What’s in my camera bag for a wedding day?
I often get asked what camera I use and what my favorite lenses are, and that of course all depends on what you are shooting and what look you are going for.
Here is my “go to” gear that I use to shoot weddings and that works really well for me and my style of shooting.
2 x Nikon D 850 body’s As I mostly shoot with prime lenses I like to have 2 body’s on me, each with a different lens so I can quickly switch between them without having to change lenses. I would also NEVER shoot a wedding without a back up body.
Nikon 50 mm F 1.4 My absolute favorite lens, it’s light, relatively cheap, super sharp and I could possibly shoot an entire wedding day (or any shoot really) with just this lens.
Sigma Art 35 mm f 1.4 Love this lens as well! Great for getting ready shots in tighter spaces, group shots, couple shots (allows you to get right in the action with your couples to capture those more intimate moments or show more of the location in wider shots) detail shots of décor, venue shots etc.
Sigma Art 85 mm f 1.4 Great for crisp portrait shots with that beautiful blurred background look.
Nikon 70 – 200 f 2.8 Amazing lens for those further away shots and portraits. I must admit I don’t use this lens as often as I should for the price, I just find it heavy and bulky but always have it in my bag at weddings, just in case I can’t get close to the couple during the ceremony.
3 Nikon Speedlights (2 x SB 900 + 1 x SB 600) I pretty much only use these during the reception and occasionally for the getting ready shots if the room is very dark.
I use Eneloop rechargeable batteries for my speedlights and the Tenergy TN 162 battery charger.
3 Yongnuo triggers for off camera flash.
Boling BL-P1 video light Powerful little video light, great for those moments where I need some extra light but don’t want to use flash. Works great for the first dance shots or sparkler exit shots.
A 5-in-1 reflector these are cheap and work wonders when shooting into the light to bounce some light back on the couple’s faces or use as a scrim when shooting portraits in the harsh mid day sun.
Lots of spare batteries and memory cards (XQD & SD cards). My cameras have dual card slots so I always shoot to 2 cards, just in case the main XQD card fails.
Instax Mini Liplay Little polaroid camera to capture some candid moments for the couple during the day which I print out during the reception and put in a cute card to give to them before I leave.
My camera bag is the Lowepro flipside 400 AW II. Not the most stylish bag in the world but strong and sturdy and does the job for me. When I travel overseas I use my Manfrotto Pro roller bag 50.
As any photographer I always have a long wish list of gear I would still love to get my hands on, a 24 mm f 1.4 is next on my list. Oh and a leather multi camera strap harness to help my poor back and neck 🙂
I am also doing lots of research on mirrorless camera’s and will make the move one day but for now I’m super happy with the combination of gear I’ve got!