Before I start this blog, let me say that the gear does not define the photographer. While I do love my equipment and believe in investing in my business, the truth is, I didn’t start with the equipment that is in my bag now. It’s my passion for people and my passion for what I do that helps me to create images my clients love and images that I believe in. This is an art form. Though technique is required and education is pivotal, there is no right or wrong way to express it. No camera, no lens can capture the art an artist believes in without the artist.

With that being said…I love, love LOVE all of my gear!! My camera and lenses are my babies! Each lens serves a special purpose and while I do not have dozens of bodies and lenses, the tools I do have gives me everything I need.

Being a Natural Light photographer means I’m often out and about in Alaska chasing the best light in order to create the best images for my clients. But in Alaska, winter is coming. Which means less light to work with. Nevertheless, even in the worst light, there is one lens in my camera bag that works WONDERS. Seriously y’all….it’s the best thing since sliced bread. On any given shoot, I will have my 3 core lenses with me (which does include my amazing 105mm macro lens), but none of them comes CLOSE to my 85mm lens!

This lens is…oh my gosh, it’s perfection. It is my go to lens!! I’m a huge fan of the saying “big things come in little packages,” and this lens is the perfect example of that!! When I decided I wanted to focus more on portraiture, I knew I wanted a lens that would produce razor sharp images and didn’t give me any distortion issues. However, since I also shoot elopements, I also needed a lens that was discrete and non-invasive, but still yielded images that were up to my standard. The 85 is all of that and so much more.  I’m a very petite/fun-sized woman, so having a lens that is light weight and doesn’t begin to weigh on my arms after hours of shooting is a must for me. Not only is this lens light, but it allows me the freedom to create the light and creamy images that defines my style. Not to mention, it effortlessly produces some of THE most beautiful bokeh ( a photography term that describes the blurry, creamy goodness in the background of my images, pronounced “bo-ca”)  I’ve ever seen!!  This lens has definitely changed the way I shoot! Since adding it to my arsenal, I’ve fallen even more in love with portraits! I seriously can’t say it enough, I LOVE THIS LENS!!!

Want to know what else is in my bag and what bag I actually carry? Stay tuned for fun posts about it later!!