Photography Essentials of a Hobbyist Photographer (by Stefanie Vallen)

I will admit I am generally a pretty lazy photographer and like to travel light. Adding to this I am a hobbyist photographer so I am definitely on a budget!I started my journey into digital photography with a little Nikon D3000 and this 50mm f/1.8 lens. I shot some of my favourite images with this setup and I still use this lens today. It’s lightweight and fuss free!

When I felt I had grown out of my cropped sensor SLR I moved on to a full frame Nikon D700 and have had this beast for a fair few years now. It is sturdy (and has a lot more weight to it) and I don’t worry too much about it being thrown around a bit, it can handle being roughed around a little.After moving to full frame I found that the 50mm was a little too wide for the type of portraiture I like so I decided to try out an 85mm and never looked back really. This is my go to lens, it is on my camera 80% of the time. It’s great for portraiture and I even use it for wider shots that incorporate more of the background just because I like to give my models some space. I’d like to try out a 135mm but again, budget is key for me!

So, if I’m shooting fashion or portraiture I generally use my 85mm, if I’m shooting two people or more I will get out my 50mm. The last lens I have in my collection is a 24-70mm which I really only use to shoot live bands. Its wider angle produces some really cool lens distortion and it is always handy to be able to zoom in or out.Apart from that the only other things I will pack for a shoot are a reflector that I never really use, a bottle of water and a couple of Mars bars every now and then :)I’d love to know what you have in your bags!

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– Written by Stefanie Vallen – You’re sure to love Stefanie’s incredible work, and we encourage you to visit her website or follow along on Instagram (@stafnie_).