What's in My Bag: Gear List of a Brand Photographer

If you’re not a photographer this post will probably bore you to death 😂 but if you ARE a photographer, I know you want to know what gear I use, so here we go!

First of all, I’ve got to tell you about my bag. I LOVE IT! It’s an Atlas Supply Co bag (which I highly recommend, whether you are a photographer or not) and it’s called The Photographer in El Paso. Some reasons why I love it: It’s functional. It fits all my lenses, which you’ll know in a minute is a lot of gear. It’s large, but it doesn’t feel like it. It has good support (because all that gear is HEA-VY!) and it’s cute to boot! It has a lot of little pockets to keep things like extra memory cards safe, and even has a dedicated laptop sleeve. And it’s really quite inexpensive as far as bags go!

Now on to the gear that goes in it. My camera body is a Canon 5D Mark III (which I can’t seem to find for sale online anymore to link). I bought it about 4 and a half years ago and it’s been a great camera body for my needs (but man, when I realize how old it is, I think it might be time to upgrade soon ;)

I am super partial to Sigma Art Lenses. They are my go to because they are a high quality lens without being quite as pricey as the Canon series of prime lenses. I want to break down why I have each lens and what I like to use them for.

Photo of me switching lenses by Lisa Monet Photography

The first Sigma lens I ever bought was their 35 mm f/1.4 Art series. They call it their flagship lens. It was mine too, and it totally sold me on them! I use this lens for photos that are a little wider, but don’t need a wide angle lens to capture (and where I don’t want that distortion). For instance, in semi-tight spaces, like retail stores and restaurants, where I am shooting lifestyle material and want to show the ambiance of the location. I also use this lens heavily for flatlay photography.

The second Sigma lens I ever bought I don’t use all that frequently at the moment. It’s their 85mm f/1.4 and it’s a great portrait lens (which I don’t do a whole lot of). I want to upgrade it to the Art series because it would just give it a little more edge and is a good one to have in my bag for headshots.

I also have Sigma’s 70mm f/2.8 Macro Art lens. According to Sigma, it’s the first macro lens to join the Art series. I bought this lens specifically for shooting jewelry and, while I haven’t used it a lot, it is absolutely essential to have when it comes to capturing detail on small products.

More recently I bought Sigma’s 24mm f/1.4 Art lens. Although I don’t shoot real estate and so don’t use a wide-angle lens heavily, this is also an essential piece of equipment in my bag. I whip out my 24mm for things like restaurant interiors, storefronts, and an occasional sweeping landscape. It’s wide, but not so wide that it distorts things badly.

My absolute favorite lens that is almost always on my camera, though? The one I can’t live without? It’s the Sigma Art 50mm f/1.4. Sigma’s website describes this lens as “a higher standard of excellence” and I couldn’t agree more! A 50mm is the perfect focal distance for most things. It’s versatile and how you see the world naturally. You can shoot a portrait or a product with it, take it to the streets, in a restaurant, anywhere! If I could only have one lens, this would be it.

Cell phone snap of my packed bag

And of course lenses aren’t the only thing I carry in my bag. I always carry a few extra memory cards and batteries too, as well as some lens cleaning supplies (clothes and brush) and a memory card reader (to connect to my Macbook). In addition, I usually have my Macbook Pro and Tether Tools Pro cable (although I don’t often actually shoot tethered). And lastly, my camera strap. It’s an Adino Pro Leather Sling Strap from RL Handcrafts. I don’t use a strap very often as I sometimes find it cumbersome and largely unnecessary, but I do like to have it in case I am trying to pose kids and need a safe place to keep my camera handy, or if I am hiking or exploring a city (so I use it more for personal projects than brand photography). As far as straps go I do like this one quite a bit.

Photo of me cleaning my lens by Lisa Monet Photography

Lastly, I’d like to share about my tripod, while this obviously doesn’t fit in my bag, it is still an important piece of gear that comes along with me to a lot of shoots. I have this Manfrotto tripod with this quick release ball head and most of the time it’s got this awkward reproduction arm (and of course a counterweight) on it for shooting flatlays. It works very well despite it’s clunky nature :)

Usually I’ve got my tripod and a roll of vinyl backdrops in my trunk, along with other various props. If you want to read about how I plan and gather props you can check out this post!

Before I go, I feel like I should mention that this post is not sponsored and non of these links are affiliate. I just wanted to share about my gear with you because I like nerding out on it and I think it might be helpful for other brand photographers too ;)

Cheers!