What's in My Bag? Photographer Gear + All the Other Deets!
Hey friends!
I’m coming atcha today with so much info and the answer to the question that I get asked all.the.time — “What gear do you use??”. I’m including all the details and telling you exactly what’s in my bag every single for every single wedding we photograph!
Honestly, we keep it pretty simple while making sure we have everything we need to cover a wedding day no matter what comes up! You never know what may happen and surprises happen often, but honestly - it feels like it aint no thang because we know we have what we need. Lots of things stay in the bag always, and before every wedding we look it over + replenish anything that is getting low (like AA batteries. Always refilling those pesky AA batteries, ha!)
I hope this is helpful and saves you from the never-ending Amazon search! I’m going to try to keep it sweet, short, and to the point… here we go!
Nikon D750 // https://amzn.to/2Gwgugj
- I’ve had this body for a couple of years now, and honestly, I love it! It’s a workhorse and and is way less heavy that some of the options out there - so saves my hand every week! It even does video - and we use that feature every now and then. But for the sake of keeping this short and sweet, you can read all about all those details at the link above.
Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 14-24mm f/2.8G // https://amzn.to/2teQL49
- I’ve had this baby forever… and honesly I use it rarely. But for the times that we need a super wide shot (ceremonies, etc) - it gets the job done!
Sigma 35mm F1.4 ART // https://amzn.to/2Gx3zuD
- Oh my sweet, sweet 35mm. This baby lives on my camera probably 95% of the time. It’s definitely my go-to, and my favorite lens for so many things! It’s Sigma, yes, but boy do I love it! I actually rented the Sigma and Nikon years ago to test them both out, and chose the Sigma and have never looked back!
Nikon AF-S Nikkor 50mm f/1.8G // https://amzn.to/2GuWR8k
- The 50mm was my favorite for a long time when I first started. It’s the lens in my bag that shoots the most “true to your eye” and is a good back-up in case anything ever happened to the 35mm. It also uses the Vello Auto Extension (below) and make some prrrrrretty ring + details shots. Win!
Nikon 70-200mm f/2.8G ED VR II AF-S // https://amzn.to/2TFWrjk
- I call this “mah big baby”. It’s a must have for reaching to the front of ceremonies while staying quiet + out of the way, and creates those portraits that have the creamy background that we all drool over. It’s wonderful and I love it so much, but GOODNESS it’s heavy!
Vello Auto Extension Tube Set for Nikon // https://amzn.to/2TCMa7f
- This handy little guy pops onto the 50mm to create those dreamy close up ring + jewelry shots, and I love it!!
Nikon SB-700 AF Speedlight Flash for Nikon // https://amzn.to/2SGrqy8
- The light maker. It sounds so epic, ha! Anyway - we have two of these and they’ve worked well through the years. :)
Eggsnow Eyepiece/Eye Cup // https://amzn.to/2MVKiEd
- My only complaint is about the d750 is that my eyepiece has popped off so easily since the beginning. HOWEVER, I know friends who don’t have a problem with it at all. So I don’t know if I got a weird one, or if I’m weird and brush it against things to where it pops off. I do notice that I put my camera on my hip, so maybe thats when? I don’t know. All I know is that I keep a few backups with me because I’m constantly whacking myself in the face and realizing I’ve lost one again, haha!
Fotasy NK5 5x Rear Lens Cover and Camera Body Cap Set // https://amzn.to/2WMP8Iq
- I don’t lose caps very often, but I do just have them everywhere… like chapsticks, ha! I never want to leave a wedding day and put my camera body in the bag with no cap, so backups..everwhere.
SD Extreme Pro 32GB // https://amzn.to/2TEXBvk
- Ohhh memory cards. It feels like I have a million of these too. We’re constantly rotating through them and replacing them. Because honestly… wedding days + technology… I’m pretty paranoid about it.
Pelican 0915 SD Memory Card Case // https://amzn.to/2SIyGto
- This thing is one of my favorite things. I have all my cards, on my body, always. I can switch out quickly. I am keeping them safe and there is no passing to someone, no putting a little card in a bag and forgetting to zip it, no accidents, knock on wood! I know exactly which ones are shot on, which ones are empty. And honestly, I put it in my bra when we leave the venue at night just in case someone robbed us and took the camera gear backs. We can replace all that, but we can’t replace those memory cards… so those, they never leave my body. They’re all tucked safely in the Pelican Card Case, which stays in my shootsac on my body all day, and then… even closer for safety, ha! It says it’s water resistant, and I’ve heard they could be run over by a car and the memory cards are fine… which is cool - but that baby is staying close, so hopefully we don’t get run over by a car anytime soon!
WD 4TB Black My Passport Portable External Hard Drive // https://amzn.to/2I0ZXmU
- I have so many of these we could stack them to the ceiling, but… they hold all the things. They hold multiple copies of wedding days, and all our personal photos, and files, and everrrrything. (And the internet does too.) But boy it sure helps me keep things organized, and keep my computer running quickly!
AmazonBasics Backpack for SLR/DSLR Cameras // https://amzn.to/2TCNEhP
- This is the OG bag. I’ve used this forever, and still do at times. We’ve since upgraded to the roller bag to hold everything together (we actually have two of these backpacks), but we still go back to the backpack at times when it makes more sense! Everything is safe, cushioned, has a pocket, etc - and it does the job well!
Lowepro Pro Roller x200 AW Digital SLR Camera Bag/Backpack Case with Wheels // https://amzn.to/2SAEsgR
- The bag. Oh I love this bag! It has saved my back so many days… and it feels like a Mary Poppins bag for camera gear! We take it to every single wedding day, and it holds everything in this list, and more. We also took it with us to Hawaii for the wedding we photographed, and I took it to Phoenix and Denver last fall for some smaller projects, and was able to fit everything I needed gear-wise plus all my personal items, clothes, laptop, etc!! WHAT?! I was so excited. Gone are the days of airport travel with 700 bags. This baby was legit! It’s approved as a carry-on and I just zipped right through there.
7-Foot Light Stand with Case // https://amzn.to/2MVYGfL
- This is the light stand we use for the Dedolight. The Dedolight helps light receptions depending on the situation. Sometime’s there are DJ’s who bring special lighting and all works well, sometimes you’re on a black balcony and the DJ lights just aren’t going to give you the light you need to focus your camera, and get the look you’re going for. So - out comes the Dedolight, and this guy holds it up real high so it’s above heads. :)
Dedolight DLH-4 150 Watt Spotlight // https://bhpho.to/2h1cNiv
- Honestly - the Dedolight has changed my reception game. I’m able to get better photos, and to ya know… actually be able to SEE. So that’s awesome! I used to shoot OCF (off-camera-flash) and if I’m keeping it real - I invested in really nice gear, and it drove me crazy how much it glitched. So, the Dedolight is my winner. It’s a steady light that stays on and gives me the light + look I want, and all is good in the world.
Dedolight DL150 Lamp (150W/24V) // https://bhpho.to/2ylPMnF
- The Dedolights lightbulb. Exciting stuff!
The Ove Glove // https://amzn.to/2SkGpOX
- HAha! I’m laughing that I’m even putting this in there. But ya know… I’m a good pal, and I want to save you from a scorching hot lightbulb and a very sad hand. This is always in our bag because that dang Dedolight gets about 2736 degrees, so this is needed to bring it down and put it away. There ya go.
Ryobi Tote Bag // https://amzn.to/2MUbmDF
- This seems so silly too… but it fits the Dedolight, Ove Glove, and Extension cord perfectly in a nice little bag, ha! This way, we can drop it and the light stand at the reception space if possible and not have to carry it around all day… and it stays separate at the end of the night because it’s still 900 degrees.
Wood Suit Hangers // https://amzn.to/2HZepfd
- Those dress + suit shots that have nice hangers? Yep. Sometimes, it’s the one from our bag! Sometimes the bride already has her dress on a nice hanger from the venue, and that’s great. Sometimes she wants it photographed with a special hanger, and that’s great too. But we have one, just in case… and that’s been a lifesaver from time to time.
Bobby Pins, Shout Wipes, Band-aids, Bug Spray, Phone Charger, Candy for Kiddos, Snacks for Mid-day, Water Bottle, Extension Cord, Umbrellas, Cash, Business Cards, and a Sweater.
- All the things that we may need at any moment. In general, if someone has an issue and needs any of the above, we want to be able to save the day. If kiddos need a little candy motivation, hey, we got you. If we need something like a snack or a sweater, we got it covered so we can carry on. The goal is to be wedding ninjas and no one even knows how they’d ever survive without us. ;) Ha… kidding, kind of.
PS - candy for kiddos — make it something easy, small, and for the love of all things, not messy. Small sweet tarts are my favorite because they’re not going to melt everywhere, and generally are ok for the smaller kiddos who are usually the one’s were trying to bribe. ;)
A million AA Batteries + Back up camera batteries + charger.
- Always. So many. Always.
Wishlist
Nikon AF-S FX NIKKOR 24-70mm f/2.8E ED VR // https://amzn.to/2Xcf9kz
- My top wishlist item is this beauty. I’ve rented it and can say that it is wonderful for both weddings and travel… and that, now that wins my heart! Although this isn’t permanently in the bag yet, I would still say that you’d probably love it too, because I sure do.
There you have it friends - the details of what photographer gear is in my bag, and all the other things that help us and others on wedding days! If there’s anything I’ve learned - it’s that you never know what will happen. So come prepared with gear and other items so that you never find yourself in a bind while everyone else has big, huge, important things happening — and so that you can save the day if they find themselves in a bit of a situation. Oh a glass of wine just spilt on the mother of the bride? No problem, shout wipes to the rescue. ;)
Hey friends! If you’re new around here - I’m Kayla. My husband, Dominic, and I are wedding photographers and absolutely love it. We also love to share the things in our lives that we enjoy and the things that keeps life simple so that we can spend time doing what we love most; exploring + making memories together.
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We’ve built our business right here in Albuquerque, NM while building our family - but the state lines don’t hold us in. We love traveling to new places to photograph weddings, partner with Airbnb’s / Resorts, find new places to eat tacos (duh!), and a whole bunch of other fun stuff. If you’d like to chat about any of the above, holler! We’d love that! Until then, sending hugs!
*Disclosure: For the sake of keeping it real, let me tell ya: Once in a while the links in my posts are affiliate links. If you decide to click through and make a purchase, that’s awesome! A handful of change is added to my Starbucks fund, and we’re both super excited! Please know that you can always trust that I link these products or companies because I use them in real life, love them, and want you to know about them too! You will never get charged extra through affiliate links…and sometimes you’ll even get a discount! (Extra awesome!) But, of course, there is no pressure and your purchases are up to you - but to keep things easy and exciting for all of us - I’ll keep posting link to the things I love and pass them along! :)