What's In My Lifestyle Photography Camera Bag

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As a lifestyle photographer, my camera bag is one of the things that I keep closest to me. I tend to bring it around everywhere, so I like to keep a close eye on what stays in there!

Similar to how I am with packing for travel, I try to keep things relatively light in my camera bag. I don’t like to carry around a lot of extra stuff if I don’t have to, so I purposely have a smaller camera bag. Below is a list of things I keep with me from equipment all the way down to the little things like hand sanitizer.

What’s Inside the Lifestyle Photography Camera Bag

The Bag

The camera bag I use and love is my GOgroove DSLR Camera Backpack in Pink. It’s $50 and securely holds all the things listed below without being too large. I love that it has loads of pockets to organize things and removable inserts to customize to my needs. I also like that this is a backpack with wide comfortable straps as opposed to a messenger-style bag. I’m personally not a fan of over-the-shoulder bags. Even though it’s a bit easier to access equipment, they tend to hurt my back after a while. This backpack comfortably and securely holds everything, and I’ve owned it for over a year without any tears or issues.

What’s Inside the Camera Bag

Camera

My main camera body is a Canon 5D Mark III. It’s a full-frame camera that performs well in low-light and focuses quickly with lots of focus points and great color and vibrancy accuracy. While Canon has upgraded this camera to the Mark IV a few years later with more megapixels, ISO range, the Mark III still fits my needs and style. I don’t regularly shoot in dim lighting, so I won’t be upgrading or considering other bodies anytime soon!

Lenses

There are a few lenses I frequently carry with me on my shoots. Here are the top ones I keep with me:

• Canon 35 mm f/1.4: I tend to use this lens for a lot of my work, because it’s super versative. It’s great for lifestyle or product work in tighter spaces, so I can use that wide-angle to get everything I need in the frame. It’s also great for portraits that don’t give me a lot of room to move around. If you’re looking for a well-rounded, versatile lens, I recommend this one.

• Canon 50 mm f/1.4: Many portrait or lifestyle photographers who work with Canon are deeply familiar with the 50 mm f/1.8 lens. More often than not, it’s the gateway lens that opens the door to fixed lens portrait work. I still really enjoy using the 50 mm, especially for indoor photography or work where I have to be closer to my subjects. The f/1.4 gives the extra oomph you need as opposed to the f/1.8, so it’s the lens I recommend if you’re looking to get into more serious work.

• Canon 85 mm f/1.2: For outdoor lifestyle or portrait work where I have the space to move around, this is my lens of choice. It lends itself to photos with a buttery, creamy background, and the photos turn out beautifully. It’s an expensive lens to purchase, so I recommend renting it or borrowing it a few times to make sure you like it before purchasing.

Portable Hard Drive

I try to back up my photos as quickly as possible to avoid any mishaps, so I bring my Silicon Power external hard drive to do it on location or very soon after. If I’m working with clients who also have their own cloud-based back-up system, I’ll also upload them there in case my portable hard drive—God forbid—gives out on me.

SD Cards

It’s rare that I fill up a card in one session, but I keep a few empty ones with me just in case a card gives out on me. I typically stock up on these SD cards when there are sales like Amazon Prime Day or other tech sales.

SD Card to USB-C Converter

My MacBook doesn’t have an SD card slot, so I always have this converter with me to upload my files. When I’m not using it, I keep it in a tiny slot in my backpack so I don’t lose it.

Water bottle

I leave my place with a filled-up water bottle in my backpack. It’s easy to let time slip away on shoots, so make sure you’re taking intentional breaks to eat a snack, take a breather, pee, and stay hydrated during the session.

Hand sanitizer + extra mask

2020 pulled a number on us, so these days, I carry around an extra face mask and a small bottle of hand sanitizer to keep myself and my clients feeling safe.

Mirror

I typically recommend my portrait and lifestyle clients to keep a mirror close by in their bag, but if they forget to bring one, I usually have a handheld mirror with me in case they want to borrow it and check themselves before photos.

Cuticle oil

This may seem like a weird one, but hands tend to be in a lot of my lifestyle work. Editing dry cuticles can be very tedious to edit, so I typically have CND SolarOil with me in case clients want to use some right before their session.

Have any other questions about what’s in my camera bag? Please feel free to reach out here!

Valentine's Day Lifestyle Photo Shoot

Valentine’s Day is just around the corner! My opinion? Every seasonal holiday is a reason to get creative and craft away. This year, Austin-based May Designs decided to decorate the office and create custom DIY bath bombs as gifts for friends and family. (Scroll to the end of this post for a link to the recipe so you can make your own.) They turned out so lovely, you’ll have to see!

We also snapped a few other office lifestyle photos perfect for the season. Take a peek at this Valentine’s Day craft lifestyle photo shoot below:

Valentine’s Day Craft Lifestyle Photo Shoot

All the Valentine’s Day bath bombs were assembled and ready for photos when I arrived on location. All they needed were a bit of customization with a coloring pigment pen. Sweethearts candy-inspired, we chose a few classic messages like XOXO and BE MINE and trendy ones like DM ME and BAE.

After getting a few photos of the behind-the-scenes process, I snapped a few pictures of the bath bombs wrapped up. There were two presentation options for this craft. One was displayed inside a heart box with one of their custom stationery cards in a seasonal pattern. The other was placed inside a re-used plastic sleeve (that typically holds their notebooks!) with soap confetti. A DIY tag was made using an old stationery card. So creative!

Both presentations of this Valentine’s Day craft turned out beautifully. The box is great as a larger gift for family and friends. I can see it placed on someone’s door! The smaller one is great as little presents for kids’ school classrooms or party favors. Which one do you prefer?

We also made sure to get a few lifestyle product photos fitting for Valentine’s Day. This holographic notebook looked beautiful in front of this outfit! I love the way each color on the design played against the shimmering sparkles of the skirt. Wait until you see the next photo though. Keep scrolling.

The star photo of the shoot: a Karen tumbler. Perfect to use as a humorous social media marketing asset, email marketing hero image, or website image.

Thanks for joining in and taking a look at a few favorite photos from this Valentine’s Day shoot. The recipe for the DIY Bath Bombs is linked here in this May Designs Instagram post.

I look forward to taking more beautiful pictures for seasonal marketing pushes!

Christmas Holiday Lifestyle Photos with May Designs

Holiday lifestyle photoshoots are in full swing for 2020! The holiday season is the busiest time of the year for many e-commerce brands, and it’s become my favorite time of year to shoot. Over the last few seasons, I’ve had the privilege and pleasure of photographing images for Austin-based lifestyle May Designs, a lifestyle brand specialized in custom notebooks, stationery, and more. This season, we shot photos in Mica May’s beautiful, new studio in Austin, Texas. Take a look at some of the Christmas holiday lifestyle photos captured for Holiday 2020.

Holiday Lifestyle Photos: Whimsical Christmas

May Designs requested we photograph two separate holiday themes this year: a “whimsical Christmas” with colorful tones of blush and aqua and a “traditional” Christmas with festive reds and greens. Here are a few favorite lifestyle photos with the whimsical Christmas theme.

Getting kids involved in shoots is always a fun challenge. Typically, they freeze in front of the camera unless you give them a reason to show their joy. Prompts like “Reach for the tallest ornament you see!” or “Pick your favorite ornament off the tree!” make for great, candid, in-the-moment photos.

I love the way May Designs use their customizable notebooks to decorate presents year after year for lifestyle shots. It reminds me that there are so many ways to wrap gifts—great for me as a photographer and the variety of pictures we can take together. My favorite one is at the end, so keep scrolling to check it out.

Traditional Christmas Holiday Lifestyle Photo Ideas

Here are a few lifestyle product shots for the traditional red and green Christmas. I’m curious to hear which theme you’d prefer in your home: whimsical or traditional?

No winter holiday is complete without a great bar cart. We used a variety of props like presents, garlands, string lights, glassware, and other decorations to complement different product styles. Take a look below!

No additional lighting was used for this shoot besides natural afternoon light from big, sliding doors. My recommendation for colorful, airy photos is to make sure there are plenty of natural reflectors (white tree and white rug) and the props in the background are a similar color palette; in this case, nothing too dark and heavy.

Thanks for taking a read and joining me on my holiday lifestyle shoot! Click on my contact page if you’re interested in beautiful branded photography for your business.