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One of the questions wedding websites will suggest you ask your wedding photographer is:
“What kind of gear do you carry?” and “Do you have backup equipment?”
This is a bit of a loaded question – especially if you really don’t have any knowledge about photography. Kind of in the same way that I would never go to my mechanic and ask him what kind of tools he has in his garage to fix my car (because I know nothing about cars) asking a photographer to list off their gear can sound like a foreign language.
However, if you do have a basic knowledge of photography, hearing what a photographer carries with them can be really fascinating. So, today I’m going to share what I bring along with me on a wedding day.
If you would prefer to read my thoughts over watching my video – you can read the transcript below!
On a wedding day, I show up and literally look like I’m moving in. I bring a whole suitcase full of equipment, plus multiple bags (and a ton of other stuff). My bags and suitcase are full of camera bodies, lenses, flashes, light stands, umbrellas, sandbags – literally the list goes on and on and on. Especially on a wedding day, you never know what situation you’re going to run into and so I have to be prepared for everything.
Because I don’t want this video to turn into a 30-minute long dissertation on all the little things I bring to a wedding day, I’m just going to hit the highlights.
Canon 5D Mark III
The main thing that I carry is my camera body. I shoot with all Canon equipment so my main camera body is a Canon 5D Mark III. I’ve had this camera body for quite a while and you might be thinking: “Kara, why haven’t you upgraded to the Mark IV?” The answer to that question is because I have heard way too many horror stories about the Mark IV. I know a lot of photographers and have a lot of amazing photographer friends and some people that I personally know have had a lot of issues with the Mark IV. That being said, I have never had a problem with my Mark III and it has served me so well.
However, I am very excited and looking forward to the day that Canon officially releases their brand new professional mirrorless body. They’ve announced it and pretty soon they should be sending out information about pre-ordering, and you better believe I will be in line waiting to order that camera – it sounds incredible!
35mm
Of the lenses I reach for most often on a wedding day – the first would be my 35 mm. I carry this lens on my body, in my bag, all day long. I use it in tight getting ready spaces, I use it to shoot wide ceremony shots, I use it to shoot epic portrait locations, and I use it to get up close and personal on a dance floor during the reception. I use this lens all day long.
50mm
Next on my list of my go-to lenses – this is my 50 mm. This is the 1.2 version. I also carry this lens pretty much all day long and if I can, I am shooting getting ready photos with this lens (as long as I have the room), and I’m shooting family portraits with this lens, as well as portraits of bridal party and the bride and groom. This lens is beautiful and totally reliable and very versatile, so that’s why I carry it pretty much all day long.
105mm
Moving on up the chain, we have my 105 mm macro lens. Now, I shot weddings for a long time before buying a macro lens and I now, after having it for several years, wonder how I ever made it. This lens is beautiful to shoot bridal details, as well as reception details, and I have also used it as a portrait lens. Additionally, Derrick will take this lens during a ceremony – if the church is very large – and this lens will allow him to get pretty close.
70-200mm
Because, my absolute favorite lens that I carry, and I don’t let anyone else use, is this beast. This is a 70-200 2.8. This is my favorite lens simply because it is the most versatile lens. I use this lens during ceremonies, to stand way in the back of the church and to zoom in and get way up close to the bride and groom. I use this lens during portraits, especially if we’re running short on time – I can use this lens and zoom in & out and get a huge variety of portraits in a quick amount of time. I will also use this lens during the reception – just to stand back and get awesome reaction shot during toasts and during dances. This is one of my favorite lenses! It is super heavy, but it is totally worth the arm workout.
Of course every single wedding day is completely different and I have to be prepared for anything, at anytime, so that means that I carry a large variety of other lenses as well. I have a 24 mm, I have a 24-70 mm, I have an 85 mm, I also have an extension tube which allows me to convert my 72-200 to a 140-400 mm lens. I have never used this on a wedding day, I primarily use this to shoot roller coasters.
Canon 600EX RT Flashes
So, along with lenses, I bring my own light. No matter if you’re getting-ready space is super dark, your church is very dark to try to shoot portraits in, or your reception is a black hole, I bring flashes to create my own light. I bring several of these Canon 600EX RT flashes which allow me to set them up and use them as off-camera flash, as well as on my camera. These flashes allow me to shoot family portraits at the altar of a church, even if it’s super dark, and they give great dimension to receptions that are also very dark.
Additional Items
Of course, what would flashes be without batteries? I carry about 7,000 AA batteries with me on our wedding day. Okay, 7000 is a little bit of an exaggeration, but I do carry a lot.
And last but not least, what would a wedding day be without memory cards? I literally never know how many photos I’m going to take, so I bring a ton.
So, along with several bags full of lighting equipment and camera equipment, I also bring some other things to wedding days, as well. One of those things is: umbrellas. You never know what the weather is going to do on a wedding day and so I bring 12 of these giant, white, golf umbrellas with me to every single wedding.
So along with all that stuff, I also do carry backup equipment to everything I have. I have a backup for my camera body (because you never know what could happen), I have backup flashes, backup lenses, backup batteries, backup memory cards – pretty much backup everything, because if I’ve learned anything from being a wedding photographer for 10 years and it’s that you never know what could have.
A Note For New Photographers
If you are a new photographer and all of these numbers and letters and millimeters are totally confusing to you – that is completely fine! My best suggestion for you, is to not run out and simply buy a ton of equipment, because someone told you to. You will waste a ton of money and end up with a bunch of stuff that you never use (I speak from experience). The best way to understand what all of these things mean, and figure out what you actually need, is simply by practicing and getting some additional education. The best thing when it comes to lenses and camera gear is to actually try these things out. My best suggestion is to either spend a little bit of money and rent some gear from an online rental company, or find a trusted photographer friend who would let you come over, see what’s in their bag, and play with some of their equipment. Trying things out with your own hands is far superior to just reading reviews online and buying things because someone told you to.
So that wraps up what is in my camera bag and what I bring along with me on wedding days. If you have specific questions about lenses or flashes, do me a favor: leave me a comment below and I will do the best I can to answer your questions. Thank you so much for watching this video and have a wonderful day.
