MY BOOKSHELF

Understanding Exposure by Brian Peterson - this is the ultimate how to for photographers old and new. Peterson reviews the basics of light, aperture, and shutter speed and how they interact with and influence one another, helping you understand your camera so YOU are making the decisions to execute your vision.

A Beautiful Anarchy by David Duchemin - I love that this book applies to all of my creative outlets. Sometimes I need to put down the camera to find myself in other areas so that, when I pick it up again, I’m more in touch. This book explores the elements, emotions and peaks/valleys of a creative life and helps creative people navigate it all. You will leave this read with newfound motivation to tell your story.

People Pictures: 30 Exercises for Creating Authentic Photographs by Chris Orwig
Visual Poetry: A Creative Guide for Making Engaging Digital Photographs
Creative Fight, The: Create Your Best Work and Live the Life You Imagine
Orwig is my favorite for inspiring me to be more introspective and intentional with my photographs. The commentary and exercises in these three books can be returned to again and again when I’ve lost my oomph and need more heart in my work. He’s a poet as well as a photographer, so the writing is not only instructional but beautifully written.

Inspiration in Photography: Training your mind to make great art a habit by Brooke Shaden - I accidentally ended up in a Brooke Shaden class at WPPI several years ago. The class I intended to attend was full, so I went the next closest room. Our styles are vastly different, so her course wasn’t on my radar at all, but WOW! Her process can be adapted to any photographic style and her commitment to an end goal will inspire anyone.

Picture This: How Pictures Work by Molly Bang - when I take photos, it’s all about the story. And that’s the meat of this book. Bang explores how every element in the frame works together to tell a story, whether colors, lines, subjects or settings.

The Practice of Contemplative Photography: Seeing the World with Fresh Eyes - the promise of this book was to help one see excellence in the everyday, which is DOES discuss. More importantly, it reset me to when I was first learning the elements of a good photograph - a reminder to be more intentional with composition as I tell my stories.

MY GEAR

Canon R6- this is my main body. I went mirrorless a couple of years ago and it really is a game changer! Being able to see the exposure in real time helps me make settings decisions on the fly with more precision.

Canon RF 100mm f/2.8 L Macro IS USM Lens - I use my adapter for most lenses, but this is the first lens I switched out when I went from EF to RF with the mirrorless switch. Macro is my therapy, so I wanted fewer steps and obstacles in the way when I use this lens.

Canon RF 24-70mm f/2.8 L IS USM Lens - This is the other lens I traded up to RF. It’s my workhorse and is the lens most often on my camera because of the image quality and adaptability. I had the Canon RF 28-70mm f/2 L USM Lens first, but for a traveling lens, it was just too heavy and front loaded. There is a little bit of creaminess left behind getting rid of the 28-70, but I found myself leaving it at home and missing photo ops because it was just too cumbersome for me.

Canon Mount Adapter EF-EOS R - couldn’t have done the switch without this adapter. It works seamlessly with my EF lenses and only adds the smallest amount of bulk.

Sigma 150-600mm f/5-6.3 DG OS HSM Contemporary Lens for Canon EF - this will be my next RF trade up. Absolutely nothing wrong with this lens, but the adapter system makes this feel just a tad too cumbersome when I’m in the field.

Canon RF 16mm f/2.8 STM Lens - I looooove my EF 40 pancake and this was the only pancake for RF so I got it. It’s fun for street photography but a little wide for my taste. I still use it for tight shots, but I really want a less wide RF pancake.

Canon EF 40mm f/2.8 STM Lens - so I still use this one with my adapter. This was a fantastic combo for walking around NYC - small enough to not draw attention and a great focal length for getting the details I want in a street photo.