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Whats ​in My Camera Bag on A Wedding Day

January 22, 2019

Gear as a professional wedding photographer

I'm the woman who transformed adversity into triumph: I left my economic development job, navigated through divorce, and built a business that realized my dreams. Blending support with strategy, I turn dreams into reality. My mission? To empower women to boldly chase their entrepreneurial ambitions every day!

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Ever wondered what kind of gear I take with on a wedding day? Today I’m sharing all the lenses, cameras, flashes, and all the extra equipment I use to fully capture each wedding day!

Camera Bags

I feel like the camera bag it’s self is a pretty good place to start! I carry two bags with me on a wedding day. The smaller bag holds the gear I need right at the moment. Different parts of the day require different equipment. For instance, during bridal prep, I’m not going to need a 70-200mm but I will need a macro. So no use lugging around that big 70-200 first thing in the morning. As a wedding photographer I am on my feet for 9+ hours a day usually carrying a pretty significant about of gear no use adding more weight then you need to!

gear for professional wedding photographer

On the Go Bag

I have tried a few different smaller bags over the years. I picked this one up a little over a year ago on Amazon and I’m in love! It’s lightweight but large enough to still carry the 70-200 when I need to during the ceremony! It’s also cute!

One thing I really like about it is it can zip up if I need it to, so things aren’t rolling out if it in the back of my car. However, I can leave it unzipped for easy access while shooting on the go. My last two on the go bags, had flaps and that was pretty cumbersome while swapping out lenses on the fly, trying to balance a camera body, and two lenses without dropping anything while trying to hold the flap up was kinda a pain.

gear for professional wedding photographer

I like that there is just enough storage for things other than lenses. I usually carry a memory card case, some business cards, possibly an extra battery if I know its starting to run low, cash, and lipstick or chapstick. I keep memory cards, and business cards in one of the two front pockets, and the battery for my D4s fits perfectly in the other pocket. I keep my cash, and lipstick in the zipper pocket on the back. The inside is just for lenses. I use the black rapid strap so I don’t ever really keep my camera body in this bag.

The Big Bag

As I started to invest in more gear and needed a safe way of transporting, the big stuff I started looking into rolling bags. I was also starting to travel more and wanted something that was easy to travel on airplanes with.

I decided on the Think Tank Airport International V2.0. Things I love about this bag

  • Customizable compartments
  • Rolles with ease
  • can lock if needed
  • zipper pockets on the inside for odds and ends
  • big open pocket on the outside for a laptop
  • fits most overhead storage compartments on planes
  • high quality padding that protects gear if you have to check your bag
  • holds a lot of gear!

Camera Bodies

My main camera body is the Nikon D4s I upgraded to this body after shooting on a used D3 for a few years. I love so much about this camera but my top three favorites are-

  • long battery life – can shoot an entire wedding on one batter 90% of the time.
  • The Nikon 3D tracking mode
  • ISO range

I usually will rent either the Nikon D850 or D810 depending on what I need as a backup camera for a wedding. I always have two camera bodies just in case something were to stop working on a wedding day!

Lenses

Here is the list of the lenses I own and take with me on a wedding day. Starting with my favorite the 85mm 1.4

gear for professional wedding photographer

Lighting

Odds and Ends

gear for professional wedding photographer

Not in my bag but with on a wedding day!

After the wedding, I always take my contacts out and put my glasses on for the drive home. I swear my contacts stop working after I’m done with a wedding. I think its actually I’m not producing enough tears for them to realine when I blink since I have astigmatism. So it’s just easier for me to put my glasses on!

Light stands

I use two different types of light stands on a wedding day. One is a pretty heavy duty one and often feels like overkill, but it is super sturdy! I like to use this one for family formals key light with my beauty dish. I also use this stand near the DJ booth during the reception. Often this is where the crowd is the rowdiest and I don’t have to worry about it getting knocked over if someone bumps into it!

The second set of light stands are the ones that I will move around more. I use these for hair light for family formals and for dancing shots.

Over Time

It’s a bit daunting to look at this list and think that you need all of it to photograph a wedding. While I do use every piece of equipment during the wedding day, some of it just makes things easier. It is possible to photograph a wedding with way lest equipment I have! I grew this collection over time. Seriously you would break the bank trying to buy it all at once! I also suggest that you rent equipment before you purchase it. Right now I’m still trying to figure out what macro I want to purchase next. I have rented a couple from places like LensProToGo.com, and BorrowLenses.com. Or ask a friend to borrow theirs for a day or two! Either way take your time to research what will work best for you and your shooting style!

what is in my camera bag as a wedding photographer

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