I get a lot of questions about the gear that I use to shoot photos both in studio and on location. I also get questions about what equipment to buy if you are on a tight budget and just starting out. Anyone venturing into the world of photography for profit must understand up front that this is not a cheap business to get into. The quality of your gear is going to be directly reflected in the quality of your photos. The best advice that I can give is to invest in the very best equipment that you can possibly afford. Try to have a good idea of what type of photography you want to spend most of your time doing and ask people that are experienced in that subject what they use. Trust me on this… I have spent A LOT of money trying to save money by buying the cheap version of equipment that I “thought” that I needed. I have a lot of gear laying around that I rarely use because it does not give me the results that I want…. either because the equipment is garbage or it is just not suited for the type of photo that I want to create.
So, if you are looking to get into pet photography, here’s a list of what I would suggest that you invest in if you want very good quality results but you don’t want to totally break the bank. If there is more than one option in a category, I have indicated which choice I made. You will see that some of the gear that I use is not the top of the line, but it still does a decent enough job “for what I do”. I mainly do in-studio dog portraits. If I were to do more outdoor action shots of dogs, I would invest in the better lenses for that situation. You should pick and choose according to your area of interest.
Cameras:
- Good -Canon EOS 50D 15.1MP Digital SLR Camera with EF 28-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS USM Standard Zoom Lens
- *Better -Canon EOS 5D – Digital camera (this kit comes with a EF 24-105mm IS lens)
- Best -Canon EOS 5D Mark II (Body Only)
In Studio Lenses:
- Good – Canon EF 28-105mm f/3.5-4.5 II USM Standard Zoom Lens
- Better – Canon EF 28-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS USM Standard Zoom Lens
- *Best – Canon EF 24-105mm f/4 L IS USM Lens
- Another really good one -Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8L USM Standard Zoom Lens
Lens for close-up shots with that cool artistic “selective focus” look with a blurred background:
- *Good – Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 II Camera Lens
- Better – Canon EF 50mm f1.4 USM lens
- Best – Canon EF 50mm f/1.2 L USM Lens
Lens for use outdoors to zoom in on dogs from far away (also good for the blurred background effect):
- *Good – Canon EF 70-300mm f/4-5.6 IS USM Lens
- Better – Canon EF 70-200mm f/4 L IS USM Lens
- Best – Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L USM Telephoto Zoom Lens
In-Studio Lighting:
- *Profoto 502-346 CompactPlus 600R Pro Value Pack (Black)
- *Two - Profoto 2-Feet x 3-Feet Softbox
- *PocketWizard Transceiver(to trigger the lights to flash without needing synch cords)
Studio Backdrops:
- Savage 9′ x 20′ Infinity Series Matte Finish Pure White Vinyl Background
- Pro Heavy-Duty Support System with 9′ Crossbar
On Camera Flash:
Memory Cards:
Photo Editing Software:
Computer Hardware:
- Toshiba Qosmio X305-Q706 17.0-Inch Laptop - I can’t honestly say that I would recommend this laptop. For a mac-daddy high-speed gaming computer, it’s not that fast and constantly locks up on me. My next purchase… I’ll take the plunge to a Mac.
- Wacom Intuos4 Medium Pen Tablet – This is something I cannot live without!
by adogslifephoto
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