I made a BIG purchase this past weekend! At least, it feels big to me! I’ve always been interested in photography and everyone who knows me knows that I’m pretty much obsessed with taking photos. If I’m around, my friends and family know the event will be well documented with photos. I’ve always wanted to take photography courses and learn more about the world of DSLR cameras. So far, I’ve used my iPhone besides a couple years using a Canon PowerShot in college. I think everyone owned one of those at one point in their lives! Am I right?!

I’ve been researching and polling other bloggers and photographers about which camera to buy. I finally decided on the Canon Rebl T6i. It is the first camera in the rebel series to have built in WiFi. I found this very appealing since I don’t have a dedicated desktop computer and I mostly work from my iPhone and iPad. I can upload any pictures directly to my devices! This is really going to come in handy during long vacations when I don’t have access to a computer. 

So why did I finally take the plunge and make this big purchase? Here’s why:

1. Family Photos – I love having photos of Evelyn for big milestones and also a good family shot before the holidays for our Christmas card. It can be very difficult to nail down the perfect time to setup a professional shoot with our busy schedules. Having a DSLR allows me to take high quality photos myself when it is most convenient for us. I am planning on investing in a good tripod eventually so that I can get in the photos too! Obviously, this only works if you like how your own photos turn out!
2. Quality Photos – My iPhone is excellent at taking pictures, so why buy a DSLR camera? Now that Evelyn is a toddler, she moves quickly. A lot of the photos I take on my phone end up being blurry unless she’s sitting perfectly still. This does not happen very often! Do you notice that a lot of my photos are of her sleeping!?! There’s a reason for that. The iPhone takes great photos when there is great lighting. A DSLR can take great photos in low lighting too. 
3. Saving Money – You’re probably like, “What!?! That’s a big purchase. How are you saving money?” I look at purchasing a nice camera as an investment. I’ll be saving by not purchasing stock images for my blog and paying a photographer for family sessions. Those expenses add up quickly.
4. Blogging – My biggest push for making this big purchase is my blog. I want to take it to the next level with great photos. Now that I’ve been blogging for about 5 months, I know that it is something I want to stick with and develop. Photography is a huge part of blogging. I believe that writing and photography are equally as important when it comes to having a blog that people want to come back to. 

Here’s what I purchased to get started:

1. Canon Rebel T6i – I went with the basic camera package, not the one with extra lens, SD card and case because I wanted to pick out my own preferences for those things. 
2. UV Lens Filter – This inexpensive accessory, filters UV light for better pictures and also serves as a lens protector. It’s easy and inexpensive to replace it if it gets scratched, unlike your expensive camera lens! 
3. 64GB SD Card – I purchased a large SD card since I’ll be traveling in Costa Rica for 3 weeks! That’s a lot of time to take photos. But if I fill it up, I can always upload some photos using the built in WI-FI and then erase them from the SD card. Make sure you get an SD card that is fast enough to keep up with your camera. 
4. Camera Strap – Your camera will come with a basic branded camera strap, but I wanted something a little more fun and stylish. 
5. Camera Pouch – I bought a drop in camera pouch so that I could put my camera in any bag. I don’t really want to carry around a camera bag and a diaper bag, so this is a good solution for me.

Here’s what’s on my wishlist:

1. Tripod – I’d like to get in the photos once in awhile too! I’ve heard this one is easy to carry around and it’s very well made for nice and stable shots.
2. Canon 50mm Lens – Many bloggers refer to this as the “nifty fifty” lens, perfect for stylized blogging shots. It has a large aperture allowing it to take great photos in low light and also giving you that blurred background effect, known as bokeh in the photography world. 
3. Canon Connect Station – This cool little device has 1TB of storage and all you have to do is tap your camera to the device to automatically upload your photos and videos. It also has wireless printing capabilities and you can view your stored photos or videos on your HDTV. 
4. Fawn Design Bag – I’ve been drooling over this bag! It’s actually a diaper bag, but since I have my camera pouch, I can toss that in any bag. This particular bag has a nice wide base, so there is plenty of room to use it as my purse, diaper bag AND camera bag. I also LOVE that you can carry it as a tote or adjust the straps to wear it like a backpack.

Are you ready to buy your first DSLR camera? What’s on your camera wishlist? 

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