I get asked a lot about what gear I carry for my photos.

What I carry varies widely depending on what I’m going to be shooting, but here’s my complete list for when I pack the kitchen sink.

Camera bodies

• Canon EOS 6D 20.2 MP CMOS DSLR: Outstanding full-frame SLR, for a significant amount less than the 5D mk III. If you don’t need the additional autofocus points and flash features, this is a camera you should consider.
• GoPro HERO3: Black Edition: Not the latest in the line, but a solid (after firmware updates) action camera with wifi capabilities.
• Canon EOS Rebel T3i 18 MP CMOS DSLR: An earlier, crop-sensor model. Uses EF-S lenses as well as standard EF mount. Significantly worse light sensitivity vs the 6D, but a lightweight shooter when you need something simple.

Lenses

• Canon EF 24-105mm f/4 L IS USM Lens: The 6D kit lens. An outstanding general-purpose lens that will fit most situations in a pinch.
• Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS II USM Lens (new addition, replacing 70-300 Tamron, below)
• Tamron AF 70-300mm f/4.0-5.6 SP Di VC USD XLD Lens: Good zoom lens, not as sharp as the higher-end Canon counterpart, but the vibration compensation is great for getting long shots.
• Sigma 35mm F1.4 DG HSM “Art series” Lens: Beautiful, sharp lens. A solid competitor for the Canon equivalent, and for less money.
• Sigma 15mm f/2.8 EX DG Diagonal Fisheye Lens: Rectilinear fisheye lens. Excellent image quality. Not 100% ideal for astrophotography purists, but pretty good.
• Canon EF 40mm f/2.8 STM “Pancake” Lens: Small, discreet lens, good for turning a 6D into a pocket camera.
• Hoya 77mm Neutral Density ND-400 HMC Filter: Smash down the light entering the camera for long exposures in daylight.
• Tiffen 77mm Circular Polarizer: Circular polarizers are worth their own article, but if you need to knock down glare or reflections, this is your tool of choice.

Accessories

• Cowboystudio Timer Remote Control Shutter: Cheap and effective remote wired shutter. Protip: flip the coin battery over when not in use so that it doesn’t drain.
• Wasabi Power Battery for Canon LP-E6, LP-E6N: 3rd party battery. Works as well or better than OEM. The 6D will track the battery life on these.
• Wasabi Power Battery (2-Pack) and New Charger for GoPro HD HERO3+, HERO3 and GoPro AHDBT-201, AHDBT-301, AHDBT-302: More 3rd party batteries, plus charger. They work great.
• Zoom H4N Handy Portable Digital Recorder: The universal recommendation by sound pros when I was researching recorders.
• Redhead Windscreen for Zoom H4n (Gunmetal): Handy windscreen that you can get in a variety of colors, if that’s your thing.
• Giottos KIT-1001 Large Cleaning Kit with Small Rocket Blaster (Black): Great little cleaning kit.
• PhotoPro Dual Charger for Canon LP-E6 Camera Batteries – Works with Canon EOS 5D Mark II / 2, Mark III / 3, EOS 7D, 60D Digital Cameras – Intelligent, Super-fast Charger with 2 Independent Charging Bays, LCD Readout, Battery Tester, USB Output, Car Charger and UL Approved Wall Charger: I needed something for charging from DC, and this fit the bill, with the additional bonus of allowing me to charge the T3i batteries by switching a charge plate.
• PhotoPro Dual Charger PLATE for Canon LP-E8 Camera Batteries – Works with Canon EOS 550D, EOS Kiss X4, EOS Rebel T2i, T3i Digital Cameras * One Plate Only
• SanDisk Extreme PRO 32GB UHS-1/U3 SDHC Memory Card Up To 95MB/s & 4K Ultra HD-Ready: No issues keeping up so far with video on high frame rate shooting. Do your research, there may be better alternatives out there now.

You’ll notice I don’t own a speedlight, reflectors, etc, etc. It’s a debatable choice, and one that occasionally I regret, but I really prefer to shoot natural/available light.