Ex-posted from my blog at www.charistalbotphotography.com

Here is the contents of my camera bag:

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let’s go through my kit shall we?

My Pentax K-R

When I think about the first time I saw my camera I look back with a nostalgia and love that is perhaps more appropriate for remembering the first time one meets a lover or a good friend. I purchased it direct from Pentax when I managed a camera shop after a visit from the Pentax reps showing the current models. Unlike the models I’d been shown by the Canon and Nikon parties, the Pentax models had an efficiency and speed that really impressed me. I was blown away by their performance in low light and how light weight they were. I have always maintained, that like buying a wand in Harry Potter, the camera chooses the photographer (or rather it should) and I knew I had to have the K-R in white because it fitted my hands and made the most pleasing shutter noise ever. I went for the entry level DSLR because I thought I would only be a hobbyist photographer (if that) after using film at university and always being frustrated with my work. I will write more about my journey in photography in another post and elaborate more on those points but for now I’ll try and stay technical. The K-R has allowed me to zoom forward, for which it deserves great praise. My main frustrations now is that it isn’t water proof, it isn’t full frame and the pixels are slightly too low for me to submit to agencies unless I increase pixel size in photoshop. Cost wise, because I sold an old camera (which I never used), got an employee discount and cash back offers it wasn’t such an expense.

Kit Lens 18-55mm

I never use it unless I’m letting someone else use my camera or I need to race through a studio shoot and don’t have time to manually focus or my eyes are a bit tired. The focus isn’t that great and I can’t use it for location much because it doesn’t have the depth of field or clarity I require.

Pentax- A 50mm 1:1.7

This lens…oh my goodness this lens is the best money (£20 second hand, found it when looking for lenses for my film camera) I’ve ever spent. The bokeh and depth of field it produces are perfect for my dreamy location pictures and portrait headshots. It’s very seldom off my camera. Yes it is manual focus and no I don’t care. The only hindrance in that respect is that I can’t do fast paced photography like events or moving objects. However with £20 being a fraction of what it would cost for a 50mm 1.7 prime lens with autofocus I can live with that. Also the old lenses (this is from a film camera) are slightly more hardy than the modern ones. Some of the older Pentax lenses are made with the most exquisite glass and made to last. When people look at me quizzically for saying that I ask them “who made the lens for your glasses?” because most of time that’s Pentax too. They are a good company to trust with your optic needs.

Pentax-A 28-80mm 1:3.5-4.5

I have just started using this lens in studio shoots and the results it produces are brilliant. The focusing barrel is a bit loose and as it’s manual focus it is a bit of a concern BUT it cost a whole £10 from a charity shop.

Sigma 100-300mm 1:4.5-6.7

This was VERY kindly given to me by someone who’d upgraded and I find it very useful for general shooting but not perhaps my fashion shooting. I have taken some brilliant portraits with it but it is quite slow and i tend to have 5 blurry pictures before a good one. I could try manually focusing but it is potentially rather eye straining.

Memory Cards

Always have a memory card holder. Trust me it’s good advice. Oh and put your name on it, no matter how dorky it seems.

Camera Bag

You know what? If you chose to be a professional photographer you will be carting your kit around all the time so go for something that accommodates your equipment but also sets you apart and compliments your personality. My reasoning is, although it is nice to be remembered for my work and positive approach to photography, it isn’t a bad thing to be remembered for your style. Every shoot I’ve done I’ve had lovely comments about my camera being white and often have comments about my camera bag.

Another tip is to always have nice nails (if you’re a girl) and paint them nice colours, because they will be on display when you’re holding a camera and it’s a nice talking point.

So, to conclude this somewhat rambling post: there you have it. My inexpensive kit. I wish I could upgrade and perhaps be more professional. I think the largest money I’ve spent is on my lights (secondhand £120) and £70 for my flash (metz) which I don’t use because it’s slow and annoying. My biggest investment of all have been my computer. Now this is important. You must have a machine that can cope with the gigabytes of data you are uploading/downloading/editing/moving. My PC was made by Cyberpower in Gateshead and is designed as both a gaming PC and one that can run various editing programs with excellent graphics. I also use a very basic Wacom bamboo tablets and if you are serious about retouching and digital art then I highly recommend getting one- you will not get such dexterity from a mouse. My final ‘tip’ is I use dual screens rather than one large screen so I can ‘take breaks from editing’ and watch something on my second screen or keep and eye on emails/photoshop tutorials. Moreover as one screen is darker I can check that the image on both to make sure I haven’t made any mistakes (I have no screen calibration, woe is me!). In total, bar my computer equipment my camera bag kit, lights and camera have cost less than £550. Do my photos look like my kit cost so little? Feel free to ask any questions

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www.charistalbotphotography.co.uk
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Charis-Talbot-Photography/276895542334208

[email protected]

thanks for the feedback guys
I deliberately chose an awkward pose to give it that high fashion feel. I agree the lens is a bit slow but I got it for free off a friend and I do like my 50mm pentax-a lens but as it was such a long busy shoot I didn't want to waste time using manual focus.

The highlights are a bit of pain as it was so bright this weekend- tres stressful!
Thanks again guys, much appreciated

p.s Frogman: #3 is a fine art print so I used textures etc

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[IMG]http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b257/pinkbeene/IMGP0776ejweb.jpg[/IMG]

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Model is Katie
make up by Rachel Terry
Designer Scarlet Etoile
shot at Ashton court Bristol.

I used an old 100-300mm 1:4.5-6.7 lens on my K-r and in some shots used an old beat up Bowens reflector a friend gave me.

Enjoy and to see more check my website www.charistalbotphotography.co.uk and/or my blog www.charistalbotphotography.com