What's in my Camera Bag?

I get asked what kind of camera I use, quiet a lot, so I thought it would be fun to do a “What’s in my bag?” post.

Let’s start with my camera bag. I am in love with my bag. For years I used a cheap one I found on Ebay and once my business became more successful, I decided I earned myself a pretty (but functional) bag. I have the Scout Bag from Kelly Moore. I love the leather and that it’s the perfect size for what I need. It fits my camera, a lens and a speed light. It’s not to big or to small. I have a feeling I will have this bag for many, many years which makes the investment justifiable.

Next up my camera. I used to shoot with a Pentax camera and I loved it but Pentax didn’t really bring out a newer model, so I decided to switch to Canon. I have the Canon 5d Mark iii. This camera is workhorse. The shutter count (kind of like mileage on a car) is HIGH but it still performs perfect. I’ll be honest here… I am not easy on my equipment. I mostly forget to put a lens cap on, I use it on the beach with all the sand or even in the rain. To me my camera is just a tool. A tool to capture memories. If that is on a beach or in a creek. I bought it to use it.

My favorite go to lens is the Canon 50mm 1.4 and this lens is on my camera pretty much 90% of the time. This lens is also called the “nifty fifty” because it is so versatile and can be used in most situations. This is a prime lens, which means no zoom but the beautiful bokeh (when the background is blurry) it creates makes up for that flaw.

My zoom lens is my Canon 24-70mm 2.8. I use this lens when it’s not easy to move around, such as births and weddings. This lens is tack sharp and just good to have. I like using this camera lens for some of my trips with the family.

I also use the YN560 IV speed light (flash). It is cheap and easy to use. I used to leave it mostly at home but now carry it with me anywhere I go. It has come in handy many times during in home newborn sessions when the natural light wasn’t ideal.

Of course my bag has a few memory cards and batteries as well. I once showed up to a shoot with a empty battery and I can tell you, I won’t make that mistake twice. I will always have backups with me.

I carry a few pens, some change, a lens cleaning cloth and some business card in my bag as well.

I also get asked what camera I use for my personal use. I have the Canon G7x for more adventurous trips. This camera has been with us to Vietnam, kayaking across a lake and climbing a mountain. It’s small but mighty. I love that the screen can flip around, which makes making YouTube videos super easy. I can also use it manually which is something I really was looking for in a point and shoot camera.

So there you have it. Are you a photographer? Amateur or Professional? What’s in YOUR bag?

Hacked!

What happened? December 19th I woke up, grabbed my cell phone and checked my FB. I couldn’t log in, which isn’t unusual because sometimes I am logged in with my husbands account and it takes me a few tries to get my passwords right. Who can remember a billion passwords to a billion different websites? Anyways, after two tries I put my phone down and decided it was just to early and I am not thinking right. Later that morning, I checked again and I couldn’t log in again. I searched through my emails to see if FB sent me a notice. Maybe I violated some of their rules, but what would could that be… a thousand questions are running through my head. I finally find an email in my spam folder. “Someone tried to log in to your account at 2:28am”. The emails gave me a link to change my password. I clicked that link and I got a notice that the link has expired. This can’t be true. I tried again! Same thing, this link has expired! I look closer and I notice that the hacker changed my email address to his (let’s just pretend its a he, ok?) address. I can only see the first letter and the last for “security reasons”. I try a few more times and eventually I get a message to take a photo of my ID and send a new email address that I haven’t used before. I do that. 4 weeks go by! 4 long weeks! I wake up one morning and get an email saying that someone hacked my account and here is a link to fix everything. I click the link. And guess what? IT EXPIRED! I try again. Same message. I go to my FB app and don’t see my account anymore. I log in to my husbands and try to find my account and it is gone. Just gone. 13 + years of memories gone. I start panicking, crying and yes swearing but there is nothing I can do. I tried to contact FB again and just get the same responds as before, upload your ID and wait. After some research on the WWW I come to the realization that once a hacker deletes your account there is nothing you can do! It is gone.

I forgot to mention but while I waited for FB to review my account, the hackers charged FB ads to my PayPal. I did get refunded for those.

So what does this mean? My pictures and memories are gone. I loved looking back every day what we did that day in previous years. My friends are “gone”. And my biz page Sonja B Photography is gone as well. Over 2300 followers gone. All my photography gone. Well, if you click on the link, it is still there but since my personal account vanished in thin air I no longer have access to this page. Again I tried contacting FB but there is nothing they can do, nor do they care.

How can you help? Please hop over to my new page The real Sonja B and like my page. Invite your friends to like my page. Even share this post and beg people to like my page…. I was just kidding about the begging but you could. Just sayin’. And if you are a friend on FB, look me up and sent me a friend request. I am now Sonja McGill instead of Sonja Bennett McGill. If you are a client and want to be FB send me a friend request!

What have I learned? I learned about two way authentication. Which I have set up for my new FB Page. Sometimes we must learn the hard way.

Florida Trip - St. Augustine

St. Augustine was our last (and shortest) stop on our Florida trip!

Picture below is us getting ready to leave our Airbnb near Miami.

We toured the Castillo de san Marcos and Finn collected another stamp and Junior Ranger badge... that makes 17 I think?!

We also got a pretty cool demonstration on firing the canons. The fort was really cool. All made out of sand and shells or known as coquina. And 95% of the fort is still original!!! You guys that means 95% of the fort is over 315 years old! That's pretty impressive.

We spent a few more hours walking around St. Augustine and having lunch. It really is gorgeous town and I definitley want to make this a longer stop in our future. But Christmas break was almost over and school starts again. Plus we still had a VERY long drive home.

And remember from my previous post that we had a chicken thing going on... here are some random chickens at a gas station in Georgia.

We arrived safe and sound at home... Taking three kayaks all the way down to Florida and back, driving around with them in Miami and going through (what seemed like a million) toll booths was no big deal and we will definiteley take them again!

Thanks for reading all of Florida adventures. You can find the other posts here:

Snorkeling in Key Largo

Bradenton

Kayaking with Manatees on Christmas Day

Weeki Wachee

and

Devil's Den

Florida Trip - Snorkeling in Key Largo, Miami & Little Havana

Before I begin... I want to warn you, this post is loaded with pictures! Lots and lots of pictures of sunshine, ocean and so much better weather than we are having now in February in Ohio! Now go on and read... you have been warned!

We left Bradenton early in the morning (to get out of our bad Airbnb asap) and headed to Miami. The plan was to show the boys Little Havana and the South Beach area in Miami and then head to our Airbnb that was located between Miami and Key Largo.

I was a bit worried about driving our kayak trailer through Miami and especially parking. But I couldn't believe that I found almost immediately a spot big enough in Little Havana right off  main street!

The kids loved Little Havana. Jake decided that he needed a hat and asked if he could buy a cigar for the future (no). Both of them loved watching the men play Domino in the park and of course needed their own set.

playing Dominos back at the Airbnb

We drove through Miami but we had a feeling it would be hard to find a spot, yet alone a parking spot that was secure enough to leave the kayaks. So the next few pictures are just random pictures taken from the car.

The original plan was to head to the Airbnb after checking out Miami but on our way we spotted a sign to the Biscayne National Park. Of course we decided to stop and even though it was a short visit it was worth it. Finn added another Junior Ranger Pin to his collection.

what trying to take a nice picture with Finn looks like

my pretty kayaks and trailer haha

Can you spot Miami in the picture below?

After we left the National Park we stopped at at roadside fruit stand (You know we can't skip those) and got two coconuts and some fresh squeezed sugar cane juice. The kids surprised us and didn't like neither.

The next morning was the big day we have been waiting for! Snorkeling in Key Largo. We got there early (hey! I am a good German and will live by the rule of being early for everything) and had enough time to grab something to eat. Scot spotted this little Cuban cafe and it was perfect! The food was excellent! The Empanadas were the best I had all trip (remember my bucket list item from this POST) and the rest of our breakfast was just as good.

With full bellies we drove to the port and were welcomed by Captain Karsten (from Germany) on board. We decided to go with Keys Diver & Snorkeling Tours and we highly recommend them. The really gave us a fantastic snorkeling experience and were so kind and patient with the boys.

How do you like my new prescription sunglasses?

I love this picture of Jake

The snorkeling tour was about 4 hours long and we were taken to 3 different reefs. The boat ride to and from these snorkeling spots were perfect. The sun felt so  good on deck and if we didn't even go snorkeling the boat ride was already perfect enough.

it took me a second to figure this out, but this is Finn haha

the Christ statue

Snorkeling was fantastic as well. We saw so many colorful fish, lost of barracudas and we did see Jesus ;)  The only thing that was difficult to me was to keep an eye on my kids. Every time I looked in a different direction they were gone, they were just way to fast for me and I had visions of them floating away in the Gulf of Mexico. I realize that's being over dramatic but I did not enjoy constantly having to try to find them versus just enjoying the snorkeling experience. Hopefully this will get better the older they get.

On board was a little girl from France and Finn and her hit it off despite the language barrier. They played peek a boo, charades, rock paper sciccors and this weird head bumping game that only the two of them understood.

This day couldn't have been better and I know we will talk about this adventure for a very long time.

Now please can someone take me back to this sunshine???

Being in the Florida Keys we made it our mission to find THE BEST key lime pie. We asked a few locals and everyone had the same answer: PUBLIX the grocery store chain has the best one. So on our way back from snorkeling we stopped at Publix, bought a key lime pie and ate it in the car on our way home. Perfect ending to this day! And yes it was soooooo good!

Btw... we had this weird experience with chickens on this trip. Not only did we see them in the parking lot in Key Largo at Publix but then a few days later we saw a bunch at a gas station in Georgia! So weird!

And because I want to end this post with my favorite picture... VOILA! Brothers actually getting a long!

Florida Trip - Bradenton

We left our amazing AirBnb in Weeki Wachee to spend 2 nights in Bradenton, Florida. Unfortunately our AirBnb there was a bust (after 9 amazing experiences we were doomed for a bad one).

On our way to Bradenton we decided on a detour at Fort Soto. It was an overcast day but we did enjoy a long and relaxing stroll on the beach. We collected some of the biggest shells we have ever seen and the boys tried to find crabs...

Anyone know what kind of fish Scot helped back in the water (it totally swam off again) or what kind of bird is bathing in the above pictures?

The fort itelf was meh... nothing to exciting but it made for a great stop on our way to Breadenton! We had a little lunch near the fort too that was also meh... can't only have amazing days ;)

As mentioned above our AirBnB experience wasn't the greatest but it was situated on a river with a boat (kayak) dock and that was worth it. Just a small kayak paddle away and we saw some pretty cool wildlife.

About the gator... we arrived at our AirBnB and the first thing the kids wanted to do is snorkel. They were pretty upset with us when we told them absolutley no! Until we saw this alligator and then I told them "NOW you may snorkel" haha

On our 2nd day we decided to spend the majority of the day at Siesta Beach. Unfortunately everyone in Florida must have had the same idea. It took us forever to get to the beach, only to drive around for an hour to find a parking spot, then trying to get back out of this traffic nightmare and to a different beach. What should have been a 30 minute drive took us well over 3 hours. We finally arrived at Lido Beach and it was perfect! We found a parking spot right by the beach and it wasn't as packed as Siesta Beach! We swam and played for hours until the late afternoon.

On our way back we stopped at Phillippi Creek Oyster Bar! The sun was setting, the was was amzing and the kids behaved! We couldn't have asked for a better dinner!

What is your guess... Did Finn eat an oyster or not?

We enjoyed our time in Bradenton but couldn't wait for our next few stops! On the road again...

Florida Trip - Kayaking with Manatees on Christmas Day

Christmas Day was probably one of the most memorable Christmases ever.

We decided to limit the kids presents and budget this year by a lot. We made sure we "warned" the kids that Christmas might look different this year and that our trip was the big present. As always they got a gift from Santa, which this year was a snorkeling mask for each boy, something we are going to be using a lot in 2018. Finn really wanted a few books (Dog Man), a map of Vietnam, a Playmobil helicopter and I threw in some T-shirts. Jake got an underwater knife, a book about the Vietnam war, a camping chair, and also some T-shirts. A big present this year was them getting a Star Wars drone to share from their Opa. Scot surprised me with a new (very comfortable) sleeping pad that I will be using a lot in 2018 as well. Scot got some new kayaking worthy sandals and a very nice flannel shirt. And like every year we got a new Family Game. This year we got Bears vs Babies and we love it!

I was worried because Christmas did look different this year. Not in our home, less presents, only a tiny Christmas tree but as soon as the kids walked in the living room Christmas morning and announced: "That's a lot more presents than we expected!" I knew this day is going to be amazing.

We spent the majority of the morning, unwrapping gifts, playing with them and making the best Christmas breakfast! Scrambled eggs, with the leftover shrimp and crab legs from the night before, plus baked beans (the British in me) and toast! It was sooooo good!

After our late breakfast we slowly got ready for our next kayaking adventure trip... The Chassahowitzka River! Chassahowitzka is again pretty close to Weeki Wachee and when we arrived we were the only ones at the boat ramp!!! Yipeee!!!

As soon as we got in the water with our kayaks, we were greeted by 8 very curious manatees. They played for a very long time with us. Pushing and bumping into our kayaks. It was literally like in a dream. We had a hard time saying goodbye but we knew there was more to see.

Not far from the boat ramp we found these underwater caves/ swimming holes. The boys had a blast snorkeling in them and it was a great opportunity to try out their new masks! A few of these caves were connected and Jake really wanted to try to dive from one end to the other but signs around the area were warning of the danger and deaths that have occurred in these caves. So, no diving for Jake!

After playing for a long time we kept kayaking to explore the rest of the river. Chassahowitzka is seriously an amazing part of Florida and probably one of my favorites! The river is full of wild life and so crystal clear. We paddled for a few miles when I spotted a crab in the water…. ok let’s stop for a second and wind back!

For the past few trips we have made we have started creating Individual Bucket lists for each trip. For this trip it looked like this:

Finn really wanted to catch a medium size fish or a crab, Jake wanted to catch and cook a crab, Daddy wanted to see Little Havana and I wanted to eat an Empanada. Thank you, Kate, for this great tip.

So, I see a crab in the water and I barley spoke the words: A CRAB! Jake jumped into the water (mid paddle in the middle of the river) grabbed his net and scooped up the crab. A few minutes later he caught two more and stored them in the hatch of his kayak to enjoy later for dinner. He was one happy boy and BOOM! his Bucket list item for this trip was filled.

Once back at the boat ramp, Scot and I loaded the kayaks on the trailer while the kids snorkeled with the manatees for a little. What an unbelievable experience that was for the boys.

We got home, took showers and changed right back into out Christmas PJ’s. The kids watched some YouTube videos on how to best cook the crabs (I wanted nothing to do with this) and their dinner was served. I finished the smoked salmon dip from the night before and everyone was happy!

I can easily say it was one of the most memorable Christmases we ever had as a family!

Florida Trip - Weeki Wachee

We celebrated Christmas this year in Weeki Wachee, Florida. I was surprise to learn how many people have never heard of Weeki Wachee.

Weeki Wachee is not only a fun name to say out loud but it’s also the home of the Mermaid Show.

I booked a nice Airbnb (check it out HERE) to spend Christmas which was located on a canal leading to the Weeki Wachee spring.

Christmas Eve day we spent exploring the canal at the river. The canal was a little swampy and I was definitely a little worried but after a little paddle the swampy canal turned into the crystal clear Weeki Wachee River. We were hoping to spot Manatees but no such luck on this trip.

We kayaked all the way to Rogers Park and then decided to turn around because the current was moving a lot faster than we expected. Jake is in his own kayak so I am always a little worried if he has the power to finish the trip.

We found a little beach area of the river, let the kids swim and snorkel. Scot and I sat around for a long time talking and then swam with the kids as well.

We finished our kayak trip, and got back to the Airbnb. The kids played with some toys and watched some TV while Scot and I wrapped presents. We all showered, put on some nice clothes and headed to one of our favorite restaurants, The Freezer.

The Freezer is located in Homosassa, about 30 minutes from our AirBnb. They serve seafood and it’s relativity cheap but so good. We all split two order orders of Snow Crab Legs and a pound of steamed shrimp. It was amazing and we all enjoyed our Christmas Eve dinner.

We got back to the Airbnb. The kids got to open their Christmas PJ’s and we surprised them with matching PJ’s for ourselves… they thought this was hilarious. Scot also read the “Night before Christmas” to them and we ended the night watching Boss Baby, which btw was a lot funnier than I expected!

Florida Trip - Devil's Den

We ended 2017 with an amazing trip to Florida. This year we decided we are going early and spend Christmas in one of our favorite places AND bring our own kayaks.

You can read about last years trip here. This year I am going to post these not by days but by activity.

I will be posting about our experience at Devil’s Den, our Christmas Eve kayak trip on the Weeki Wachee river and our dinner at The Freezer. Our favorite Christmas Day ever and a quick visit to Little Havana and our snorkeling trip in Key Largo.

Let’s start with our Devil’s Den experience.

Every time I research new places to go, I hop on Pinterest to see what other people suggest. And Devil’s Den popped up a lot! I wasn’t sure if we are going to be able to do it but I figured I could bookmark it for just in case.

We spent the night in Macon, Georgia after a long drive the previous day and lots and lots of traffic in Atlanta. From Macon to our first Airbnb in Weeki Wachee it was about a 5 hour drive but check in wasn’t until 4pm. So, I needed to find something to do for the kids on the way to the Airbnb without adding tons of extra driving time. (We were done driving). I remembered Devil’s Den and a quick check on MapQuest confirmed that we would be literally driving by. I was a bit worried about the water temps… I read reviews of people complaining about the water being to cold, but it couldn’t hurt to check it out.

We arrived at Devil’s Den and I was surprised to see that it wasn't as packed as I expected it to be after reading the reviews. After a quick check on how cold the water actually is (72 degrees year round) and finding out that YES there is an option rent wet suits we decided to go for it.

I think with tax and renting the fins and masks (required) we payed around $120 for the 4 of us. We opted against the dry suits for now and check to see if we can handle the water (we could!). We quickly changed into out swim suits, grabbed some towels and off we went.

Devil’s Den is basically a cave you enter down a steep staircase and at the bottom is this crystal clear spring. As I understand you can dive 60 ish feet down into some cave systems, but we came just for the snorkeling. It was definitely cold but nothing we couldn’t handle. We had an amazing time snorkeling for 2 hours and saw a bunch of fish and even some turtles.

Finn has never snorkeled before and it took him a little time to get used to the snorkel and the fins. He was about to give up but Scot really worked with him and after about 45 minutes he was a pro and loved it! We all took a quick break after about an hour but the 2 hours we payed for was the perfect amount of time.

This was the perfect activity for our first day in Florida and we highly recommend it!

I have some video footage of Devil's Den but I can't my memory card to work... ;(