Ashley McNamara Photography

Most Frequently Asked Questions: “What camera do you have?” and “How many lenses do you own?”

As a primary camera body I’m using a Canon 40D and can I just say that I love it. Awesome colors and clarity every time, it’s great! One of the reasons its my most used camera body is due purely to ISO performance. Lets face it, sometimes the light just isn’t there and you have to bump that sucker up to ISO 1600 and my 40D handles like a champ!  As a backup I have a Canon 30D, it’s another great canon product and one that I highly recommend any new photographer invest in. (But with the XSI coming out, I might be changing that recommendation)

As for lenses, my first lens purchase was the 50mm 1.8. Compared to my kit lens, I was in heaven. Pictures were just so much clearer and it really forced me to think about my composition. I haven’t found myself using it quite as much these days, but I keep it in my arsenal. The wallet friendly price tag makes it another newbie must have.

The next lens was the 24-70 2.8 L . After almost 3 years it is STILL my favorite lens. I use it on almost every shoot. Its a super versitile portrait lens.

After that I bought the 70-200 2.8 L and to be quite frank, it’s rarely used. I’m still trying to fall in love with it, but the opportunity to use it properly rarely presents itself. To be used on my  40D (which is not full frame)  I have to be like a million miles away from my subject and as a portrait photographer I rarely need to be more than a few feet away from the subject. Having said that however, I have quite a few friends who swear by this lens and say that is works just as well for shooting toddlers.

The Novelty purchase came next: The 15mm Fisheye. I held out on this one because I had gotten mixed reviews.It wasn’t something I “needed” per se, but I’d always wanted it.  One day the bug got me and I bit the bullet and bought it. Now that I have it, I’m not sure how I lived without it!  It is sooooo much fun! It went from being a novelty purchase to a staple in my camera bag. I use it on almost all of my shoots. Not being full frame works to my advantage. I can take family pictures (like this) and it doesn’t have a really distorted look to it.

Last, but certainly not least, came the 50mm 1.4. This wasn’t actually purchased as much as it was traded for a Jill-e bag from my friend Marmalade. And let me just tell you it was one of the BEST trades ever! I’d been on the fence about getting this lens, Kept telling myself that I already had the 1.8, why do I need the 1.4? HA! Oh, how simple minded of me. LOL Seriously, guys this is like a whole different lens. Its like butta.. Love it!

As for my camera bag, I carry everything in my Crumpler 7 Million dollar home and yes…everything fits. It took quite a bit of trial and error finding the bag that worked best for me. I’ve been through many  (tamarac backpack, a shootsac, a Jill-e bag, etc)and my Crumpler is still the only one I find myself using.