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I have been working on my nature photography on a more serious level for the past 3 years, although I’ve experimented with various point and shoot cameras, SLR cameras and film for years prior. (Even developing photos in a darkroom!)

While I have plans to expand on these tools of the trade, I currently have a very small inventory of gear that I use that so far, works well for me. Here is a list, as I am often asked what my photography tool-bag consists of. I also shoot in both RAW and jpeg, but I almost always upload photos developed from the RAW files. Being an artist makes me picky about the end results and jpeg files never look as alive as what I’d seen in person. I also deeply enjoy the developing process (to the point that I go sleepless for a few days after a good photo trip! 3 days is my record so far 😉 )

As for an alliance with a particular camera brand – I grew up with Canon, so naturally, I’ve stuck with it!

SLR Camera:

• Canon AT-1 – This camera belonged to my Dad, and was broken for several years. After he died, I sent it off for repairs and learned how to use it! I plan on doing more film photography with it in the future.

dSLR Camera: 

• Canon EOS Rebel T4i  – This has proven to be an OK camera body, but I know that I would get better photo results from others. I like the ‘veri-angle’ touchscreen and many other aspects of the camera, but am really not a fan of the noise ‘performance’ past ISO 400. I find it disappointing to use for many of the low light situations encountered in wildlife photography.

Point and Shoot:

• Canon Powershot G12 – Ol’ reliable, this camera has been perfect for a number of situations and was the mule for my photography studies until I picked up the dSLR. It’s been all over the place! Highly recommended for someone looking for a convenient to carry and versatile camera.

dSLR Lenses:

• EF-S 60mm f/2.8 Macro USM – My one and only proper dSLR lens. This piece of glass was a great investment for the kind of photography that I enjoy (Macro), and a huge bonus in other categories (although it can be a matter of luck in some ways) I’ll elaborate on this in a post very soon, complete with examples!

Dedicated Reversed dSLR lenses:

• Two lenses – Old Canon 50mm and a 28mm (Need to look them up online) – I have not worked with these as much as I would have, as I do not have a good lighting rig to make the most of it. I plan on investing in a good setup in the future, though, so you can be sure that I’ll have neat super-macro photos soon!

Extension Tubes:

• Kenko Auto Extension Tubes for Canon –  Used with the old Canon lenses, reversed. They work perfectly.

Tripod:

• Manfrotto 190XPROB – I really love this tripod, and found it useful for all types of photography. It is inexpensive, but of solid and reputable build. I really like that it is simple to use and stays put, which is important in all kinds of conditions!

Photo Developing Software:

I currently use Lightroom 4, hoping to upgrade to 5 soon. It works really well and I love the results, but the latest version is likely superior and definitely addresses some of the frustrations I have with Lightroom 4. I have also learned to used Aperture, and consider it a great photo developing tool as well.