What’s in my bag
What’s in my camera bag differs depending on the type of job I’m heading off to. The main thing I need to focus on is being prepared for the job ahead, so like anything in life, preparation is critical to success.
So, lets head off to a wedding and pack my bag. The first thing is my bag itself. The trusty Lowepro Roller. An awesome bag which allows me to take the majority of my gear anywhere. It’s just like luggage on wheels and is super portable and protects all of my equipment.
*Not all the below will fit into the bag so I generally have a second case for specific lighting equipment.
So, what’s inside my bag and car boot?
CAMERAS
2 x Canon R6 Mirorless Digital Camera Bodies
Last year I decided to take the plunge and go mirrorless. And this is the best decision I have made! these cameras are pretty much…perfect!!! The auto focus on them is absolutely brilliant and the eye tracking functionality is so handy to ensure that I get sharp focus on pretty much 95% of my images.
Canon 5D Mark iv
This is a banger of a camera! It has a full frame sensor and can shoot in very low lighting conditions which is super important for wedding photographers who don’t use or have access to external lighting.
It has a touch screen and is also used by videographers alike. It has everything a photographer wants in a camera!
DJI Mavic Air 2S Drone
OMG, this is one of the best investments I have made. It allows me to get images from up high and just places where you wouldn’t think would capture a great composition.
LENSES
Canon 35mm 1.4 ii
This is my current go to lens. It’s a fixed prime lens and is tac sharp. It’s great for low light conditions like receptions and hotel rooms as the aperture wide open at f1.4 lets loads of light in.
Canon 24-70mm 2.8 ii
This is generally one of the mostly used lenses wedding photographers have in their kit. It’s very flexible as you can shoot wider shots at 24mm and zoom in for tighter shots at 70mm.
Canon 70-200mm 2.8 ii
I call this one the lazy persons lens. This allows you to remain at a distance and zoom in to capture great images at 200mm. Again, like above this is the second most used lens wedding photographers will pick up. Both are very versatile and allow you to capture everything near, far, wide and tight on the wedding day.
Canon 16-35mm 2.8 ii
This lens is generally used by landscape photographers but I sometimes use it when I need to capture photos in small tight spaces.
Sigma Art 85mm 1.4
Another favourite of mine. This is another prime lens and is super sharp. At a wide open aperture it allows you to isolate the subject from the background whilst also allowing you to shoot in low light. Great for portraits and also the speeches in low lit receptions.
Canon 100mm Macro 2.8
A brilliant lens which enables me to mix up my jewellery and rings shots. I can get some super images with this lens for the rings and it also works well as a portrait lens.
LIGHTING
2 Godox V1 Flashes
These are brilliant pieces of equipment. You can place one flash on top of each camera or use the flash to fire a second (or third) flash off camera. I could set up two flashes on stands and use the below transmitter to fire them independently at different power. So flexible!
Godox flash receiver
As mentioned above, I pop this on top of my camera and it allows me to link to the flash(s) and fire them wirelessly up to 50 metres away.
2 Godox AD200 Pro’s
Off camera flashes only. These are just like the above flashes but with double the power and a bigger lithium battery. I can get almost 500 full power flashes with these with under 2 seconds recycle time so I have no concerns about bringing spare AA’s.
Light stands
Great to place off camera and allows you to direct the light. Your photos go from zero to hero when using flash off camera.
Magmod and Godox grids, gels and diffusers
I love these!! Except when they attach themselves to my car. They contain super strong magnets so you can attach them to your lights with ease. You use them to direct your light source or the colour gels can add dramatic effects to your images.
MISCELLANEOUS
Spare camera batteries
Generally, a single battery will last most of the wedding, however, it’s important I have backup in case one fails or if it runs out of power.
Spare memory cards
I currently use 64gb cards which will generally cover the whole wedding. I take spares in case a card fails or if I fill a card.
Dual harness camera strap
Allows me to carry two cameras simultaneously. Not only a great backup tool, but allows me to use two different lenses for multiple photography options. It’s a great option to spread the weight of the cameras and has done wonders for my aches and pains in my back! Plus it looks quite funky.
Lens cloth and cleaning pen
Sometimes you need to clean during the day as conditions may be dusty or wet.
Safety pins
Just in case! I’ve only had to use them once on a wedding dress. Over 250 weddings but I had them handy!
Pens
Just in case!
Mints
Just in case!
Iphone
This is where I keep all the in depth details of the wedding so I’m usually checking in from time to time. No, I’m never texting or making personal calls whilst i’m working!
