My Photography: Equipment & Tips
This is an update to a blog post originally published in 2019.
One of the things that I get asked about again and again is my photography. What camera and lenses do I use? Who takes my photos? How do I edit? How did I get into photography? I hesitated at calling myself a photographer for a long time. I’m self taught with absolutely zero formal training, I don’t have a full frame camera, I don’t even know all of the jargon. I’d look at others self-labeling themselves as photographers and think if they’re calling themselves a photographer, then so can I - but it took a while for me to actually feel confident calling myself a photographer. I was a writer who enjoyed taking photos. Thinking about this now, I think its up to you what you label yourself as. If you enjoy doing something, make money out of it or have a talent, nobody is going to stop you shouting from the rooftops that this is what you do. Over the past two years, I have started to take on more photography commissions and finally feel comfortable introducing myself as a photographer. One of the main reasons I recently updated my website was to have a better portfolio with more of a focus on my photography work. And I’ve gained a greater understanding of what I enjoy shooting commercially.
Here are the answers to the questions that I am most commonly asked. If you have any further questions, please feel free to leave me a comment.
WHAT CAMERA DO I USE?
Up until fairly recently, most of my photos were taken with my Canon 600D DSLR with a 50mm 1.8 lens. I’ve been using this camera and lens since 2014 with a slight upgrade in 2018 when I broke my lens and updated to the newer version. I still occasionally use this camera, but since I purchased my Fujifilm X-T20 in 2019, this has fast become my camera of choice. It’s smaller (meaning that it’s easier to pop in my bag and carry around) but the quality is incredible. It handles light really well, the colours are amazingly vibrant and I find it really easy to use on the go.
HOW DO YOU DECIDE WHICH LENS TO USE?
In some ways, the lens that you choose is more important than the camera itself. I like to shoot with a wide aperture because I love playing around with the focus of my shots. Lenses that only offer a deep depth of field result in photos that just feel flat to my eye. I love a blurry background or foreground in my shots and love playing around with bokeh. When choosing a lens, I always check how wide the aperture goes. I shoot with a 35mm 1.4 lens on my Fujifilm and 50mm 1.8 on my Canon.
The other important factor to consider when selecting a lens is your focal length. I usually shoot people and nature and like the look of 35-50mm as it is close to what you see with your eye. If I was shooting something like sports or wildlife, I would want a completely different lens than what I use. Note that the specified focal length of a lens is for a full frame camera. Both of my cameras have a cropped sensor (most digital cameras on the cheaper end of the scale will be the same) so this slightly skews the focal length of your lens. A 50mm lens on my Canon camera acts more like a 80mm, and a 35mm on my Fuji is more of a 50mm. This basically means I have to stand further back from my subject to get the shot I want.
WHO TAKES MY PHOTOS?
I take all of my photos myself. In the past I used to get my boyfriend to help with my self portraits, but I’ve been shooting my own for almost two years now. I use a tripod and a combination of the self-timer on my camera and using my phone as a remote. By using my phone as a remote, I can see exactly how the shot looks and set the focus before I start shooting, rather than running back and forth to race a self-timer. If I can’t hide my phone or need both of my hands in shot, I set up the shot using my phone, set a 10-second timer and quickly move my phone out of the frame.
HOW DO I EDIT MY PHOTOS?
I almost always edit my photos on my phone, mainly because it is more convenient for me to edit on the go but also I don’t have a great screen on my laptop. I always edit in Lightroom, playing around with brightness, contrast, highlights and shadows, and quite often adding a subtle grain. I also edit the hue and saturation of individual colours, especially lowering the saturation of green and yellow tones in my images. Sometimes I add a subtle filter on VSCO (which is also my preferred way of adding grain as the app has a sliding scale).
HOW DID I GET INTO PHOTOGRAPHY?
I’ve always enjoyed photography, and looking back I really wish I had chosen to study it at some point. I remember using my parent’s cameras when I was little and subsequently them giving me my first film camera when I was about 11. I really got into photography in my mid-twenties, when I was obsessed with fashion and photography blogs and Flickr. I saw all of these photos that I admired and wanted to recreate them myself. I bought my DSLR in 2014 and have been playing around ever since, teaching myself along the way.
DO I MAKE MONEY OFF MY PHOTOGRAPHY?
I have been working as a freelance photographer for several years now, shooting everything from events to portraits and flowers. I’ve shot for florists, for bloggers and for small businesses. Over the past year, I have been treating my photography work as equal to my writing work, dedicated more time to both sides of my business. I focus my commercial and editorial photography on six subjects: product, fashion, portraits, travel, interiors and nature. You can view my portfolio here.
WHERE DO I FIND INSPIRATION?
I find inspiration all around me. I look out of my window and see rolling hills and a garden wild with flowers. I spend time scrolling through Instagram and Pinterest and see work that stops me in my tracks and inspires me to pick up my camera. I save the images that inspire me on Pinterest boards and on my Instagram, to look back at when my inspiration ebbs. I am most inspired when out in nature, walking on my own, or when travelling and visiting new places.