Back in 2017, I had managed to save up enough to buy my first real camera. For months, I researched photography gear like crazy and agonized over which camera system to go with. My little brother had a Canon 5D MkII so somehow, that made me not want a Canon. (Chalk it up to sibling rivalry I suppose).

In hindsight, that was pretty dumb because having the same camera system would have allowed us to share lenses and other accessories. But 2017 Damion wasn’t making a lot of sense.

I had pretty much settled on Nikon, but then at the very last minute I decided to go with Sony. The camera of choice? Sony A6000. It was a basic entry-level body, but honestly it was the only one I could afford. And boy am I happy with that decision.

It was and continues to be a fantastic camera and even to this day, some of my all-time photographs were shot with that body.

The inevitable upgrade

In the years that followed, I came to appreciate the need for a second body when doing professional work. I had the unfortunate experience of having my camera fail on a shoot once and had to resort to using my Phone! As I’m sure you can imagine, this was superrrrr embarrassing.

Eventually, I sold an organ and purchased the Sony A7iii. 🙂

The internet was vocal in singing the praises of this camera and in the end, it was a really great buy. The full-frame sensor was much nicer than the one I was used to on the A6000. The battery life also was way better and the autofocus was fantastic.

This quickly became my main tool and the A6000 became the backup, a setup that I’m still using today.

Supplementary Tools

Like I’ve mentioned before, one of the things I love about being a photographer is that it justifies my purchase of fancy toys. Ever since I first laid eyes on one, I wanted a GoPro.

I remember there used to be a GoPro display at the Giftland Mall in the electronics section (Where Ashley furniture store currently lives) and I would always go in and stare at the cameras and accessories. I was convinced that if I got one, I’d create content similar to their epic ads.

Unfortunately, this didn’t happen. I finally got a GoPro last year, and honestly, I’m  a little ashamed at how little I’ve use it. Maybe this is something I can work on correcting in the coming weeks/months.

I also have a DJI drone and this is a toy that I use all the time. Honestly, it’s such a cool tool. The creative possibilities go having a flying camera really are endless.

Glass

My lens game isn’t all that strong but it gets the job done.

For the full-frame body, I have the 28-75mm Tamron f2.8 zoom lens and the 85mm Sony f1.8 prime. For the APS-C, I have the Sony 18-105mm Sony f4, the 50mm Sony f1.8, and 30mm Sigma f1.4

Most of the time, the Tamron can be found on the main camera and the 50mm on the backup body. A quick filter in Lightroom showed that this year, about 70% of my images were shot with the Tamron! It’s a pretty great lens that costs a fraction of the Sony equivalent.

iPhone

I’d honestly feel guilty if I left my phone off of this list. The truth is that I take more images with my phone than any other camera. It’s always in my pocket and is the first thing I reach for when there’s a scene that I wanna photograph.

The cameras on most modern smartphones are truly amazing and I cant wait to see how they improve in the coming years.

Your turn

How about you? What are you shooting on? DSLR, Mirrorless, or smartphone? I’m always intrigued by other photographers and the tools they use. Please let me know in the comments below. And if you have any questions about my setup, don’t hesitate to ask.

Additionally, that little chat icon at the bottom right of your screen is a direct connection to me so feel free to drop me a line. I look forward to hearing from you!

Until next time,

Damion