What’s in my bag

Last week, I shared a few tips for storing personal photos.  Today I thought I’d take it a step further by talking about my “everyday” camera.  As a professional photographer, the pressure to capture great photos can be overwhelming even when snapping everyday photos of the kids.  For years I lugged my equipment around to school concerts, sporting events, birthday parties, family gatherings, etc…  which not only was a pain to haul, but it always felt cumbersome and intrusive.  When I was shooting in a dark space or things were moving quickly I often found myself scrambling with my external flash and settings all in an attempt to capture great photos of these once in a lifetime happenings.  It didn’t take long before I started dreading having to document these events.  In fact, I started feeling like I was missing out on the event because I was so consumed with trying to take great pictures.  So often I longed to take off my professional photographer hat and attend these events simply as a mom.  For a while I quit taking my gear and relied solely on my iPhone and well, let’s just say those were anything but “great” photos so I knew I needed to find a happy medium.

This drove me to research small point-and-shoot cameras that would fit in my purse and/or coat pocket, but still live up to my expectations in terms of producing quality photos.  It took a while but I’ve finally found one I’m happy with and best of all…I’m actually using it!  Now, I will say that this camera isn’t exactly cheap but I’m a big believer in the saying “You get what you pay for!”.  The Sony DSC-RX100 is light & compact so it easily fits in my purse, but beyond that the quality of the photos are really top notch for a point-and-shoot camera.  One thing I like the most about this camera is the flash.  Most point-and-shoot cameras I’ve used have a bright, concentrated flash that tend to make subjects look white and ghostly.  The flash on this particular model is unlike anything I’ve seen in a compact camera.  I’m also impressed with the colors and overall performance in a variety of lighting situations.  I could go on and on about all the things I like about it, but I think what I like most is that it’s given me back some freedom.  Do I still use my pro equipment on my kids?  Absolutely!  But when I want to attend an event or when something is happening around the house and I don’t want the burden and pressure of hauling around my pro gear this little camera is a great solution.