Let’s start this off by getting one thing straight. It takes SO much more than gear to be a photographer. Sure, quality is influenced by the gear. But a photographer is more than their gear. Much more.

Now that we have that out of the way, let’s talk about gear! When I first started in photography, my dad gave me an old camera of his. The memory card? It was a floppy disk. Kids, do you know what those are? This is a floppy disk. And it held very VERY few pictures. But I loved that thing like nobody’s business! I also had a polaroid camera. But not just any old polaroid, a Spice Girls polaroid. The 90’s were a good time for me.

My first DSLR was a Nikon D3100 and this was a great camera for me to start learning. However, the first things I focused on learning were composition and getting an ‘eye for it’. I don’t think I ever took this camera off of Auto. But it definitely was a great starter.

My next camera was bought when I first moved to Japan. I bought a Canon Kiss. Japans version of a rebel. This is when I really started learning. Studying things like aperture, ISO, shutter speed. Changing focal points, even a little video here and there. It was a great starter camera! Anyone looking to have a quality starter DSLR for themselves, for a fun vacation or to start learning, I would absolutely recommend the Canon rebel series.

I then went to a Canon 60D. This is the camera I had when I first began shooting weddings. It lasted me through so many! From my first wedding, to shooting in Chicago and so much more! Vacations, family portrait sessions and lots and lots of learning. I decided to start my business with this camera. This camera was my baby! But the next upgrade was so, so worth it.

I knew I was going to upgrade to a full frame camera, but wasn’t sure which one. I was thrilled to make the plunge and get the Canon 5DMark3. I thought the 60D was my baby.. oh no, I love this one WAY more. The all around quality of this camera upped my game drastically.

What I wish I knew when I started out shooting was that I can develop my style, learn the core components of photography and study my camera inside and out, THEN upgrade. Thankfully, I learned this before my last upgrade. But I wish I had studied everything about my cameras before purchasing new ones. It would’ve made me a far better photographer earlier on. So for each of you looking to buy a DSLR, here are a few things I would tell you to take into consideration.

• How long you want it: If you are looking to have the same camera for a long time, invest. Make it one that you can learn without being too overwhelmed but still have room to grow over the years. Make it one that wont limit you once you get to a certain point.
• How much you want to spend: There are a variety of components that play into purchasing a camera. Money is definitely one of those. Cameras can be large investments and you have to know what you are looking for before just price shopping!
• What you want it for: Are you wanting a quality camera for just your day to day life or some vacations? Or are you wanting to begin learning the in’s and out’s of photography? Maybe you want to start a full fledge photography business! Whatever the case, know what your main use will be.

This will help you when deciding a full frame or a crop sensor, what lenses you want to buy with your camera and more.

Happy shooting

Riane