Uploaded January 2020 | Updated September 2026, 6 hours ago
Gear I use:
Canon r6ii amzn.to/49Gf9AP
Canon r5ii amzn.to/4sZ2Fvr
Fuji x100vi amzn.to/4k2HuVo
RF 28-70 f2 amzn.to/465qaJx
RF 70-200 f2.8 amzn.to/3YYm8Pq
RF 50 1.2 amzn.to/46eZ02T
RF 35 1.4 amzn.to/3NFQOSW
RF 10-20 f4 amzn.to/4bRqTSi
RF 16 f2.8 amzn.to/49FguYr
As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. By using them you can support this channel and the content that I make.
A quick note on gear:
I am well into my late photography career. I am at a point where I can and should (for write offs) buy the best gear available to me (for the most part). However there are plenty of alternatives for getting the job done with varying budgets. If you need specific advice on buying gear, feel free to reach out.
Help me continue making content like this by supporting me on Patreon:
patreon.com/mikmilman
Buying Photography Gear (from the complete guide)
Camera Bodies
Camera bodies are depreciating assets. If you are still early in the learning phase, by the time you are able to fully utilize your camera, it will have lost significant value and there will be better options out there with more modern tech.
My advice would be to buy last generation’s model of whatever camera you’re interested in, either new or used. Most depreciation in cameras occur right away and then have a very large reduction in price once a new version comes out. After that they somewhat level off again.
Use the money you save to start building your lens collection. Remember lenses make images more so than cameras. Additionally, unlike cameras, lenses hardly depreciate in value.
Which Lenses to Buy
This is simple. The first lens you should buy is a 24-70mm lens. This lens will give you a somewhat wide to somewhat zoomed in field of view. The second lens you should buy is a 70-200mm, which is essential for a lot of different types of event photography- especially when you are required to photograph a speaker on stage for example.
Please note that when shooting with those lenses on a cropped frame camera body, those focal lengths will have the field of view of a 36-105 and 105-300 and may not be as suitable if you need a very wide field of view.
The next lens I recommend getting would be on the wide end. I personally use a 17-40mm f4 lens when I need to get wider than 24mm. Better lenses are made with wider apertures, but I rarely need something so wider than 24mm. When I do, I am typically photographing larger groups or wide “establishing shots” which require narrower apertures to properly get everyone or most things in focus. When making lens choices, remember that you're building a photography business and therefore it is helpful to think of purchases as business expenses in which cost vs benefit should be weighed. Personally I would estimate that my 17-40mm lens is on my camera less than 5% of the time. It is still a necessary lens for what I do, but not worth upgrading. I used to have a fisheye lens. Take a guess how often I used that and why I sold it.
Memory Cards
You can save money by not buying memory cards with larger storage capacities. Two 32 gig cards for example typically cost far less than one 64 gig card. But be sure to buy quality memory cards with fast read / write speeds. Do the research and make sure to buy the fastest memory cards recommended for your camera by it’s manufacturer. This will make a difference. Buying higher specced cards than what’s recommended may not make a difference. It would be like putting premium gas in a car not designed for it.
Flash
When I started as a photographer there was no viable alternative to a Canon branded flash. It was essentially a two horse race then, with Nikon as Canon’s only competition. But since then, off brand manufacturers have closed the gap in the quality of their flashes for a fraction of the cost. Canon’s latest flagship flash the 600EX II-RT goes for $579 at full price. Meanwhile the Yongnuo YN600 RT-II comes in at $121. It’s essentially a Canon clone (It’s even named similarly. Don’t ask me how that’s legal), and costs less than a fourth the price.
Personally, I own two Canon flashes, but Would not have a problem with purchasing a third party flash as another backup at some point.
I have been a professional event photographer and photography teacher for 10 years. Follow the links below to see my work.
Help me continue making content like this by supporting me on Patreon:
patreon.com/mikmilman
Instagram | @retrograding instagram.com/retrograding
Facebook | facebook.com/mikmilman
#eventphotography #eventphotographytips
mikmilman.com
#eventphotography #eventphotographytips #eventphotographer
Gear I use:
Canon r6ii amzn.to/49Gf9AP
Canon r5ii amzn.to/4sZ2Fvr
Fuji x100vi amzn.to/4k2HuVo
RF 28-70 f2 amzn.to/465qaJx
RF 70-200 f2.8 amzn.to/3YYm8Pq
RF 50 1.2 amzn.to/46eZ02T
RF 35 1.4 amzn.to/3NFQOSW
RF 10-20 f4 amzn.to/4bRqTSi
RF 16 f2.8 amzn.to/49FguYr
As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. By using them you can support this channel and the content that I make.
A quick note on gear:
I am well into my late photography career. I am at a point where I can and should (for write offs) buy the best gear available to me (for the most part). However there are plenty of alternatives for getting the job done with varying budgets. If you need specific advice on buying gear, feel free to reach out.
Help me continue making content like this by supporting me on Patreon:
patreon.com/mikmilman
Buying Photography Gear (from the complete guide)
Camera Bodies
Camera bodies are depreciating assets. If you are still early in the learning phase, by the time you are able to fully utilize your camera, it will have lost significant value and there will be better options out there with more modern tech.
My advice would be to buy last generation’s model of whatever camera you’re interested in, either new or used. Most depreciation in cameras occur right away and then have a very large reduction in price once a new version comes out. After that they somewhat level off again.
Use the money you save to start building your lens collection. Remember lenses make images more so than cameras. Additionally, unlike cameras, lenses hardly depreciate in value.
Which Lenses to Buy
This is simple. The first lens you should buy is a 24-70mm lens. This lens will give you a somewhat wide to somewhat zoomed in field of view. The second lens you should buy is a 70-200mm, which is essential for a lot of different types of event photography- especially when you are required to photograph a speaker on stage for example.
Please note that when shooting with those lenses on a cropped frame camera body, those focal lengths will have the field of view of a 36-105 and 105-300 and may not be as suitable if you need a very wide field of view.
The next lens I recommend getting would be on the wide end. I personally use a 17-40mm f4 lens when I need to get wider than 24mm. Better lenses are made with wider apertures, but I rarely need something so wider than 24mm. When I do, I am typically photographing larger groups or wide “establishing shots” which require narrower apertures to properly get everyone or most things in focus. When making lens choices, remember that you're building a photography business and therefore it is helpful to think of purchases as business expenses in which cost vs benefit should be weighed. Personally I would estimate that my 17-40mm lens is on my camera less than 5% of the time. It is still a necessary lens for what I do, but not worth upgrading. I used to have a fisheye lens. Take a guess how often I used that and why I sold it.
Memory Cards
You can save money by not buying memory cards with larger storage capacities. Two 32 gig cards for example typically cost far less than one 64 gig card. But be sure to buy quality memory cards with fast read / write speeds. Do the research and make sure to buy the fastest memory cards recommended for your camera by it’s manufacturer. This will make a difference. Buying higher specced cards than what’s recommended may not make a difference. It would be like putting premium gas in a car not designed for it.
Flash
When I started as a photographer there was no viable alternative to a Canon branded flash. It was essentially a two horse race then, with Nikon as Canon’s only competition. But since then, off brand manufacturers have closed the gap in the quality of their flashes for a fraction of the cost. Canon’s latest flagship flash the 600EX II-RT goes for $579 at full price. Meanwhile the Yongnuo YN600 RT-II comes in at $121. It’s essentially a Canon clone (It’s even named similarly. Don’t ask me how that’s legal), and costs less than a fourth the price.
Personally, I own two Canon flashes, but Would not have a problem with purchasing a third party flash as another backup at some point.
I have been a professional event photographer and photography teacher for 10 years. Follow the links below to see my work.
Help me continue making content like this by supporting me on Patreon:
patreon.com/mikmilman
Instagram | @retrograding instagram.com/retrograding
Facebook | facebook.com/mikmilman
#eventphotography #eventphotographytips
mikmilman.com
#eventphotography #eventphotographytips #eventphotographer
