Inside My Camera Bag | Rebecca Jeanson

Portrait | Last Updated: April 3, 2023

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Hi! I’m Rebecca, a New York City-based photographer originally from the Midwest (where I got my love of ranch dressing).

I’ve been shooting since I got a Facebook account at 16 and needed a new profile photo.

I’ve shot pretty much every genre but now focus on the moments you don’t throw parties for — family memories, just-because couple shoots, and the occasional elopement.

I’ll spare the details of my philosophy because you can read about those on my site if you’re interested! :)

Gear list

Canon 5D Mark III
Canon 6D
Canon 50mm f/1.8 lens
ProMaster FL1 Professional TTL flash
Flash Nikon SB – 28
Phottix Strato™ II Multi 5-in-1 Wireless Flash Trigger for Canon, Nikon
WANDRD PRVKE 31 liter
BlackRapid Double Breathe camera harness
Not pictured: a tripod I forgot about because I never use it!

Gear talk

I feel like the most unlikely to person to ask about gear! My kit is tiny and while I’ve rented an NYC studio space with OCF and lenses for shoots here and there, I’ve mostly shot with just this gear.

I don’t even have a fancy minimalist philosophy — if I didn’t have student debt, had more savings, or lived somewhere cheaper, I’m sure I’d be a gear head too and have lots of cool stuff.

I get and support the value of quality gear! However, I’ve always just made the best of what I could with my budget and that was that, knowing that not being risky financially may mean it takes me longer.

If there’s anyone here feeling defeated hearing entrepreneurs talking about investing in your business when you don’t have any money to invest, I’d encourage you that you can still be scrappy. I’ve certainly made mistakes, and totally believe in investing when you can — but you can still improve your work so much without a lot of extra money from a partner or savings.

Here is a rough timeline with information on what I use: I started with a used 6D after borrowing my dad’s Canon Rebel through middle school.

I acknowledge how lucky I am to have had a family who could afford a photo hobby! I got the nifty fifty lens for Christmas a little later, which I still use today.

A few years ago (after being in business a while) I got a secondhand Mark III from the photographer I interned for.

Along the way I picked up those two flashes (the Nikon one for free someone was throwing away) and a tripod that I’m not sure works anymore — I got it for a prom gig a while back. I use those on wedding days for receptions. They’re fine, but only because I don’t shoot weddings a lot anymore.

When I couldn’t get to the bottom of my back pain, I did invest in the slightly-less-cool-than-a-leather-strap BlackRapid and it has helped so much! I don’t even feel it after weddings anymore.

More recently I got the WANDRD Prvke backpack (sustainably made!) so I could carry heavier loads on the subway while protecting my back. It’s super versatile and I’d recommend it to anyone.

Finally, I got a small Fujifilm travel camera (used) so that I could take a camera with me on trips without risking losing my entire system. I like it, but I definitely like the user experience better on Canon.

I’ve always had the Creative Cloud and love Lightroom, though I’ve never bought presets and only use my own. I occasionally use Photoshop but it’s not my favorite.

I also often rent the Canon 24-70mm f/2.8 and 85mm f/1.8 / 35mm f/1.4 from Adorama for weddings and some portrait sessions.

Once I’ve rented even more kinds of lenses, I’ll be saving up for a lens to keep!

My dream is to switch to a lighter mirrorless system, but that is far down the road when I can afford both new camera bodies and lenses.

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