It’s been a long time since I talked about what’s in my camera bag and there have been some updates this year as my business and shooting needs changed. I now shoot with the 5D Mark II Canon camera. I upgraded from my beloved 40D when I needed to enlarge a picture bigger than the 40D megapixels would allow. I would not have made the upgrade quite so soon without that push. I loved my 40D. It was a great camera (still is), it just had some limitations for professional use.

I also upgraded to the 50 mm 1.2 lens this year, even before the camera upgrade. I had the 50 1.8 and it got tons of use and was getting slow to focus. I went back and forth on whether to just get the 1.4 or shell out big bucks for the 1.2 and after talking with another photographer decided to go for it. It’s a pretty awesome lens. Lets in tons of light.

I still use my trusty 85 1.8. I love this lens for portraits. It still works very well and I doubt I’ll upgrade it until I have to.

The 24-70 1.8 is a good group shot/wide angle lens.

These are my three working lenses and they get rotated out with almost equal love and attention. I’m not sure I have a need for any more right now.

I got my tripod for Christmas last year. It’s a Manfrotto. I use it a lot.

This is my camera remote and lens pen lens cleaner. These stay in my bag. The remote is great to have, but this one drains batteries quick and I never seem to have a replacement ready.

For Christmas this year I searched high and low for the perfect camera bag. I’m pretty sure it can’t be found. I ended up getting the ONA insert. It’s a smallish plain bag with one divider and a front slim pocket that you slip down inside any bag. It’s perfect for day trips when I want to take my camera but not the big old camera bag. I can fit my camera with a lens attached and one more lens in the divided area. It keeps my camera safe and cozy and allows me to use any bag I want to.

Any questions?

Last year I teamed up with a group of my favorite bloggers and wrote 5 simple ways to improve your photography. This year I want to give you five ways to use those fabulous pictures you’re accumulating.

1. Make a book. So many photography printing services offer books now and they are a great alternative to all those 4 x 6 prints you never got around to putting in an album. Make it your goal to print a book every season or every year. I promise you’ll be so glad you did. The easiest way to do this is to either save your favorite images in a folder named 2012 album on  your computer or upload your favorites to your printing company each month. Don’t wait till the end of the year and find yourself sorting through thousands of digital files. You’ll get frustrated and give up.

2. Make a calendar. I do this every year and I print several and give them as gifts to family members. We love seeing the new image every month.

3. Print canvases. I fell in love with the gallery wrapped canvas this year and I collected quite a few. They are so easy! They come ready to hang, no frames to worry about. And, they look great on your walls!

4. Join a group project. I’m participating in Darcy’s project 52. It not only gives you a way to share your images, it motivates you to use your camera and practice what you’ve learned.

5. Make a personal goal. Whether  you join a Project 365/52 or not, if your goal is to improve your photography, then no matter what level you’re at making a personal goal to learn something new or shoot in a different way is something you should do. Last year I made it my mission to learn to shoot fireworks. I accomplished that goal on July 4 and later, entered that photograph in my county fair and won best of show.

I hope this gives you some ideas to put into practice this year. Enjoy your photography journey and don’t just let those files sit there on your computer, do something fun with them!

Check out the other 5 Simple Ways Blogger’s Posts:

• Springs Bargains-5 Simple Ways To Save More By Wasting Less
• Heavenly Homemakers- 5 Simple Ways To Accomplish More Each Day
• Smockity Frocks- 5 Simple Ways To Occupy Preschoolers
• My Blessed Life- 5 Simple Ways To Update Your Home Decor
• The Happy Housewife- 5 Simple Ways To Save Money In 2012
• Lynn’s Kitchen Adventures- 5 Simple Ways To Save Money In The Kitchen
• I’m In Organizing Junkie- 5 Simple Ways To Organize Without Spending Big Bucks
• Balancing Beauty and Bedlam- 5 Simple Ways To Freshen Up Your Wardrobe for 2012
• Southern Saver- 5 Simple Ways To Not Get Overwhelmed in Couponing

Last year I teamed up with some of my favorite bloggers and we worked together to bring you the Five Simple Ways project. I’m so excited because we are doing it again this year!

Stop by Friday for my tips for 5 Simple Ways to Make the Most of Your Pictures in 2012. I’ll also be linking to the other bloggers participating. You’ll want to catch them all!

Just in case you missed our 2011 series, we converted it into a free ebook just for our readers.

If you want to learn how to use coupons, take better photos, live a healthier lifestyle, dress for less, decorate on a dime, get organized and much more you’ll want to download the Free Five Simple Ways Ebook.

You can download the print version here.

Or, view the web version with convenient links.

Don’t forget to come back tomorrow for my tips on how do more with your pictures in 2012!

Starting a business can be a scary step, but it doesn’t have to derail your plans to live debt free. With planning and hard work it can help you meet your financial goals and give you the experience of doing something you love and turning it into something that earns an income.

Get support

I didn’t just start my photography business on a whim. I spent a lot of time in prayer about it. I talked it over with my husband and some close friends. I read a lot, naturally (because that’s what I do) about business and marketing. It basically came down to this: keep taking pictures as a hobby and posting them on my blog or start a business, a serious step that would take time away from my family, therefore need to provide income. I had the support of my husband and kids and felt like (without hearing a message from a burning bush) that this was the direction God wanted me to take.

Begin debt free

When I made the decision to step out of my comfort zone and start my business, I began to put things in place to help me run it. I had a little sum of money saved up from some writing I did, and the income I make through ads on my blog. This money helped me to pay for my website, hosting, theme and hire someone to design my brand. It was important to me to start my business debt free and keep it that way.

A few months into it, my first camera, the Canon Rebel, had a break down. It was still under warranty, but I was going to be without it for at least 8 weeks. I was put into my first debt temptation: buy a nicer camera for my business or use the $700 I had saved in my business account and buy the best I could used. I fought the temptation and found a Canon 40d (a step up from the Rebel) on ebay for $600. I’m still using that camera and it turned out to be a smart purchase. I also try to keep at least a thousand dollars in my business account for emergencies, but whenever I get to 2, or 3 thousand, I reinvest in the business. I have added two new lenses this way.

Have a business plan

Knowing where you’re going will help you get where you want to be. Eventually, I want to do more than just reinvest in my business. I’d like to put my earnings towards our 6 months emergency income, family vacations and a few other ideas we have. I sat down with paper and a calculator in the beginning and figured up how many clients I thought I could handle per month, how much I wanted to make per year and did some calculations to get me to a number I needed to make per client to reach that goal. I knew I didn’t want to be too busy. I still have to educate, feed, clothe and spend time with my four children. I still want plenty of family time with my husband on weekends. Those things factor into my pricing, which steadily climbs as I work towards meeting my goal.

Enjoy the journey

For now, my business hasn’t really changed our financial journey. It didn’t put us into more debt or help move us toward being debt free (yet). We are still working on paying off our last debt, one vehicle, and are getting very close to reaching that goal. Using Dave Ramsey’s financial concepts for my business have really helped me stay on track. As with all things in life, running your business is not a race, it’s a journey. It can feel like you need to have all the best equipment, the perfect website and tons of clients right when you begin. But you don’t. Each client I’ve had I’ve felt like they were especially chosen for me and sent to me by God. I have made new friends and learned so much along the way and I anticipate the journey ahead.

I second shot a wedding with Ruthanne this week. She has finally launched her business after I have nagged her about it for a year.

Although my business is primarily children and families, I enjoyed second shooting a wedding. I’ve only done one wedding before and it was a small outdoor wedding, very relaxed and perfect for my first time. This wedding with Ruthanne was more scheduled, inside a church with no natural lighting, and included a reception.

Although Ruthanne had given me specific instructions about the shots she wanted to get (think 3 ring laminated binder), I had a hard time finding my place. Sometimes I felt like I was just following her around uselessly or in the way. The most productive time, I felt, was when she gave me an assignment.

She sent me off to photograph the groomsmen and I finally felt needed. She was busy photographing the bride getting ready. She couldn’t be in both places at once and the schedule was getting tight. Here’s where I can see the value of a second shooter. A wedding is a huge event and the photographer can’t be in all places at once.

At other times she had me stand in a different position from where she was so that we could get different perspectives of the same moment. (It helped a lot when she bossed me around).

Overall, it was a great experience. I would definitely do it again.