{what's in my bag}

A lot of people ask me what kind of camera I have, and how I get such great pictures. So, I thought I would share my not-so-secret answers... Everyone deserves to have great pictures, so feel free to email me any time you have questions.

In order of importance...

(1) First and foremost, I think the reason why I have great pictures is because I took my camera off auto-exposure. I learned how to shoot in the different manual modes, including full-manual. This is absolutely the number one reason-- even over the camera I use.

(2) I use a digital SLR camera by Canon called the 5D Mark II. It's a pretty fancy (and pricey) model, but I upgraded to go into professional photography (long-long-story short). I used to have a Canon digital Rebel XT. It is one of the most basic models you can have, but it takes great pictures. If you liked any pictures I have taken pre-2011, it was with that camera. And I can pretty much guarantee it was not shot in auto. :) Unless you are a professional photographer needing a full-frame sensor (sorry to get technical), you don't need anything higher than the most basic digital SLR. Save yourself the money if you are looking into getting a digital SLR, and get the most basic camera body. (This was advice given to me by a dear photographer friend pre-photography business). You don't have to have a digital SLR to take great pictures, but I would definitely invest in one where you can adjust exposure manually. This brings me to my next thought...

(3) Put money into your lenses. And in all actuality, if you are just wanting to take great pictures of your family, all you need is one special lens. And it is super inexpensive. Great, huh? You want to buy a 50mm (fixed focal length meaning it doesn't zoom in or out) with a maximum aperture of 1.8. Here is a link to the one I have. 99.999% of my pictures are taken with this lens. It is so great because it allows a lot of light in.

(4) Because I am a natural-light-only photographer, I have to adjust and work with what the sun gives me. Most photographers (at least at the level that I am) go back and adjust the light/white balance, and tweak any color issues. I took some pictures of Caroline in the shade in the backyard yesterday on a blue blanket. Guess what the camera picked up? The blue. (I should have done custom white balance but I didn't) So, I had to go back in and fix the white balance of the picture, so that what is supposed to be white, is white. And not blue.

All of this said, this is my best advice. If you want to take great everyday pictures of your family, take some time to read the manual for your camera and learn how to shoot on any of the manual modes. However, using a photographer is really a priceless way to get pictures you will cherish forever. Even though I am in business for myself, I have (and will continue to) hire a photographer to take family pictures of us.

Feel free to email me at kategavosphoto@gmail.com if you have any questions, or want to set up a session!