My Current equipment
This is everything I use currently. I purchased most of it through Amazon. A few things I purchased used through Adorama and eBay . Buying used gear through a reputable site will save you a little money. You can click most of the images to be taken to the site I bought them from (If applicable.)
You can absolutely start just by using your smartphone’s camera and ease into it before investing a lot of money.
However if you are at a stage where you’re looking to invest and take your photos to a more professional level, this is the section I will talk about what I use and what I can recommend.
There are plenty of videos on YouTube and threads on Reddit about which camera you should choose with much more experienced photographers than me, but I will happily tell you what I’m doing and what I would do differently if I could go back.
Canon EOS R50 Mirrorless Vlogging Camera (Body Only/Black), RF Mount, 24.2 MP, 4K Video, DIGIC X Image Processor, Subject Detection & Tracking, Compact, Smartphone Connection, Content Creator
This is the camera body I use. I actually love the photos it takes and built in eye tracking autofocus for animals, but I cannot recommend it without mentioning a few things I wish I had known before purchasing it:
This is a crop sensor camera. Generally it is known that Full Frame cameras are better quality. When I started out, I chose this camera due to the price point being much much closer to my comfort zone as a newbie (I purchased this camera body on sale for: $450 at the time, vs a Full frame camera body like the EOS R6 Mark II that would run me about $2000)
If I could go back, knowing that I would fall in love with photography, I would purchase a full frame camera just for higher image quality most likely. But for a starter camera, this one has been amazing! And I really beat it up at the shelter, so I’m glad I didn’t get something more expensive than this.
The only other issue I have had with the camera is that this model required me to purchase an adaptor (Which I will explain and link below.) Without the adaptor, I could not buy any flash or trigger that wasn’t canon specific (and even then it was a small, expensive pool to choose from). The adaptor allows my preferred trigger and flash to communicate with my camera.
Canon RF35mm F1.8 is Macro STM Lens, Black
This is the only lens I have and use (so far!), and it is considered a portrait lens. I did not purchase a kit lens, because I really only take pictures at the shelter or of my own cats. My main interest is portrait photography, and this lens has been so wonderful for that. My mentor urged me to invest in it, and I really can’t suggest getting a low f-stop lens enough.
Shelters are usually fairly dark, so this lens lets in a lot more light enabling better shots without needing to crank up my ISO a lot. And having a low f-stop enables me to get that beautiful blurry background we’re used to seeing on portraits.
My only gripe is this lens does not zoom, so I am constantly having to “Zoom with my feet” as my mentor lovingly puts it. It can be quite annoying and when I need to photograph a wide range, it can be impossible in cramped areas.
Godox V850III 2.4G GN60 HSS 1/8000s Flash with 2600mAh Li-ion Battery, Master Slave Off Flash Speedlite 1.5s Recycle Time 450 Full Power, Compatible for Canon Nikon Sony Olympus Panasonic Fuji Cameras
I use two of these flashes, enclosed in Neewer soft boxes. Honestly, I really only need one to get the job done (and I do not use a lot of the accessories it came with), but the Li-ion battery is a workhorse and I would suggest anyone getting into photography make sure your flash uses Li-ion for long life and fast recycle time. Just my personal opinion.
Godox Xpro-C TTL Wireless Flash Trigger for Canon 1/8000s HSS TTL-Convert-Manual Function Large Screen Slanted Design 5 Dedicated Group Buttons 11 Customizable Functions
This is the trigger I use to control my flashes remotely.
CANON AD-E1 Multi-Function Shoe Adapter Black Dust and drip-proof
This is the adapter I had to purchase to get my flashes and trigger to communicate with my camera. It’s a hassle, and also, they are ALWAYS sold out on the Canon website. When Canon did restock them, they sold out within 10 minutes. I had to purchase mine through eBay due to resellers. I ended up paying $70 instead of the actual $40 price tag on their site.
SanDisk 512GB Extreme PRO SDXC UHS-I Memory Card – C10, U3, V30, 4K UHD, SD Card – SDSDXXD-512G-GN4IN, Dark gray/Black
You will need to purchase at least one memory card for your camera (I’ve heard many recommend to get 2 or more just in case.) This is the one I purchased and use.
Neewer 75″/6 Feet/190CM Photography Light Stands/
2Pack Updated Flash Bracket Flash Stand Light Stand Bracket Mount with Umbrella Holder Mount Swivel for Camera DSLR Nikon Canon Pentax Olympus and Other DSLR Flashes Speedlite Studio Light LED Light
The flash stands that hold my soft boxes and flashes. I also purchased these brackets that allow my lights to point down or up for smaller animals.
Reflective Collapsible Screen
These are incredibly useful for indoor and outdoor photography. We use ours to clip to the side of our photography table.