My Favorite Pet Photography Equipment

I feel just awful that I completely missed my normal post this morning. I may have been slightly distracted by the fact that today is my birthday!!! I absolutely LOVE my birthday; it’s the day of Kim. It’s not that I do anything fancy or over the top, but I just love having a day that’s for me.

It’s easy to let yourself slide to the end of the line when it comes to taking care of things including business, family, and so on. But, on your birthday you should celebrate! Here’s a little throwback birthday image equipped with a sweet haircut, face paint, push pop, and, of course, a golden retriever named Buddy.

Okay enough about my birthday (did I mention it’s my birthday?)… I thought it might be fun to share some of my must have pet photography equipment (fully equipped with links) as well as some of my splurge equipment. Let’s pretend if I had an endless supply of money for all of my equipment needs (wouldn’t that be nice!), what would I buy?

Let’s get started!

Must Have Equipment:

Nikon D4: This is my go to camera. It’s a workhorse, and I’ve had it for years. Treat it well get it professionally cleaned every once in a while to avoid little dust dots on your sensor.

Nikon D4 16.2 MP CMOS FX Digital SLR with Full 1080p HD Video (Body Only) (OLD MODEL)

Nikon 24-70 mm F/2.8 Lens: This is my #1 lens. I use it probably 90% of the time in studio when photography animals. It allows me to get the entire scene plus close up images (you know the details??) without having to move too much. That part is great because if you have an anxious dog you don’t want to spook them moving around.

Nikon AF-S FX NIKKOR 24-70mm f/2.8G ED Zoom Lens with Auto Focus for Nikon DSLR Cameras

Profoto D1 Air Studio Kit: This is what I started with when I first opened my studio, and almost a decade later they still produce gorgeous light. I love Profoto!

Profoto 901056 D1 Studio Kit 500/500 Air without Air Remote (Black)

Squirrel Call: This little baby is AMAZING when it comes to getting attention. It’s definitely one of my favorite noisemakers. But, with any noisemaker, be sure you don’t overuse it!

Hunter’s Specialties Squirrel Call

Hoodman: This piece of equipment is a must have when you photograph on location. Instead of squinting or cupping your hands to see the back of your camera you can pull this out (or wear it around your neck) to make sure you’re getting crisp, perfectly exposed images!

Hoodman H32MB HoodLoupe Outdoor Loupe for 3.2″ LCD Screens

Show Lead: very important to have a few of these lying around because they can match to the dog’s fur, and they are easy to retouch out of your images later!

Mendota 8″ 1/8″ by 40″ Martingale Show Lead, Black, Small

Spider Holster: This puppy is a lifesaver when shooting on location, and especially with pets! You can simple put your camera in your holster when you need to move around, and you know it’s safe. Plus it keeps you hands free when you’re not shooting. Love it!

Spider Holster SpiderPro Single Camera System (SCS)

Splurge Equipment!!

If I had zero budget, here are some items I would get…

Profoto A1: Who doesn’t want gorgeous light on demand? These babies travel with you just like a speedlight, but the light quality is unparalleled. I borrowed one from a friend and I loved it! Only problem is I don’t need it… They have models specific to both Canon and Nikon.

Profoto A1 AirTTL-C Studio Light for Canon

Profoto A1 AirTTL-N Studio Light for Nikon

Nikon 70-200 mm F/2.8: So, I may actually have one of these, but it happens to be 8 years old. I would LOVE to splurge on the brand new model that has updated VR and so many bells and whistles.

Nikon 70-200mm f/2.8G ED VR II AF-S Nikkor Zoom Lens For Nikon Digital SLR Cameras (New, White box)

The sad reality is that we don’t have zero budgets (well, at least not most of us), so spend your equipment dollars wisely. If you have a favorite piece of equipment please share it with me!

Kim xo

P.S. – All links are through Amazon Associates.