Day 331

331/365, originally uploaded by Aaron LaRue.

People love asking me photo questions. A lot of the time it revolves around the gear. Well, after 331 days, a lot of experimentation, and a few different bags, I've got a pretty good set-up and I'm ready to share.

I'll start with a disclaimer: this works for me. It works really well, actually. But what works for you depends on how much you are spending, what you are shooting, your experience level, how often you shoot, etc. 


I shoot a lot of different things, so my kit has to be versatile. I also shoot every day, so I needed something that was light weight and fairly compact. My bag from Day 76 was great for this, but I could never fit my school stuff in it with my gear. Eventually I came across this backpack through a friend, it's a Paparazzi backpack by The Hundreds. It fits a laptop in the back, a couple of notebooks in the top, and the bottom opens up for the camera:




In here I keep my T2i with a battery grip and a small prime lens attached. I alternate between the nifty fifty and a 28mm f/2.8 depending on what I'm shooting. And the battery grip is nice because I only have to charge my camera every 2 weeks or so, and I got it for a steal. Next to that I have my 28-135mm zoom, which is a great all purpose lens. And then I have a 430ex II flash, which I use all the time. In the upper pocket, I keep a few more necessities:




First, we have a flash bracket. This works great for doing on axis fill. Then I have my press pass, which helps when I'm trying to talk my way into places where I'm not supposed to be. Then I have an extra battery, another SD card, earplugs (which are an absolute necessity when shooting concerts) and a cheap TTL sync cord for my flash. 


I can do a lot with this kit. The zoom lets me shoot everything from macro to landscapes. The primes give me a faster option for low-light scenarios. The flash, with the bracket, lets me control shadows during the day. On or off the bracket, I can use it to freeze motion in low-light settings and then use a slower shutter speed to grab the ambient light. And the TTL cable lets me get the flash off-camera when I want the light to be more interesting. I'm not going to take this kit to do a complicated portrait set-up or a wedding, but it gets me through close to 90% of what I shoot. And it's light enough to keep on my back all day, which is the most important part!