Whether you blog as a hobby, or for business, creating gorgeous visuals will help your blog stand out, and keep readers more engaged. Beautiful images also make your content more shareable, especially on sites like Pinterest.
Whether you a newbie, or an experienced blogger, taking your own blog photos can be a bit intimidating! It helps to start with the right basic equipment. And it is less than you think – you certainly don’t need everything on this list to get started.
So, let’s dive in and have a look at the photography supplies most recommended by bloggers (including myself). Bonus – most of the items are budget-friendly!
*Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links that earn me a small commission, at no additional cost to you. I only recommend products I personally use and love, or think my readers will find useful.
The equipment:
1. UV Lens Filter
After spending hundreds of dollars on a lens the last thing you want is for it to get scratched! Spend a few dollars more on a UV lens filter and keep it on your lens permanently.
2. 50mm 1.8 lens
If you have a DSLR that came with a kit lens you can definitely take great photos with it, so there’s no need to rush out and get another lens. When you are ready to upgrade, or if you are in the market to purchase your first DSLR, get this lens.
Commonly known as the ‘nifty fifty’, this lens gives you excellent quality for money and produces crisp images with beautiful bokeh.
3. DSLR Camera Body
The Canon EOS Rebel T5i is a great starter DSLR and perfect for bloggers – it’s affordable, compact, and has easy-to-use controls. I’ve had the T3i (now discontinued) for over 3 years and I still love it!
Buy the body without the kit lens, and get the 50mm lens (that we spoke of above) separately. The most important part of your camera is the lens, so it is better to go with a budget body and a decent lens.
4. iPhone Camera
There’s a lot more to photography than just the camera. If you don’t have the budget – or if you don’t want to buy a DSLR – you can simply use your iPhone. The camera is great quality, and the benefit is that you always have your phone on you so it is quick and easy to snap a photo.
The trick here is to actually learn how to take great photos for your blog with your iPhone.
Even if you do have a DSLR, you can still use your iPhone for some of your photos where it makes more sense.
Accessories and software:
5. Memory Card
Let me rephrase that – a good quality memory card. Buy a well-known brand like SanDisk to avoid the nightmare of discovering your card is corrupted after spending hours taking gorgeous photos.
6. Grey card
This nifty little tool will help you get the correct white balance when you post-process your photos. You can use a simple grey card from a stationery store (confession – when I first learnt about this I didn’t have a grey card at home, so I tested it with a grey pillowcase – it worked so well I still use it!)
7. Reflectors and diffusers
Learning how to manipulate the light around you will go a long way to improving your blog photos.
A diffuser helps to diffuse harsh light so you don’t get hard shadows. You can buy a diffuser, or use a white sheet/thin white curtain.
Reflectors bounce back the light onto your subject. They lighten up shadows and generally add more light to your image. You can buy a simple reflector, set that includes gold and silver reflectors, or simply use a large white piece of cardstock.
8. & 9. Tripod & Remote
A tripod is essential if you are going to be shooting in low light conditions. As bloggers, we often don’t get to choose when we want to shoot – which means often shooting in less-than-ideal lighting situations. Using a tripod means you can keep your shutter open longer without the camera shaking, and achieve those sharp, bright photos!
I tripod is also handy if you actually want to be in the photo. You can use the timer, or get a handy little remote and click away!
10. Adobe Creative Cloud (subscription)
Editing is an important part of the photography process, and Adobe has affordable subscription packages. I’ve got the $9.99 subscription that includes both Photoshop and Lightroom. I use Lightroom almost exclusively and I love it – I even use it to edit my personal photos.
11. Photoshop Actions or Lightroom Presets
Actions and presets save HOURS of repetitive work. They simplify the editing process and create consistent images. Find a set of presets/actions that suit your style. There a lot of sites that offer free presets but I find I tend to always go back to using the ones I purchased as they are better quality. This is the set I end up using most often.
What are your favourite pieces of photography equipment for blogging?
