10 Things photographer Natalie Greenroyd loves

Ever wish you could get a peek inside the minds of your favorite photographers? We are here to help! We are bringing you the best, most inspiring photographers from around the world and having them share a few of things that inspire them, make them smile, and are essential to their creative process. We will be taking notes right here with you so that we can add their best-loved items to our own lists!

Today we have Natalie Greenroyd, Oklahoma-based photographer and Clickin Moms Mentor, sharing a few of her favorite things.

Where are my coffee drinkers?! I absolutely could not live without my trusty Jura Capresso Impressa S9 Avantgarde. This coffee maker is no joke. It was a wedding gift to my husband and I almost 10 years ago from my parents. Espresso fresh from beans at the touch of a button? Yes, please! Cappuccinos, lattes, the simplest of black coffees – this coffee maker does it all, and I absolutely, positively cannot start my day without it. All the machines from Jura Capresso are top notch so no matter which one you choose, you will be set.

For the past two Mother’s Days, I’ve received a new hammock from my boys and I have to say, there really is no better gift. I don’t want to stop until we have an entire colony of hammocks! My boys love to relax with me and we’ve had some of our best conversations sitting on those hammocks.

I’m a homeschooling mom, and while I know we are perfectly capable of schooling anywhere (kitchen table, back porch, the library even) I absolutely LOVE our homeschool room. Something about setting foot in this room just helps me feel ready for the day, and I love that in order to take a break from all the books, we just have to step outside of the room and all the school mess and clutter disappears.

Y’all, this dog. Our Vizsla is the absolute worst, best dog ever.  She barks and chases strangers. She eats food off the counter when we’re not looking. She poops in the house if you leave her alone for more than three minutes. She sits pretty in her pen until our car pulls out of the driveway and then she digs like a mad woman to escape. But we can’t live without her. She cuddles like a newborn baby, she greets you at the door like she hasn’t seen you in a decade and we love her fiercely.

I picked up this little camera about a year ago, wanting something that would be a little more portable than my Nikon set-up. Wow, did I ever fall in love. This little guy is just as powerful as my Nikon and even has a few extra features that I didn’t know I was missing out on before. It goes everywhere with me (it stays in my purse) so I never miss out when the mood strikes to take a pretty picture.

This may not be the prettiest of camera bags, but when it comes time for me to haul all my gear around, this is hands-down the best bag for the job. It can hold my Nikon D610 along with my 50mm, 24-70mm, 70-200mm, and tons of accessories. It’s super comfortable and I don’t have to worry about anything falling out of my bag as I’m doing somersaults and barrel rolls on the ground trying to get THE shot.

Okay, I have to admit it. I’m the worst about printing pictures for myself. That’s why I love this little calendar from Artifact Uprising to put on my refrigerator. I print these every year and for each month, I have a photo from that month of the previous year. It’s so fun to be reminded of what we were doing exactly one year ago. It’s sad to say it, but the photos I put on this calendar are probably photos that would otherwise be buried deep on my hard drive, never to be seen again.

I haven’t always been an Oklahoman. I grew up in an area of Tennessee where the trees are tall and the sunsets aren’t always so easy to see. Once I moved here, I was instantly blown away at how gorgeous the sunsets are nearly every night. They are made of colors I never knew existed in patterns that only God can create.

I have long been addicted to chapstick. I have to have something on my lips at all times and sometimes I want something a little fancier than just my regular chapstick. Enter Rosebud Salve. I buy this cute little tin that has three scents, original, mint and strawberry. They smell oh, so good and feel great on my lips without drying them out immediately like a lot of glosses do.

The Lensbaby Trio 2.8 is just the most fun lens ever! It is strictly for mirrorless cameras and it is actually three lenses in one. You can twist the lens to switch from the Sweet, the Velvet and the Twist. If you twist halfway between two of the lenses, you can get a super cool double exposure effect. This is such a great tool to have if I am feeling in a rut or I want to get super creative.

Read all of Our Favorite Things series here.