Knitwear Photography Pt.1: Equipment

This will be the first in a series of knitwear photography posts. I thought I'd do a few posts on equipment before moving on to composition, lighting, and post production. The goal is to have a photography-related post up every 1-2 weeks.
While there are many styles of taking knitwear photos, I will be focusing on my style: natural lighting which is primarily outdoors. Today I'll show you an overview of the equipment I use. (Disclaimer: I'm not getting paid for my views. Too bad, right?)

I use a Canon 60D with a f1.4 50mm lens. There are many things to consider when investing in a camera. But I would say it is much more important to invest in a good lens over a good body. I have a few lenses, but the 50mm is the most versatile lens I own. In a future post, I'll talk more specifically why I chose a f1.4 vs the f1.8 or f1.2. Additionally, I do have a B+W 58 UV-Haze filter over my lens to protect it.
As for the camera body, I did research for nearly 6 months before buying the 60D. My equipment typically takes a beating, so I liked how hefty this body was. But the deciding factor ended up being the flip screen. Having a flip screen on my camera was non negotiable for me. It allows me to take low pictures without putting my face in the dirt and high pictures without needing a ladder. There are many other bodies that will serve you just as well. But that will come down to budget and personal preference.

Bonus points to anyone who can figure out how I took this picture.

The other lenses I have are a 18-135mm f3.5-5.6 kit lens and a 16-35mm f2.8 wide angle. I originally got the 18-135mm with the camera and it helped me to get to know the camera better. But if there are budget constraints, I'd get a camera body separate from the lens and buy a 50mm. I bought the 16-35mm when I started having other photos I wanted to take, but I couldn't get them with the lenses I owned. Although I've used it for knitwear photography, it is by no means necessary. I have a B+W 82 polarized filter for the 16-35mm to help cut down on water glare. I plan on investing on a UV filter in the near future to help protect the glass.

Bonus photography equipment: Pictured is a tripod, reflector, and remote control. I rarely use the tripod. It is more important if you are shooting in low light and need to keep the camera still. I usually only use it along with the remote control when I need to model something for myself and I don't want to run back and forth with the self timer. The tripod is a Solidex Video VT-86HQ, which I found at my grandparent's house. The remote is a Hahnel Pro Wireless (Hahanel HW43380), which was a birthday gift from my Dad. The thing I should have bought much earlier than I did was the reflector. It is a Fotodiox 5-in-1, 42in/107cm. So many poor lighting situations can be improved with it. But I'll go into more detail later on.

So that is an overview of what I use. In the next post I plan to talk about how to choose a lens and what I look for when I'm buying one. I'll also go over some situations where one lens is more appropriate than another.
If all this equipment makes me look independently wealthy, rest assured that this is not true. Instead of investing in practical things, such as underpants, I buy photography equipment or yarn. If I could knit shoes to replace my hole-filled ones, I would.

Bokeh

Have I mentioned how much fun I'm having with my fancy-pants camera?

I've been wanting to try taking shaped Bokeh picture for awhile now but, my camera just wasn't able to do it. Things are a bit different now.

I cut out a couple shapes into card stock and away I went.

Actually, it didn't start off so good. I read a bunch of tutorials that said I didn't have the right lens. (I'm using a 18-135mm f3.5-5.6 lens. They said that I would need a lens that would do f2.8 at least.) So my first picture came out like this.

After reading a bit more about Bokeh, I found that I had to have my lens at 135mm, it was alright if it was at f5.6. Just make sure the lights are out of focus.

And tada, fun for the whole family. Me and Bokeh are going to become great friends.

Un-Grinchy

Most people can't wait to get gifts at Christmas. I'm the opposite. I can't wait to give them. As soon as I got to my parent's house on Wednesday, I asked everyone if they would like their gift now or would they like to wait until Christmas. It didn't really matter what they said because I couldn't wait.

Christopher got a pair of Grinch Slippers. The pattern is adapted from Flint Knits Elf Shoes.

I gave my Mum a scarf I had finished earlier in the year.

I gave my Dad an oil painting I had done in the fields near the mill.

I forgot about poor Scooter this year. I suppose I shall have to sneak him some extra people food at Christmas Eve dinner.

I did get myself a gift. As my Mum would say, I've agonized over this decision. The camera I finally went with was a Canon 60D with an 18-135mm kit lens.

I'm very pleased with my purchase.

Holiday Wish List

The holidays are upon us and I've been doing plenty of gift knitting. Unfortunately, I can't share what I've knit just yet. But I thought I'd post up a little holiday wish list. Just for fun.

I would very much enjoy some more Knitting Needle Cables from Knit Picks. I seem to have misplaced a number of them, or they are holding bits of different projects. Size 24 inch, 32 inch, and especially 40 inch would be lovely.

While we are on the subject of Knit Picks, I have recently started a cable pattern with a chart. I didn't realize how hard it is to keep track of each row. For the time being, I'm using refrigerator magnets and a metal Candy Land game board cover. But I would love to replace it with a Knitting Chart Keeper from Knit Picks.

I've wanted Latvian Mittens by Lizbeth Upitis for awhile now. It was on a previous wish list. I may have previously sent a facebook message to a particular brother of mine when he asked what I might like. He still hasn't gotten the hint. Here it is dude. Here is the link. Link. Link. Link. Moving on...

Now to the bigger ticket items.

I still need to replace my camera. I still have no idea what to replace it with. I'm leaning towards a Canon D60. I just want a versatile camera that can grow with me as I develop my photography skills. And I'm a sucker for the little flippy screen. It is one of my favorite features on my G6.

[edit] I actually meant a 60D, so this image is incorrect.

And this. It doesn't actually have to be a vw camper bus. It could be a truck with a camper shell. I'd just enjoy having a vehicle that I could travel in and see a bit of the country.

Death Of A Camera

I was about to take some finishing shots for a blog post I've been preparing when my camera wouldn't turn on. Again. I've had my trusty Canon G6 Powershot for over five years now. I used it so heavily that it wore out before the warranty ran out and I had it repaired. But now the rechargeable battery won't keep a charge and the autofocus has severe difficulty in low light as well as close-up situations.

This means I am now in the market for a new camera. This time around I'd like to have a camera that I can manually focus if need be. I'm looking for something versatile enough to do anything from landscapes to decent macro shots. With the gobs of money I have (haha... I wish) I'd love to get a canon ef 24-70mm lens.

But I'm undecided on what my dream camera body should be. Any suggestions?