Over the last few months Joy and I noticed a lot more questions about the type of equipment and tools we use for our photography and videos shoots over here at Joyous Health. 95% of the photo’s and videos we shoot are all done in-house, and by in-house, I mean by me (unless we get fancy and include our design guru Carol).
A couple of quick notes before we get started:
- I don’t claim to be a professional in either photography or videography, but instead someone who googled a hell-of-a-lot, watched a few Youtube videos and got a few pointers from people who actually know what they’re doing like the awesome Chris Bodnar. Oh, and I took a lot of bad photos / videos before they got somewhat good – practice makes perfect!
- Some of the equipment we own is on the expensive side – far more than what we started off with. Don’t be discouraged by the price bracket. You can get awesome results with gear at a fraction of the price we have. I look at our gear as an investment and since we use it for business purposes as well it made sense to upgrade (plus, I like new toys :)) That said – it’s more important to know HOW to use the equipment than anything else – regardless of price point.
- This is not a technical review – there are LOTS of those out there for many of the items I’ll outline below. My comments are simply based on my own experience and opinion.
- As I mentioned earlier, this is the equipment that works best for US. It’s important to do the research to make sure you end up getting what’s going to be best for you.
So without further adieu, here is the Joyous Gear Guide!
I’m in love with this camera – it’s simply the best I’ve ever used. With 42 megapixels it’s great for food photography because it allows you to start with a wider shot and crop in afterwards to nail the composition without losing resolution.
From a video perspective, it shoots 4K (super HD), performs well in different lighting conditions and has as great auto-focus feature for when Joy’s running around the kitchen.
Being a mirror-less design, it’s also far more compact that other comparable DSLR’s out there.
Previous cameras we’ve used:
- Sony A7R: Great camera that excelled at video but for food photography my current camera is better.
- Canon EOS Rebel SL1: A great starter camera to learn the basics but you’ll notice a huge improvement in quality of video and photos when you’re ready to upgrade.
Lens - Sony G-Master 24-70 2.8
Again, my favourite lens I’ve owned so far. It’s amazingly sharp and versatile given the zoom aspect. It’s the only lens I currently own and really the only one I’ve needed for our purposes – so far.
The world of lenses is incredibly complex and there are so many options.
Previous lenses:
- Sony Zeiss 55mm 1.8
- Canon EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS STM lens
Audio - Audio Technica ATW 1701-L + Zoom H
People are more likely to sit through a crappy, pixelated video than one with crappy sound.
The upgrade from an in-camera microphone to a separate, dedicated unit made a bigger difference than any upgrade in camera ever did. Who knew, a $30 wired mic could make SUCH A BIG DIFFERENCE.
Today we use an Audio Technica wireless lavalier mic (no wires between performer and camera) because it offers more freedom, especially for more of the active (ie. cooking) shoots we do.
Having a dedicated recorder like the Zoom H5 further enhances the audio and also allows us to hook up 2 mics for when we have guests.
We also have a Rode Shotgun mic kicking around.
Previous mics:
- Audio Technica ATR-3350IS lavalier mic.
We use Boling LED lights (x2) for our video shoots. They seem to do the job, but lighting is probably the weakest part of my production game. Any thoughts would be awesome!
Yep – foam core is a photographers best friend. This $10 piece can make a world of difference in your photos be helping to reduce the hard shadows often caused by direct sunlight or interior lights. Place it opposite the primary light source so it reflects some of that light back on the subject to better illuminate it.
Capturing the footage is only half the battle. These are the programs we use to process the images / video.
These programs are SO powerful and I know I’m barely scratching the surface of their potential. With that said, I can do most of what I want to do and whatever I can’t, I google!
Photography: Adobe Lightroom
Video: Apple Final Cut Pro X + Adobe Premiere Pro
My favourite photos I’ve taken for the blog so far are…
Beet Strawberry Muffins
Quinoa-Stuffed Acorn Squash
Sweet Potato Toasties Three Ways
Apricot Tahini Squares
There you have it! If you have any more questions, please comment below.
Have a great day!
Walker
Thanks Walker! This a very cool post ! 👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼
ReplyHey Gosia! So glad you like it :) Hope you were able to take away a lot from it! Rachel - Joyous Health Team
ReplyThanks for sharing - love this post! Great info.
ReplyGreat post! Do you use a tripod? If so, what brand/make? Thanks :)
ReplyThanks! Manfrotto 190 :)
Hey Walker and Joy! I’m looking to get into the world of food photography and potentially even launching a blog of my own. I’ve done some research and keep coming across the Canon 6D Mark II as a recommended camera for food photography. I know it’s not the one you use, but I’m wondering if you could offer any insight as to how it may compare to the Sony you love- similarities, differences, capabilities, etc. Thanks!
ReplyHey Kendall! It's hard to go wrong with the 6DMKII as it's a pretty classic choice. The nice thing about Canon is that they have a very robust collection of lenses that won't cost you too much. I've been using Sony for the last 4 years and haven't had much experience with any of the recent Canons.
That said, I love the Sony's because they are a Mirrorless system, so a little more compact and you're able to better preview your shot in the viewfinder. For the money, I would look at the Sony A7III (my current camera). Pricewise, it's in the same ballpark as the 6D and is pretty comprable to the performance.
A good idea may be renting a couple of cameras and testing them out for a day.
Let me know if you have any questions and let me know what you end up with!