

Ring light 

My house is covered in trees, so that means it is dark for a good chunk of the day. A lot of times I have to schedule my photos around when the sun is peeking through the trees which only happens twice a day for 30 minutes each- so no pressure at all lol. But when I need to get something done outside of those times, I use my ring light (with the orange filter-to warm it up and dimmer). The ring light definitely gets the job done when I need more lighting. I did a lot of research of ring lights and while this one costs a little more than the others, the amazing reviews back it up.

Presets

Allie Boss Presets//link here

This is the one I have been using for years!! literally years, and I did a blog post on it sharing a lot of before and afters. But I personally love her presets, especially being a woman of color! A lot of presets make my skin look orange or completely washed out, and almost ALL of hers are dark skin friendly!!

Amber Massey Presets//link here

I love the depth and richness her presets give my photos. I don’t use it very often or my feed photos, because it’s not close to my own personal preset (I like to keep things cohesive) but her presets are so good!!

Julia Trotti Preset//link here 

I have been using her presets for my brand photos because it keeps colors pretty much the same and I love the depth it gives my photos. Again, this is another one I don’t use on my feed try often. But if I post a photo to my blog or my stories I use hers!

How I learned how to use my camera and shoot in manual! 

I took a long time learning how to use my camera, but the more you use it the more you will get used to it, and really KNOW your camera. But one day i decided to learn, so i can stop shooting in the preset modes and start using it in manual (how real photographers shoot). I went on Pinterest and read countless articles and now im a self proclaimed pro lol. Not really, but i understand my camera and all the settings and what everything means on my screen, thanks to Pinterest.

I have dedicated an entire board on Pinterest board to photo tips, which contains lots of useful information that can hopefully help you out with getting to know your camera!

Photography Pinterest Board HERE!