My name is Victor Levy, and I started photography in 2021 at the age of thirteen.
I began with street photography in the city with my father, and then, one day, I tried landscape photography. I loved the calm so much that I never returned to city photography!
I only do landscape photography now, but I want to try car photography.
I started with affordable lenses and a Canon EOS 100D, an entry-level camera.
Except for my drone, I’ve always purchased my gear second-hand. I believe good equipment is helpful, but talent can’t be bought. You develop photography independently of the equipment; it’s our perspective that we train and improve.
Good equipment can make a photographer’s images shine even more. But without a spark, without creativity, the gear is useless. It should support photography, not create it from scratch.
I use the Canon EOS 6D, the least expensive professional camera from Canon. I bought it second-hand, and I must say it’s great and has an excellent sensor for astrophotography.
I also use the DJI Mini 3 Pro, a very lightweight drone that still takes high-quality photos and shoots in 4K.
Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8 L – I mostly use this lens. It’s versatile, and I always have it in my bag, no matter what I photograph. I bought it second-hand, and unfortunately, it has some autofocus issues.
This means I mostly use the manual focus. It could have been significantly limited in the city, but I often photograph fixed landscapes on a tripod, so it’s not a problem.
Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8 L – is a superb lens; its large aperture allows for low-light photos without increasing the ISO too much. Unfortunately, it’s pretty heavy and can be bulky during hikes.
Canon EF 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6 L – is a much lighter lens, so I use it regularly for hiking. It has much lower sharpness but is still practical due to its weight.
Canon EF 20mm f/3.5 – this is a lens I really like. It’s very light and takes ultra-wide-angle photos, which are essential to me. I often find it necessary to leave space for an interesting foreground, and this lens is perfect for that.
However, I sometimes find it not wide enough. The next lens I’ll buy will likely be a 16mm. For me, the aperture isn’t as crucial with wide angles. I like having a large depth of field for wide-angle shots, which is why a smaller aperture works fine.
I use the Shimoda Action X40 v2 Bag, which is perfect for landscape photography. It has a capacity of 40L, and I won it in a photography contest. It’s quite an expensive bag, but it’s worth the price. It’s very large, but also very practical.
I use a Manfrotto Befree Advanced 3-Way lever aluminium tripod, which is a good quality piece of equipment.
I also use a Joby Tripod, which is very lightweight and compact. It’s therefore practical for hiking. However, you won’t be able to mount a very heavy lens as it becomes unbalanced, and the camera can fall. So, it depends on your camera and lens setup.
I use Lightroom Mobile most of the time. It’s on my phone and very convenient to edit from anywhere. I use Lightroom on my father’s computer when needed, often to combine photos and create panoramas. I don’t use any presets.
For hiking, I believe the headlamp is the most helpful item for me. Of course, I also bring food and water. I’ve already made the mistake of not bringing food and water.
Even if your bag is a little heavier, you must bring something to eat and drink!
A power bank is also essential for any hike. Although I use my phone very little while hiking, a power bank will always help charge the drone or charge my phone if the battery runs out or in an emergency.
Having good equipment is excellent. It allows you to take lots of beautiful photos. However, equipment has never helped me improve my photos creatively.
Remember that a good eye for photography can’t be bought, but it can be trained, and that’s free!
I recommend improving your equipment when you need it, for example, to make huge prints or for professional photos that require technically high-quality images.
Your creative passion should drive you to buy better equipment, not vice versa.
Credit : Source Post
