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There is a LOT of camera gear out there. Bodies, lenses, bags, tripods, filters, memory cards, drones, studio lights — and it can feel like you need to spend thousands of pounds before you've earned the right to call yourself a photographer. You don't. Not even close. In this episode I cut through all of it and tell you exactly what a beginner photographer actually needs, what can wait, and what you can safely ignore entirely. 📷

In this episode we cover:

●        📷 Tip 1 — The camera body: why it matters less than you think

●        🔭 Tip 2 — The lens: this is where your money should actually go

●        📐 Tip 3 — The tripod: do you actually need one, and when?

●        💾 Tip 4 — Memory cards: the unsung essential nobody talks about

●        🔋 Tip 5 — Batteries: no battery, no photos — it really is that simple

●        🔵 Tip 6 — Filters: mostly not for beginners (with one exception)

●        🔆 Tip 7 — Lens hoods: the most underrated bit of kit you own

●        🔵 Tip 8 — Lens caps: free, essential, and easily overlooked

●        🎒 Tip 9 — The camera bag: carry what you actually use, nothing else

●        🚫 Tip 10 — The gear you don't need yet: drones, studio lights, second bodies, super-zooms

 

📖 Full episode blog post and transcript:

Argh. Why Is There So Much Camera Gear? Please Help Me!

🎙️ Related episodes worth listening to:

Episode 236 — Why It Is 3 Times Harder to Choose a Camera Bag Than a Sandwich Bag — the full story behind what you heard today, and how to choose a bag that actually works.

Episode 237 — What — I Have to Clean My Camera Gear? Really? — because once you know what gear to own, you need to know how to look after it. [link to be added]

Episode 235 — Do I Really Need a Tripod? Really? Why Rick, Why? — the full tripod answer, in full.

Episode 152 — How My One Photo Rule Will Help You Take Better Photos — not gear related, but directly relevant to taking better photos.

 

🎧 Next episode — and this one will make you look at your kit lens in a completely different way 💝

Your kit lens has a little label on it that says something like 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6. If you've ever looked at that and thought: what on earth does any of that mean — Episode 239 is your answer. Publishing Friday 14th August 2026 at 11am UK. Subscribe and you won't miss it.

 

📺 Find me on YouTube by searching Rick McEvoy — full episodes and Shorts every fortnight.

 

🌐 Everything else — courses, resources, weekly email and lots of other good stuff: rickmcevoyphotography.com

📚 My courses: rickmcevoyphotography.com/courses

🛠️ My resources page: rickmcevoyphotography.com/resources

 

And you can text me directly from the podcast feed — how utterly splendid. 💝

 My brand new course Photography for Beginners: Sunrise in Mexico, will teach you exactly how to get out at sunrise and come back with photos you love  all told in plain English. it includes real footage of me photographing an actual sunrise in Mexico with an entry level camera. Find out more at rickmcevoyphotography.com/courses.

 If you want to start taking stunning sunrise photos, and why wouldn't you,  check out my Photography for Beginners: Sunrise in Mexico course at rickmcevoyphotography.com/courses.

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Cheers from me Rick