When I first started out in photography I had a handful of professional photographers I blog-stalked like crazy. I was so eager to learn and reading other blogs taught me so much, especially in the early days.
Reading about what gear they had and how they used it in a session or over the course of a wedding day gave me a starting point in what lenses and lighting setups to experiment with. Over the years I have tried many different lenses, bags and other gear and have now worked out what fits my shooting style the best!
I’m often asked what gear I’m using so I thought it would be good to share. Below is what you will find in my bags on a typical wedding day!
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The bags!
- My 3 Annies Audrey Lu was a guilty splurge. I love the leather, I love the colour and I love that it’s an Australian company. You will see me with this at your engagement shoot. It’s also the bag I travel with if I’m flying with my camera as it’s small enough for hand luggage. I can fit two camera bodies, up to three lenses, plus my purse, phone, etc. I have had so many lovely comments on it from strangers as they don’t realise it’s a camera bag!
- The Think Tank International may look like a boring little camera suitcase but this nondescript bag is an absolute godsend. When you have so mach gear on a typical wedding day, having it all fit in one bag is so helpful. Everything you need is visible instantly, which is invaluable when you need your gear quickly on a wedding day! I invested in this when I photographed Celeste and Daniel’s beautiful wedding in Samoa last year. Not only was it amazing for international travel (its fits easily in overhead compartments), it is great at every wedding!
- I don’t use my shootsac very often anymore, as I use my black rapid to carry two camera bodies. This means I’m rarely changing lenses, but it is a great lens bag if changing lenses is your jam!
Camera bodies and Lenses
Every photographers needs and style are different and choosing the right lens for you can be daunting! I’ve tried many different lenses over the years and I’ve found what I feel comfortable with and produce my style. Some photographers love zoom lens but I love shooting wide open with primes. I use both the 85mm and 35mm attached to two camera bodies during the ceremony, family formals and bridal portraits. The macro for detail shots and either the 85mm or 35mm with bounced flash where possible during the reception. I only pull out the 50mm if the getting ready area is too small for comfortable use of the 85mm.
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- 2 x Nikon D700’s – I shoot with both on a wedding day as I work with prime lenses and it saves me having to switch between lenses. I use the black rapid slim double harness, it may look pretty crazy, but it works for me.
- Nikkor 85mm f1.4G
- Nikkor 50mm f1.4G
- Nikkor 35mm f1.4G
- Sigma 105mm 2.8 macro – I’ve thought about investing in the Nikkor macro but I’ve mastered my Sigma and I’m really happy with how it performs.
Everything Else
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- Microsoft Surface Pro 3 – You will see me pull this out in client meetings to view images on and we also use it to back up our memory cards at the reception. We will set it up and have our cards download during the night so we have the images backed up by the time we get home from a long day!
- SB 600 & SB 900 Speedlights – Between my second shooter Luke and I we have four flashes we can use at a reception to create different types of back lighting and side lighting. We use a combination of the the Nikon SB 600 and SB 900’s
- CF Memory Cards – I use a mixture of 8gb and 16gb purely as if the worst was to happen and a card was corrupt there is less chance of losing the entire day! It hasn’t happened yet and I use the great quality cards to minimise the risk!!
- Think Tank Pixel Pocket Rocket card holder – Before I had this I carried cards in little individual clear card holders, and on a wedding day it got so confusing! Now I have a great yet simple system, cards are forward facing when clean and backward facing when full!
- Westcott Photo Basics 5 in one reflector (not pictured) – Not only do we pull this out when we need some fill light, we also use the cover for brides to sit on if its a dirty surface!!
- Spare camera batteries
- Spare A4 batteries – I’m a huge fan of Eneloop rechargable batteries.
- Battery chargers.
Hope this helps any photographers out there who have questions on what to try out to find the best fit for them!
Megan xx
