Camera is your canvas. Lenses are your brushes. Light is your paint.
About Me, and - What’s in my bag
Hello reader! I am a portrait photographer. While I would love to label myself as a professional, I believe that term would be more fitting if photography were my full-time job and primary source of income. However, that’s not the case yet. I still maintain another job to support myself financially. The journey of transforming photography from a hobby into a full-time profession is challenging and rarely short.
As an introvert, my life revolves around home, work, and family. It might seem that extroverts, with their extensive network of friends both in real life and on social media, have it easier. Being sociable and engaging in conversations can indeed help spread the word about one’s services - the power of word-of-mouth cannot be underestimated. However, every journey is unique, and I am excited about where mine will lead. The photography industry is highly competitive and saturated. There are countless aspiring photographers and models who dream of making it big. However, the reality is that only a small fraction of them can achieve a full-time career in this field. According to some estimates, only 0.5-2% of models become full-time professionals. You can find more information about it in this post here.
In such a market, pricing is a crucial factor. Everyone wants quality and affordability, but these are often at odds. Would you trust a photographer who charges only 50£ for an important event? How satisfied would you be with the results? On the other hand, would you pay 500£ for a photographer whose work does not match the standards of glossy magazines? How do you justify the cost?
To find the right balance, you must assess your value as a photographer and charge accordingly. You should not undersell yourself or overcharge your clients. This is not an easy task, as I can understand the passion and pride that many photographers have for their work. However, passion and pride are not enough to make you a professional. You also need skill and experience, which take time and effort to develop. No photographer becomes a professional overnight.
Let’s look into my bag and see what I carry with me to photo sessions. I own a Canon EOS R5 camera with an RF 85mm f1.2 L USM lens and an EF 24-70 f2.8L II lens. I also got an EF 135mm f2, RF 50mm f1.8 STM and something that is more than 50 years old - FD 55mm f1.2 S.S.C. lens. If curious to know what I think of them, I wrote about each down below.
Let’s get out of the way what I do not like about the RF 50mm f1.8 STM lens. I don’t like to take it with me when I go for photo sessions because it has a loud focus system, and I find the sound a bit unpleasant and distracting. It’s capable of focusing very quickly, so it’s not bad to use in continuous mode. I don’t use continuous mode regularly. Sometimes, I do not care about focusing sound. When I bought it, and did some test shots, I was worried that the lens was faulty. After I made a small research, I found out later that such a focusing sound is normal for STM motors. One of the reasons I bought this 50mm lens (as probably many others who bought it) is because it is very cheap compared to many other Canon lenses. The second reason is that it is small and suitable for street photography, travelling and, most importantly - family photos. I say suitable because it is small, simple and good. I always keep my camera on the shelf close by in the living room so that I can grab my camera anytime I want to capture special moments of my daughter growing up. Having this small lens on is just so comfortable and convenient. To be honest, I use it all the time except when going out to do some more serious work. It is small, light, cheap, and gives good results. A few of the images on this page are shot with this lens, and the rest with my most expensive lens, and I am sure you would not guess which are which.
Next is the EF 24-70mm f2.8L II USM lens. When I need a wider lens, this is the lens I put on. I don’t have any wider lens but I should get one in the future. I use this lens in cramped spaces like corridors, coffee shops or in-house photography when, instead of only walking around the room to compose, I can also zoom in and out when I need to. This lens is great for wedding photography. I find this approximate focal range zoom to be a must-have in my bag.
RF 85mm f1.2L USM is definitely my favourite lens. It was a big investment, but it is worth every penny. Without a doubt, it holds a special place on my shelves. Firstly, the focal length is excellent for portrait photography. I don’t have to come uncomfortably too close to the model, and I don’t have to go very far from the model either. Secondly, the bokeh with this lens is the best I have ever seen. It’s creamy and dreamy, and I can’t get enough of it. It is also very sharp across all corners. There are many reviews of this lens online, and everyone is happy with it. Some photographers say that it’s plasticky and the lens itself is heavy. I don’t mind any of these things because the image quality is superb, it works fast as a bee, and these things are the most important to me.
EF 135mm f2L USM lens is yet another of my favourites, but unfortunately, I don’t use it often. The reason is because of how far I have to be from the model. It’s alright for a few shots when needed, but not a full photo session for sure. This lens works well for me in fields, forests, parks, or broader areas like car parks or along roads, sidewalks, and alleyways. When I bought the 85mm lens I previously talked about, I was sure that I would sell my 135mm. However, the compression of this lens is soo good, making this lens a unique piece of glass. The sharpness of it is very impressive too, considering that it was released in 1996. At the time of my writing this, this lens is 27 years old!
P.S. You might be curious why this lens hood is covered with stickers. The hood cracked on the very day it arrived by post. Rather than ordering a new one, I chose to repair it to make it functional again. Although glue was effective, the crack was still visible. I decided to use some stickers from an old collection I had. I have to say, I’m quite fond of its appearance! It adds even more uniqueness to this lens, which it deserves. If you ever spot me with this lens around town, please, feel free to come over and say hi!
The FD 55mm f1.2 S.S.C. lens holds a special place in my collection. Despite being 50 years old, it produces this unique look to the images without the extra effort in post-editing when I want to achieve an old look. I managed to acquire this lens for around £150, which is significantly cheaper than its aspherical counterpart, which price ranges from £1500 to £3000 on eBay. The price largely depends on the condition of the lens too, given its age. After I watched a comparison video between the aspherical and non-aspherical versions, I decided that there wasn’t a significant difference to justify the substantial cost. The non-aspherical versions were produced in much larger quantities compared to the aspherical ones, which I believe is the primary reason for the significant price difference.
There’s one lens I still feel the need to add to my backpack - the RF 28-70mm f2L USM lens. Image above? Not mine this time. Unfortunately, at the moment, it’s a bit beyond my budget. However, I’m absolutely sure it would be worth every penny! This lens would nicely complement my RF 85mm. Also, if I were to purchase it, I wouldn’t need the EF 24-70mm version anymore, so I could sell it and regain some of the cost.
All the camera and lens gear I currently own was bought in the used market except for my first two cameras. I’ve never encountered any issues with the performance of the lenses or cameras after I bought used, and I’ve saved a substantial amount of money. My first camera was Nikon D7200, and the next one was Fuji X-T4. I got them both brand new. But then I started to buy used lenses, and I realized that the performance of the lenses was the same or highly acceptable. So why buy new ones? I know there are people who buy only used, and sometimes I think to myself “damn, the money they spent on their gear, they could have had twice as many lenses, cameras and maybe other useful tools. But hey, everyone has their opinion, and somebody has to buy these things new, otherwise there will be no used market. I have bought a Canon R5 in used condition too, and had no issues whatsoever. Just to be clear, I am not saying that you don’t have to be careful buying the gear used. Quite the opposite - you need to be very careful and try to not make any harsh decisions. Patience and research is the key.