Best Photography Gear and Platforms for Photographers

If you’ve stumbled on this page, you’ve probably ended up in the rabbit hole of never ending options for the best photography gear and platforms. I’ve loved Canon from the beginning, but I’ve tried SO many different platforms and systems. What I’ve found, is that everyone has their own needs, and what works great for one person, might not be the best for someone else. But, if you’d like a starting place, check out below for my favorites as well as any discount codes!

My Best Photography Gear

Camera Body: Canon R6
Lenses: Canon RF 28-70 F2 | Canon EF 35mm 1.4L + Adaptor | Canon RF 35mm 1.8 macro + Adaptor
Camera Strap: BlackRapid
Camera Bag: House of Flynn – Luna Bag

My Favorite Photography Platforms

These platforms are critical to my business, and I would not be able to operate without them!

Gallery System: Pic-Time
Unlike other gallery platforms, Pic-Time has built in slideshows and marketing automations. With the click of a few buttons, creating stunning slideshows and launching effective marketing campaigns has never been easier! Try it for free, then receive 1 month for free when you sign up with this link!

Best Photography Gear

CRM: Sprout Studio
Another top of my list of best photography gear and platforms, Sprout is the most “all-in-one” system out there and one of the only platforms that allows a client to select their session date, sign their agreement, and submit their retainer/booking/session fee all in one swoop. I sync my Sprout Calendar with my personal calendar, so any times/dates already entered in my personal calendar automatically block off availability in my Sprout Calendar. I’m never double booked, and no more back and forth with clients when selecting a session date. I send them one link and Sprout does all the work from there.

The workflows and automations save me SO much time, I wouldn’t be able to work efficiently without them! Also, they plant a tree for every new user — saving the planet one photographer at a time! Try it for free, then save 20% on annual or monthly plans when you sign up with this link!

Best Photography Gear


Website: Showit
Showit can be as simple or as custom as you want, making it another must have on my list of best photography gear and platforms. There are so many beautiful templates you can purchase right within the Showit store, fill in with your own info and photos and viola. Or, you can have full creative control and fully customize, either from scratch or starting from a template. I did find there to be a learning curve when fully customizing my website, but Showit’s customer service is fantastic and there are so many helpful resources! Try it for free, then get a free month when you sign up using this link!

Best Photography Gear


Graphic Design: Canva
The free version is so great and had to be included in my list of best photography gear, but there are so many amazing features that I use to Pro version. I design all of my digital guides to share with clients such as my Investment Guides, Style Guides, Artwork Guide, artwork mockups, social media graphics, gift certificates, holiday cards, and even packing tape, so it’s great for anything and everything that requires some kind of design work. Canva has had great quality printing for my Artwork Catalogs, gift certificates, etc! I don’t have a link but highly recommend even the free account!

Best Photography Gear

Lightroom
This is a non-negotiable in my opinion. Everyone has their own process, but I use Lightroom to transfer my images from SD cards to external hard drives, cull, edit, and then upload to my gallery via the Pic-Time plugin, definitely making it a must-have on my list of best photography gear and platforms.

Best Photography Gear

Other “Nice to Have” Photography Apps

Everlance: I use this app to automatically track all of my miles and expenses.
Sunseeker app: This app makes my list of best photography gear because it makes location scouting a breeze. It shows you exactly where the sun will be at a certain time of day.
Unscripted Posing App: Never run out of posing ideas.

Photographer, Liz from Elizabeth Pachniak Photography smiling holds her best photography gear while smiling at the camera.

Hi there, and thanks for visiting! I’m Liz, owner and photographer behind the lens at Elizabeth Pachniak Photography, specializing in young and growing families in the Madison, WI area. I hope you enjoyed learning about everything I consider to be the best photography gear and platforms. To learn more about session offerings, visit www.elizabethpachniak.com, or follow along on Instagram!

As your Madison Photographer, I can’t wait to connect and get your baby photography session on the calendar: Contact Now!

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family & newborn photographer serving Madison, WI

Creating meaningful images and heirloom artwork

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