Must Have Gear for Professional Portrait Photographers(amazon)

Every photographer has their gear bag packed with tools to get the job (or portrait session) done. There are endless options when it comes to camera bodies, lenses, filters, editing tools, memory cards...even picking the perfect gear bag is something to consider! 

I started my photography journey decades ago, but have honed my tools and gear over the last eleven years while working as a professional photographer. I'm going to share what's been my favorite, the basic must-haves, what was maybe a little overrated, and things you may decide to splurge on :)

After many hours of research and review-reading these are what I decided on, what I use on every session, and what's on my wish list. This post contains affiliate links to the products on amazon. Over the years I've purchased much of my gear from Amazon.com, more so after my local camera shop sadly closed its doors.  

GLASS, aka your Camera Lenses!

First up, is the lens that started it all for me - the Canon Nifty 50, otherwise known as the Canon EF 50mm f/1.8. It's affordable and is a great starter lens for shooting portraits. 

I used my nifty 50 for a couple of years. I came to realize that with practice, I could step up my image game by upgrading my 50mm lens. I then picked up this guy, the Canon EF 50mm f/1.4. Even better bokeh, upgraded glass, and faster focusing - which is super important if you're shooting fast moving subjects, aka anyone under the age of 12!