Inside My Camera Bag: The Gear I Actually Use
By Raistlin van Spronsen
April 20, 2025
As with any artist, a photographer has their own collection of gear they rely on. Instead of canvas, brushes, and paint, we use cameras, lenses, and light to create our art — and our “canvas” is the scene in front of us.
Photography is so much more than just taking pictures. If it were that simple, everyone with an iPhone or Samsung would be a professional photographer. It takes work, dedication, creativity, and the right tools to consistently produce images you can be proud of. In this post, I’m breaking down what’s in my camera bag and home office setup, and why I use each piece.
Camera & Lenses
I don’t have the most expensive gear or the latest and greatest camera body, but I have a system that has served me really well over the years — and it’s one I plan to keep using for now.
Canon EOS 77D / Canon EOS 9000D
The Canon EOS 77D was released in 2018, and I picked mine up that same year. Ever since, it’s been my primary camera for grad sessions, parades, speed skating events, community events, and dozens of portrait sessions. It hits a nice middle ground: not too basic, not too advanced. It has the extra features you’d expect in a more professional DSLR, without being as stripped down as Canon’s entry-level Rebel series.
Kit Lens: 18–55mm
Most modern photographers started out with this lens, and a lot of us still have it buried somewhere in our bag. It’s great for general photography, travel, some portraits, and landscapes. Its small size makes it perfect for throwing into a smaller shoulder bag when I don’t want to haul everything around.
Prime Lens: 50mm
My 50mm is my dedicated portrait lens. I use it mostly for headshots and couple photos, but it’s also super versatile. From close-up portraits to nature and detail shots, this little lens can do a lot.
Telephoto Lens: 75–300mm
This is my workhorse for portraits, sports, and events. It lets me zoom in tight for speed skating and other action shots, and it can also create beautiful portraits with great background separation.
Camera Accessories
K&F Concept Camera Backpack
I’ve tried a few camera bags over the years, and my current favorite is my K&F Concept backpack. It’s lightweight, comfortable to carry, and has easy access to everything: camera bodies, lenses, memory cards, extra batteries, and more.
K&F Concept 75″ Lightweight Tripod
This tripod makes shooting events and video so much easier. It’s quick to set up and helps keep things level and steady. It comes with mounts for both my DSLR and my phone, so I can film parades, events, and other content without worrying about shaky footage.
Artman LP‑E17 Batteries
Any photographer knows extra batteries are non‑negotiable, especially for long events or sports. I learned this the hard way in 2018 when my battery died halfway through a competition. Thankfully, a parent who was also shooting had a spare and saved the day. After that, I bought backup batteries and now I always make sure they’re fully charged before any event.
PIXEL RC‑201/E3 Remote Switch
I don’t use this all the time, but it’s a handy piece of kit when I need to trigger the camera without touching it. It’s great for long exposures or when I want to be in the shot. At some point I’ll probably upgrade to a wireless remote, but for now this does the job.
NEEWER TT560 Flash Speedlite
This is another “nice to have” tool. I don’t use flash for every session, but when I need extra light, this speedlite can create some really nice results in specific situations.
Home Office
My home office is where I spend most of my time editing, writing blog posts, and watching content. I don’t have a separate room dedicated to it, but I’ve turned part of my home into a space that works really well for my business.
Custom‑Built PC
I had my custom PC built in 2020 to handle my editing needs at the time. Six years later, it’s still going strong and doing what I need it to do. It runs an Intel Core i7‑6700 processor, 16 GB of DDR4 RAM, a 500 GB SSD, and integrated graphics.
My new future system I plan to have double the RAM (up to 32 GB), a 500 GB SSD for booting and running programs off, along with a 2TB (or more HDD) to store files on. My graphics card would be upgrades to have at least 12 GB of VRAM to run my editing programs flawlessly. It would be powered by an AMD Ryzen 7 edition processor, and a Wi-Fi enabled motherboard. Finally I would upgrade my monitor to create the best editing experience. This is a work in progress as I’m purchasing parts separately and keeping them in storage until I have the entire set up to make it more affordable over time compared to paying for an entire set up all at once.
Desk Area
My main workspace is a Shawburn desk from Ashley Furniture. It’s spacious enough for my monitor, laptop, notebook, and all the random things that end up on a photographer’s desk, plus it has three deep drawers where I keep business essentials, extra gear, and even a drawer for awards and plaques.
Executive Office Chair
If you’re spending hours editing, a good chair is not optional. My brown leather executive chair (thank you, Amazon) has been a game-changer for long editing sessions. It’s comfortable, supportive, and honestly one of my favorite things in my whole apartment.