If you’re venturing into professional photography, the very first thing you need to do is invest in the proper equipment. Tapan Sheth, a professional photographer who has been featured in National Geographic, states that having the right camera gear can make “a world of difference” in the field. He emphasizes that having these gears are foundational in the career because their settings can greatly affect the outcome of each picture.
However, camera equipment can be hefty investments for photographers that are starting out. So, make sure that you’re choosing equipment that will serve you well throughout your career by referring to this guide:
Camera
When choosing a camera, you need to consider the specs that will help you properly capture your preferred subject. Professional digital cameras, like the Nikon D850 DSLR, are ideal for landscape photography. This is because these types of cameras have a 45.7-megapixel resolution, a focus shift feature, and a shooting speed of 7 or 9 fps. Meanwhile, those with AI-controlled AF sensors, powerful DIGIC processing systems and high-speed camera communications are better for sports or wildlife photography. By considering these key features, you can get a reliable tool for your field of photography.
Lenses
Aside from getting a professional camera, you also need to purchase lenses that can provide you with focal lengths that you’ll need in your field. To illustrate, this guide on camera lenses highlights that the Canon 85 mm f/1.4 L IS telephoto prime lens is great if you want to create a tight photo where the subject of the portrait stands out. On the other hand, a 24mm, 28mm, or 35mm wide-angle prime lens is more useful for landscape, street, or portrait photography because of its wide depth of field.
Meanwhile, if you’re more into wedding or indoor sports photography, a 70-200mm telephoto zoom lens will be useful since it has a shallow depth of field that helps in separating the foreground and the background of the subject.
Lighting Equipment
If you’re into portrait and event photography, invest in reliable lighting equipment. These tools provide you with more control over the lighting conditions, allowing your subject to be clearly captured in the photos, no matter what your venue may be.
In fact, one of our articles on photography demonstrates that you need to have four types of lights — LED, fluorescent, and tungsten lighting — to get the perfect color temperature for your image. LEDs define your subject better; they’ll even allow you to add shadows and depth. Tungsten lamps with a 3000-3380 Kelvin color temperature, for instance, can create a warm look on something gold or yellow, like diamonds. Finally, fluorescent lights that have a 5000 Kelvin color temperature will create a cooler effect on your subject.
Tripod
Some professional photographers opt to handhold their cameras, especially if a lot of rapid movements need to be involved in the process. But generally, the stability of a tripod lets you capture images in better quality. For example, they help with framing, as they let you focus on faraway objects and capture them with long exposures without the camera wobbling. Tripods are also crucial for HDR photography since this requires absolute stillness.
Just keep in mind that tripods can be heavy, so those who need to carry their tools on the go need to look for carbon fiber tripods that are lightweight yet sturdy. Meanwhile, macro and product photographers will benefit from small tabletop tripods that help in capturing close-up shots.
As an aspiring professional photographer, you need to invest in equipment that can help you capture your subject in the best quality possible. Remember to consider the specs of the cameras, lenses, lighting equipment, and tripods to ensure that they align with your chosen field of photography.
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