What's in my camera bag?

What I do I have in my camera bag for wedding photography?

Wedding Photographers usually own alot of gear. Most of this gear is due to the ever so famous "GAS" or "Gear aquisition syndrome"

I try and minimise the amount of gear I take to Weddings, this is mainly due to me not wanting to get in the way too much, setting up lots of stands around the room and being intrusive isnt my style. Thats great if it's yours, you get booked for it, but it's not mine.

For every wedding I take exactly the same photography equipment. I shoot Nikon mirrorless, sorry.

I have a box of random photography related things in my boot at all times (more on that down the page) my cameras on me at all times and a leather camera bag on my shoulder.

The Camera Bodies

I shoot with 2 Nikon Z6ii bodies, with a spare Nikon z6 I usually leave in the boot of my car during a wedding day or in my camera bag. It's important to not only shoot with 2 camera bodies on a wedding day but it's also really important to shoot to dual card slots. I've never had a card go bad on me, probably because I treat them very carefully and leave them alone but it always pays to be safe.

I shoot nikon because they feel good.

a black and white product photo of 2 nikon z6ii camera bodies on a shelf

The Lenses

I shoot all prime lenses, which means I had to zoom with my feet which I enjoy. I am slowly becoming a 35mm/50mm dual shooter.

I am considering also getting the Nikkor 70-200 f2.8 S however I would only really use it during wedding speeches so it'll take alot of camera bag space up the rest of the day!

Nikkor 24mm f1.8 S.

Perfect for establishing shots, outdoor candids and epic dance floor action.

Nikkor 35mm f1.8 S

The main go to focal length for many wedding photographers, I use this as my main wide lens.

Nikkor 50mm f1.2 S

This lens cost me a pretty penny, and it's now my favourite piece of kit. It's insanely sharp and stable. Oh and what about the weight? You get used to it.

Nikkor 85mm f1.8 S

This lens used to be my main 80% of the day lens, now I mainly use for speeches and getting ready images, for when I either don't wish to get too close, or I need a little bit more reach.

The extra bits I have in my wedding photography bag

a black and white product photo of the jbl clip 3 speaker on a shelf

JBL Speaker....THIS THING ROCKS.

Perfect for a bit of jazz or rnb during couple portraits. Typically hangs off my camera strap

a black and white product photo of the godox v860ii on a shelf

Godox V860II Flash.

I use this on my z6 ii camera body...goes from my car into my bag for the evening.

Spare batteries....Boring but important. I can shoot 3000 photos off a single original nikon battery though.

USB Power Bank

Because the main annoyance in most peoples lives is a dead battery. Wether that's a mobile phone battery, a neck fan or even a vape!

Sewing Kit.

You'll think it's not needed until you need one. No it doesnt matter if you can sew, there's usually a few people at a wedding who can sew, yet no one will have a kit to hand. Be the saviour of the day and get this.

True story, at one wedding the groom brought the wrong bridesmaid dress to the venue which needed altering quickly, and the brides dress broke during the evening. This little kit didnt feel so useless that day.

a black and white product photo of the fujifim instax mini printer on a shelf for wedding photography

Fujifilm Instax Mini printer

I blow minds on wedding days, with same day previews. Yes, instant prints arent partcular good, yes they don't look sharp,but they are appriciaited. I simply bluetooth 2mb jpegs to my iphone and print them in the app.

Imagine handing them 10 previews from the day at the top table, resulting in the couple being emotional and going around al the guests tables to show them. That's a special kind of marketing. Turn your clients into raving fans.

My actual wedding photography bag

My camera bag

So I am a sucker for bags. I have a Lowepro pro-tactic 450 AW...which mainly stays in the car to be honest.

I enjoy having my gear on me at all times, so I move things over into my leather shoulder bag. I never leave anything unattended, especially cameras which have the wedding images on. I always remove my bag in transit to and from weddings, even if I only get out to fill up my petrol tank. It pays to be safe.

What about the box of treats?

I have a cool little box I got from a random website which is for "just in case I need it" scenarios.

It constains boring things like a 3 in 1 reflector, stands, a softbox, random stand adaptors and a huge box of coke zero cans.

Godox AD200. Bought a couple years ago, rarely used.

I only use it for backlit shots under cool structures like bridges where you need a good amount of power, hence why it stays in the boot.

Godox SL-60W for constant light on the dance floor.

Not only does it mean I have minimal chance of missing focus on the dance floor, it looks awesome when conbined with my on camera bounce flash. I don't use OCF on the dance floor.