Photography Gear for Blogging

Although there are some photos still on my blog from the days where I used my iPhone 4s as my primary camera (see: Chicken Francaise, Cookie Dough Frozen yogurt), I noticed my blog got a lot more views and clicks once I upgraded to a DSLR camera.

I was formerly using the Nikon D3200 - a good entry level camera. The current version on Nikon entry level cameras is the Nikon D3500. I currently shoot with a Nikon D750, my first full frame camera. You can see that camera in action in my Best Simple Guacamole post.

For some more information on photography for blogging, take a look at a post I wrote on blogging photography basics.

You can never have too many memory cards. I always keep a spare in my camera bag, just in case.

In full disclosure, I don't really use this tripod right now for photography as much as I do videography. I have always found tripods a bit limiting and will always choose handheld shots over a tripod assisted one if I can manage it. However, sometimes you need both of your hands in the shot and have nobody else to hold your spoon/glass/bowl. For these instances, a tripod and remote shutter (see below) come in very handy.

For videography, this tripod is a lifesaver. Its middle column pops up and out and can be extended to a full 90 degree angle for those "top down, hands only" videos. It's stable, sturdy, and feels like it's made of very high quality metals. I love all of the options for height adjustments and often find myself on a step stool adjusting the ball head with the camera on it to get that perfect angle. I know I'm probably not even using this tripod to its full potential, but so far I am so impressed with it and you can't beat the price on Amazon for a good quality tripod.

Nikon's current base model DSLR camera. I used the D3200 as my first DSLR when I started out.

This 50mm prime lens was my first addition to the kit lenses (the lenses that came with my camera when I bought it new). It was my first prime lens. A prime lens doesn't zoom, so you have to do the zooming yourself with your body. In the most non-technical terms I could use, this lens gave me nicer photos. It has a pretty good auto focus and blurs the backgrounds nicely when you know how to use your camera settings. I often shoot in Aperture Priority mode, which takes into account the depth of field and focal length as the thing it prioritizes. It then chooses a shutter speed based on the aperture.

For ages I had envied the photos of successful blogs. They had big, beautiful and bright zoomed in photos. How on earth was I going to make my photos look like theirs? My kit lens was doing no favors and while the 50mm was my favorite for a long while, I wasn't able to get those really close zoomed in shots that I was looking for. This 40mm micro lens for Nikon cameras was a perfect budget-friendly alternative to a true macro lens. Some of my favorite close up shots can be seen here: My Oreo Creation Contest & Peanut Butter and Jelly Pancakes

I got this remote shutter very early on in my camera's life. Although I don't use it as much as I do the rest of the items listed in this post, it does come in incredibly handy when you need to either take a photo of yourself (like in some of my Smile Direct Club photos) or if you need to have zero shake on your camera for low light settings.

This is a great bag that has a lot of pockets, zippers and dividers. Things I currently keep in it: two lenses in their cases, my camera body with one lens attached, my battery adapter, A/V cords, remote shutter, extra memory card, CDs that came with the camera, basically anything that is camera related goes into that bag. The backpack style of this camera bag is great for when you need to take it on-the-go, and it's decently affordable.

I'm new to the artificial light game, but I got this softbox light kit for Christmas 2017. I was getting frustrated during the fall/winter with not being able to photograph anything after sundown during the weekdays because that's when I get home from work. I opened these up 4 days post appendix removal surgery (appendectomy) on Christmas day and was so excited, but still so tired from the surgery and didn't get to play with them right away.

I've used these mainly for videos, because it's nice to have a steady stream of constant light instead of having to battle with the sun when trying to film videos. Check out the videos on my blog's Facebook page for my Fudgy Mug Brownie recipe and Slow Cooker Buffalo Chicken Dip recipe.

Although not necessarily an essential, I found a new fun camera strap added a little bit of pizzazz to my days when I would shoot. Whatever gets you excited about picking up your camera is worth it!