THE GEAR!

If you follow me on social media than its no secrete that i am a HUGE Nikon fan! I have tried Canon and it just felt...light. And i don't want to say "cheap" but it had that feel to it. For over 10 years Nikon has been my go to for camera's!

I'm not a secretive person when it comes to the Photography world...in fact i don't think anyone should be, have questions about my gear, settings or heck want to see my SOOC images just ask!

Now onto the rest of my camera gear.... be prepared for this because there is a lot.... for many many ages i owned a Nikon D7000, prior to that i had a Nikon J1 (i think) and absolutely loved that but someone told me once a longtime ago that "mirrorless was never going to make it" well...hahaha i'd like to tell that person they are wrong! I sold my J1 and bought the D7000 mainly because i wanted to take my hobby seriously... i photographed mainly landscapes and wildlife and slowly adventured into different fields like weddings (oh man! - that was something else) unfortunately as much as i wanted to just to do photography full-time it wasn't feasible at that time.

It wasn't until 2020 (ish) that my husband bought me a Nikon D610 bundle for Christmas; well to be honest i actually bought it and said it was from him..it was easier! I than purchased a backup D610 and sold my D7000. Why did i go from a D7000 to a D610? I found my love to photograph; rodeos, which came down to photographing in arenas. As we all know some arena lighting is terrible, i am not going to sugar-coat this and tell you is easy-peasy to photograph in arenas because it's not. And if someone tells you different, their full of #^*% 

Having 2 D610's made indoor shooting a lot better i wouldn't say perfect by means but a huge improvement since the D7000

My newest additions - I sold one D610 and purchased Nikon D5!! Did tons of reading, talked myself out of it i don't know how many time (worse thing about me) but finally bit the bullet and purchased the D5 - i don't regret this purchase, actually i don't regret any of my Nikon purchases for that matter. The D5 compared to the D610 for low-light shootings, BLOWS the D610 out of the water! 

I attended a Airdrie Pro Rodeo event during the summer and had entertained the thought of buying a 24-70 lens; i could read all day on Google about the lens but wanted a real, hands on review of the lens. I called up my friend Tim and ask him how he liked his 24-70 (he is a Canon Shooter) and he had some pretty good things to say about it. I asked a question i don't ever normally ask....simply because i would say "no" if someone asked me - before you come at me about that you have to understand how much i have invested in my gear just to "lend it out" When i spoke to Tim i had expected that (wouldn't blame him) only for him to say i could take his lens and body. 

Canon users i take back what i said about the bodies feeling "cheap" the mirrorless defiantly are better. After a whole day event using Tim's mirrorless camera i was hooked! I wanted one! I was blown away by the camera and lens performance. I began looking at the Nikon Z9 at a price take of 7K was something i really had to consider; after talking myself out of the camera once again many many times i finally called Vistek in Calgary (on a whim) just to inquire about it, next thing i knew i was on a waiting list for the Nikon Z9 checking my email every 5 minutes waiting for THAT email saying "Your camera is in" pretty sure Stewart was getting tired of me emailing him almost every month for 3 months; he claims i wasn't a pain but....i don't know about that! Thanks for all your help Stewart!

My lenses are truly something! I have the following lenses

Nikon Z50mm - The 'Nifty-Fifty' lens - you cannot go wrong with this lens its truly a lens to have in EVERY camera bag! It's a very versatile lens and covers many areas in the photography industry when it comes to photographing. 

Nikon 24-70mm F2.8 - This lens is my FAVORITE lens...ever! The ultimate walk around lens, weddings, family photos etc. I can promise you that lens is in my bag 24hrs a day!

Nikon Z105mm F2.8 (Macro lens) - Who doesn't love macro images of bugs, flowers and insects!? Don't get me wrong this lens can be versatile but it exceeds expectations in the macro world!

Nikon Z70-200mm F2.8 - This is another favorite lens...okay i have more than 1 favorite. The 70-200mm lens is a perfect walk around lens, head to the arena with it, soccer game whatever it is that you want to photograph this, along with the 24-70mm is what i would recommend! 

Nikon 500mm - I feel as if i can see the man on the moon with lens! It takes some time to get use to where you need to be to photograph said subject. Took it to Rodeo ones (small outdoor arena) Yeah....didn't go as planned. For wildlife though...this lens is phenomenal in that field!  

What brand should you shoot with? I recommend heading to your local camera store and checking out brands, renting a camera and lens and trying them out! I know plenty of photographers who shoot Sony, Canon and Fiji it comes down to "what feels best for you" what you found was easier to learn on, hold or navigate the settings. I can preach all day long about Nikons, will you love Nikon - i sure hope so; is it the right brand of camera for you? Well that's solely up to you; but don't every feel discouraged to reach out to me if you have questions! Just remember there is "no dumb question"