Camera Lenses : Why I Sold All My Lenses, Only Keeping Two

if you know me in real life, you will know that i am a minimalist.  i don’t like stuff.  don’t get me wrong, i love to shop and bring home nice things, but i don’t have my house full of unnecessary things.  and i purge on the regular.  in our home, we are on the “less is more” bandwagon and i quickly found this to transfer over to my photography.  as i was packing up my camera gear for a newborn session, i opened up my lens drawer and quickly picked out the same two camera lenses that i carry each and every time i want to photograph anything, whether it is a client, my family, or what’s on the dinner table.  i noticed that, while i had 6 lenses to choose from, time after time i was only using 2 of them.  it seemed obvious that the remaining 4 were like old sweaters from high school….time to go.  since selling all of my photography lenses and only keeping two, i am convinced that i have all that i need and am the happiest i have been with my photography gear.

do you need a good everyday photography lens?  you might be surprised by my favorite lens choice for photographing my everyday.

this post contains affiliate links.  thank you in advance for supporting bethadilly photography.

Camera Lenses : Why I Sold All My Lenses, Only Keeping Two

So, What Did I Keep?

the only two camera lenses that i put on my camera are the sigma 24mm f/1.4 art lens and the sigma 50mm f/1.4 art lens.  that’s it!  when photographing for my clients or photographing my everyday, i only do to things…get close to capture details/take portraits (cue: 50mm) or incorporate my surroundings within the frame for additional storytelling (cue: 24mm).  of course, i do other things but those other things can all be achieved with these two lenses.

let me tell you, it’s freeing to sell all of your gear and downsize.  and here are some more reasons why i decided only having two lenses is necessary.

photo taken with : sigma 24mm f/1.4 art lens

Quality Over Quantity

my husband taught me something important in the years we have been married…30 pairs of cheap shoes isn’t as great as 3 pairs of nice shoes.  i am not sure if it was wise or not of him to teach me to hold out for the good stuff (now i have pretty nice taste), but that is what i have learned.  in the photography world, having 2 camera lenses that are top of the line is way better than having 6 lenses that aren’t.  i am not saying the gear i sold wasn’t great, it was.  but it wasn’t the best i could buy.

photo taken with : sigma 50mm f/1.4 art lens

My Photos Are Better

because i sold all of my lenses, i was able to invest in a better 50mm.  since upgrading my gear to the 24mm art and the 50mm art, my photographs are noticeably better.  why?  because the glass on theses lenses is top notch.  you get what you pay for and i notice this in terms of overall crisp photos.  my photos are definitely more crisp and in focus, than they were with my other lenses.  i love that, even though i only have two lenses, i know that the photos i am going to take with them are going to be really good.

photo taken with : sigma 50mm f/1.4 art lens

Less Lenses, More Inspiration

listen, i am a firm believer that one can have too much photography gear.  yes, i did say it.  after i downsized my gear, i felt that i was more inspired.  i wasn’t cluttering my brain with thinking of ways to utilize all of my lenses, but instead allowed creativity to flow with the two lenses i do have.  i also think that stopping to switch out lenses totally ruins the moment.  i love the idea of putting one lens on my camera and just going, not stopping.  for the times when i do want to use two lenses, i attach one lens to each camera body so that they are ready to go and i am not switching out lenses.  for times like this, my 24mm art is on my nikon d750 and my 50mm art is on my nikon d610.

photo taken with : sigma 24mm f/1.4 art lens

Focus On What I Do Have

you know those people who know a little about a lot?  that’s cool, but not something i strive for.  i would rather spend my time learning a lot about one thing.  this is also true when it comes to my camera lenses.  instead of knowing how to use a lot of lenses just okay, i would rather spend my time learning how to master two lenses.  sometimes we get so caught up in having so much photography gear that we don’t have enough time to learn that gear really well.  and what good is gear if you aren’t using it to it’s potential?  instead of having tons of gear, have a couple pieces that you can use really well.  it will show in your photography.

selling all of my camera lenses and only keeping two has been so freeing.  i feel like i am more inspired, i am taking better pictures, and i am learning more about how to take really great images with the lenses i do have.  freeing up space in my lens drawer surprisingly freed up space for more creativity.

be sure to join my exclusive email list to receive my latest photography tips and tutorials.  it’s free!

need some photography tips + inspiration?  check out what posts are trending below!