Before you share your story..
Let me tell you mine...
Hi, I’m Braden — a sports and portrait photographer based in Northwest Ohio. I’m currently a senior at Maumee High School, where I enjoy participating in a variety of athletics and extracurricular activities. In my free time, I like hanging out with friends and taking pictures. I also enjoy playing pickleball, listening to music, playing video games, and spending time with my family. I’m very outgoing and down to earth, so don’t worry — there won’t be any awkward silences. I can’t wait to get in touch!
my photography gear
The Nikon D7500 is the primary camera body I use for nearly all of my photography work. It features a 20.9 megapixel APS-C sensor that delivers sharp image quality, strong color detail, and reliable low-light performance, which is especially important for sports photography under stadium lights or in indoor gyms. Its overall balance of speed, image quality, and durability makes it a strong all-around camera for both sports and portraits.
As a backup body, I use a Nikon D90. While it is an older DSLR, it still performs reliably and remains an important part of my setup. The D90 was one of Nikon’s first DSLR cameras capable of recording video, and it helped establish many of the features that became standard in later Nikon cameras. Its lightweight design and dependable performance still make it useful in certain situations and as a secondary option during shoots.
The lens I use most often is the Nikon 18–300mm f/3.5–6.3. This lens is extremely versatile because of its wide zoom range, allowing me to shoot everything from wider environmental shots to close-up action without needing to constantly switch lenses. For sports photography, this flexibility is especially useful because the action can quickly move from directly in front of me to the opposite side of the field or court. The built-in vibration reduction also helps stabilize shots when shooting handheld at longer focal lengths.
For portraits and creative photography, I use a Nikon 50mm f/1.8 prime lens. This lens is known for producing sharp subjects with soft background blur, creating a cleaner and more cinematic look. The wide f/1.8 aperture also allows significantly more light into the camera, helping produce cleaner images in lower-light environments while giving portraits a more professional depth and separation from the background.
I also own a Nikon 70–300mm telephoto lens, which provides additional zoom reach for outdoor photography and sports. While I do not use it as often as my 18–300mm, it still serves as a useful option for situations where extra focal length is needed.
