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MY WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHY EQUIPMENT LAID BARE
I have to admit that I am a person who finds it interesting what photography equipment different photographers used to capture their photos. I like to know what is possible with the gear I own and the best way to do this is to locate other photographer’s work (that gets me excited) and then find out what gear they used in taking the photo. My interest in what is in other photographer’s photography bag was the inspiration for this article on what you’ll find in my wedding photography bag, which is as follows:-
Lenses
There are only three lenses in my wedding photography kit and that is:-
Lenses
There are only three lenses in my wedding photography kit and that is:-
Canon 16 - 35 f4L IS lens (see pros and cons here)
An ultra-wide angle lens is essential for taking photos inside small churches and chapels where there is not a lot of room, as well as for large group shots. I opted for the f4 version over the f2.8 version because it is smaller, lighter, not as intimidating when you put it close to a subject and it has image stabilisation which is perfect for sharp handheld shots in low light.
Okay, it doesn’t have the f2.8 aperture but then I can actually get sharp handheld shots at slower shutter speeds with the f4 than I would be able to with the f2.8, and yes, I have tested this out and the reason is because the f4 has image stabilisation and it is lighter and more manageable.
Even if my 16mm – 35mm lens had a maximum aperture of f2.8 I wouldn’t use it for taking wedding shots because, even though I like to throw the background out of focus, I still like to be able to identify what the background is rather than it being blurred out of all recognition. The Canon 16 - 35 f4L IS lens is a great lens and one I highly recommend.
An ultra-wide angle lens is essential for taking photos inside small churches and chapels where there is not a lot of room, as well as for large group shots. I opted for the f4 version over the f2.8 version because it is smaller, lighter, not as intimidating when you put it close to a subject and it has image stabilisation which is perfect for sharp handheld shots in low light.
Okay, it doesn’t have the f2.8 aperture but then I can actually get sharp handheld shots at slower shutter speeds with the f4 than I would be able to with the f2.8, and yes, I have tested this out and the reason is because the f4 has image stabilisation and it is lighter and more manageable.
Even if my 16mm – 35mm lens had a maximum aperture of f2.8 I wouldn’t use it for taking wedding shots because, even though I like to throw the background out of focus, I still like to be able to identify what the background is rather than it being blurred out of all recognition. The Canon 16 - 35 f4L IS lens is a great lens and one I highly recommend.
Canon 24mm – 70mm f2.8L USM lens (see pros and cons here)
When 35mm is too wide my lens of choice is the Canon 24mm – 70mm f2.8L USM lens and this is what I use for small groups of four people, for couple shots and also for single portraits. The 24mm – 70mm is my workhorse lens and I have to say that out of all the lenses I own it is one of my all-time favourites.
There’s not much to say about the Canon 24mm – 70mm f2.8L other than it is tough and durable, it is well made and the image quality is awesome. The only drawback with this lens is that is it a big and heavy beast although I believe the newer version is a little bit lighter.
When 35mm is too wide my lens of choice is the Canon 24mm – 70mm f2.8L USM lens and this is what I use for small groups of four people, for couple shots and also for single portraits. The 24mm – 70mm is my workhorse lens and I have to say that out of all the lenses I own it is one of my all-time favourites.
There’s not much to say about the Canon 24mm – 70mm f2.8L other than it is tough and durable, it is well made and the image quality is awesome. The only drawback with this lens is that is it a big and heavy beast although I believe the newer version is a little bit lighter.
Canon 100mm f2.8L IS USM macro lens (see pros and cons here)
It may seem strange taking a macro lens to a wedding, however more and more couples now want other things other than just people photographed. Yep, there is a massive trend to have close up photos of rings, the wedding cake, the bouquet, the table settings, the wedding meal, the bride’s shoes, the Grooms button……… the list goes on and on.
Personally, I think these images are a bit cliché however if the happy couple wants photographs of these items that is what I photograph. After all, it is their day after all and they can have whatever they want.
My macro lens of choice is the Canon 100mm f2.8L IS USM macro lens, and I have to say it is an awesome lens. Before I bought this lens I used the Canon 100mm f28 macro (which didn’t have the IS neither the red ring) and it was a great lens but this model blows it out the water.
The image quality of this lens is simply stunning and it is so sharp you have to watch your fingers. The auto focus is fast and accurate and the IS means I can take sharp hand held shots in all but the darkest conditions.
Being an L grade lens this lens is made out of the best materials, it is tough and durable and it is also weather sealed. Okay, this lens isn’t the cheapest macro lens out there but it is by far the best and, considering image quality is everything when it comes to wedding photos, this is all that matters. Even though the Canon 100mm f2.8L IS lens carries a high price tag it will soon pay for itself because I guarantee the happy couple will be blown away by the photos you will capture using this lens.
Speed lights
Whilst it is possible to use a strobe for wedding photography (there are batter powered versions around and most venues have a mains hook up you can use) I don’t use them because they are heavy, clumsy and slow me down. If I had an assistant to do the donkey work for me it would be different, but as I am by myself I don’t bother and rely on speed lights.
Modern day speed lights are powerful on their own, and when you gang them together you can get even more light, and I have always found this to be sufficient for the style of wedding photos I like to take.
I carry six speed lights in my bag, and whilst I seldom use more than four at the same time, it is always nice to have a couple spare just in case a shot requires another speed light or if I have one fail on me.
I find speed lights are more versatile than strobes and with the amount I carry there are many options open. I mean, I can use a single speed light on the camera’s hot shoe, I can use a pair of speed lights on a flash bracket attached to the camera, I can use three speed lights ganged together to create a single off camera light and combine this with a speed light on camera to provide the fill, I can position three speed lights around a group of people and combine this with a speed light on camera for fill………… yep, I like the versatility of six speed lights and since I use them mainly to fill in the shadows I have never had any issues with not enough power.
As I am sure you have already guessed by the photo my speed light of choice is the GOdox Ving. A few months back I broke my Canon 600 EX and, being in need of a new speed light but having little money, I had to buy a budget speed light so I took a punt on the Godox Ving860, and boy am I glad I did.
The Godox Ving 860 may not be a well-made as the Canon it replaced but it is still a tough and durable flash. The Ving 860 is powerful, easy to set up and use, has ETTL and HSS technology, and with a single cell battery AA’s are a thing of the past. The Godox Ving 860 is super cheap and a fraction of the price of the Canon branded speed light with the equivalent features. I was so impressed with the Godox Ving860 I bought some more and got multiple Godox speed lights for around the same cost as a single Canon speed light.
Whilst it is possible to use a strobe for wedding photography (there are batter powered versions around and most venues have a mains hook up you can use) I don’t use them because they are heavy, clumsy and slow me down. If I had an assistant to do the donkey work for me it would be different, but as I am by myself I don’t bother and rely on speed lights.
Modern day speed lights are powerful on their own, and when you gang them together you can get even more light, and I have always found this to be sufficient for the style of wedding photos I like to take.
I carry six speed lights in my bag, and whilst I seldom use more than four at the same time, it is always nice to have a couple spare just in case a shot requires another speed light or if I have one fail on me.
I find speed lights are more versatile than strobes and with the amount I carry there are many options open. I mean, I can use a single speed light on the camera’s hot shoe, I can use a pair of speed lights on a flash bracket attached to the camera, I can use three speed lights ganged together to create a single off camera light and combine this with a speed light on camera to provide the fill, I can position three speed lights around a group of people and combine this with a speed light on camera for fill………… yep, I like the versatility of six speed lights and since I use them mainly to fill in the shadows I have never had any issues with not enough power.
As I am sure you have already guessed by the photo my speed light of choice is the GOdox Ving. A few months back I broke my Canon 600 EX and, being in need of a new speed light but having little money, I had to buy a budget speed light so I took a punt on the Godox Ving860, and boy am I glad I did.
The Godox Ving 860 may not be a well-made as the Canon it replaced but it is still a tough and durable flash. The Ving 860 is powerful, easy to set up and use, has ETTL and HSS technology, and with a single cell battery AA’s are a thing of the past. The Godox Ving 860 is super cheap and a fraction of the price of the Canon branded speed light with the equivalent features. I was so impressed with the Godox Ving860 I bought some more and got multiple Godox speed lights for around the same cost as a single Canon speed light.
The only lighting equipment (i.e. speed lights, flashes and strobes) I use for wedding photography are Godox products, and all of the Godox flash equipment I use are explored in the following clip, which you may find useful:-
If any of the Godox speed lights and flashes are going to improve your wedding photos (and I am guessing they probably will) then;-
The Godox TT350 is available from Adorama, Amazon (US), Amazon (UK) and eBay
The Godox V860 is available from Adorama, Amazon (US), Amazon (UK) and eBay
The Godox AD200 is available from Adorama, Amazon (US), Amazon (UK) and eBay
The Godox AD360 is available from Adorama, Amazon (US), Amazon (UK) and eBay
Flash Triggers
Since I use multiple speed lights, both on and off camera I need a way of making them fire in sync and I do this with radio triggers since it is the easiest way. Off camera flash cable is obviously cheaper however hooking up cables to speed lights takes time and the resulting cable lying all over the place is a tripping hazard for both the wedding party and myself, and being a little on the clumsy side I don’t really want to tempt fate and have something that I could trip over and break me camera. And the embarrassment of tripping public………. Let’s not even go there.
The most well-known radio triggers on the market are the Pocket Wizard brand, however these are stupidly expensive and to get triggers for all my speed lights, plus some spare triggers and all the other little bits and pieces I need will cost several hundred bucks, which I don’t have and even if I did would not be prepared to pay.
The radio triggers I use the Yongnuo 622 (see pros and cons here) combined with the Yongnuo TX transmitter. Whilst looking around for some affordable radio triggers the Yongnuo name kept coming up time and time again, and they got good reviews. I have to admit that I was sceptical about Chinese made radio triggers since I had bought some inferior photography equipment from China in the past, and it ended up being binned and replaced, so I was wary and just bought two transceivers.
On receipt of the Yongnuo 622 radio triggers I was impressed with the size, the build quality and how easy they were to use, and on the face of it they appeared exceptional value for money, especially given they support HSS and ETTL. After rigorous testing I found the Yongnuo radio triggers excellent and they did everything I asked of them and didn’t misfire once.
I was so impressed with the Yongnuo flash triggers I bought four more and the TX transmitter so I could set up different flash groups, and this is my current set up. For the cost of 6 radio triggers and the transceiver I couldn’t get a two off camera speed light set up working if I were using Pocket Wizards. Yongnuo have demonstrated that you don’t need to spend top dollar to get top quality radio triggers.
Since I use multiple speed lights, both on and off camera I need a way of making them fire in sync and I do this with radio triggers since it is the easiest way. Off camera flash cable is obviously cheaper however hooking up cables to speed lights takes time and the resulting cable lying all over the place is a tripping hazard for both the wedding party and myself, and being a little on the clumsy side I don’t really want to tempt fate and have something that I could trip over and break me camera. And the embarrassment of tripping public………. Let’s not even go there.
The most well-known radio triggers on the market are the Pocket Wizard brand, however these are stupidly expensive and to get triggers for all my speed lights, plus some spare triggers and all the other little bits and pieces I need will cost several hundred bucks, which I don’t have and even if I did would not be prepared to pay.
The radio triggers I use the Yongnuo 622 (see pros and cons here) combined with the Yongnuo TX transmitter. Whilst looking around for some affordable radio triggers the Yongnuo name kept coming up time and time again, and they got good reviews. I have to admit that I was sceptical about Chinese made radio triggers since I had bought some inferior photography equipment from China in the past, and it ended up being binned and replaced, so I was wary and just bought two transceivers.
On receipt of the Yongnuo 622 radio triggers I was impressed with the size, the build quality and how easy they were to use, and on the face of it they appeared exceptional value for money, especially given they support HSS and ETTL. After rigorous testing I found the Yongnuo radio triggers excellent and they did everything I asked of them and didn’t misfire once.
I was so impressed with the Yongnuo flash triggers I bought four more and the TX transmitter so I could set up different flash groups, and this is my current set up. For the cost of 6 radio triggers and the transceiver I couldn’t get a two off camera speed light set up working if I were using Pocket Wizards. Yongnuo have demonstrated that you don’t need to spend top dollar to get top quality radio triggers.
Light modifiers
We all know that flash light can be harsh and unflattering, therefore it is best to diffuse it and soften it up a bit. When I use on camera flash I soften the light with a small speed light specific softbox. Whilst it may look a little unwieldy I can guarantee that it isn’t and it is a great bit of kit that I wouldn’t be without, and what’s more it didn’t cost a fortune either.
When it comes to off camera flash light there are various light modifiers on the market however for virtually all of my wedding photography I use shoot through brollies. Shoot through brollies are easy to set up, creates super soft light and are also cheap as chips, so they don’t cost a lot to replace.
The only time I don’t use shoot through brollies it outside when there is a bit of a breeze. Brollies and wind don’t mix and it is easy for the wind to catch the brolly and topple the set-up meaning the light stand, brolly, speed light and flash trigger crashes to the ground, which could end up pretty costly, even with the budget gear I use. If there is a bit of a breeze and no one to hold the light stand for me, which is often the case because I work alone, I will use a soft box instead.
Tripod
My preferred style of wedding photography is fluid and I like to move around, get up close and personal and interact, and you can’t do that if you’re tied to a tripod. That said, this doesn’t mean I don’t use a tripod for wedding photography.
I find a tripod an essential bit of kit when taking large group portrait shots. Mounting the camera on top of a tripod allows me to compose the shot, look up and survey the scene, talk to the people and get them to pose and then press the shutter release. If I had the camera up to my eye this interaction would not be possible.
Yep, a tripod is useful for large group portraits (and i use the Manfrotto Befree travel tripod for this - it is small, lightweight, portable and more than man enough to support my photography equipment) but as soon as that part of the wedding shoot is over I ditch the tripod at the earliest opportunity and revert back to hand held shots.
My preferred style of wedding photography is fluid and I like to move around, get up close and personal and interact, and you can’t do that if you’re tied to a tripod. That said, this doesn’t mean I don’t use a tripod for wedding photography.
I find a tripod an essential bit of kit when taking large group portrait shots. Mounting the camera on top of a tripod allows me to compose the shot, look up and survey the scene, talk to the people and get them to pose and then press the shutter release. If I had the camera up to my eye this interaction would not be possible.
Yep, a tripod is useful for large group portraits (and i use the Manfrotto Befree travel tripod for this - it is small, lightweight, portable and more than man enough to support my photography equipment) but as soon as that part of the wedding shoot is over I ditch the tripod at the earliest opportunity and revert back to hand held shots.
Lots of memory cards
When shooting a wedding I will take hundreds of photos, and whilst it can be a bit of a chore trawling through loads of photos, many of which will be deleted and binned, but it is better to take too many than not enough, and digital photography allows for this.
Taking loads of photos obviously requires a lot of memory therefore it is crucial to have lots of memory cards. Some modern day memory cards are huge and you can store hundreds of photos on them. In fact, if you buy the highest capacity memory cards you could probably get away with just one, although it is not advisable.
When I shoot a wedding I use several small memory cards rather than one just large one since I don’t like to put all my eggs in one basket. Using several smaller memory cards means that if one of them fails I still have several more full of photos whereas if I only had one memory card and it failed I would lose everything, and this would be catastrophic. You only get one chance with wedding photography and to lose all the photos because of card failure would be soul destroying for me, so my contingency is to use small cards.
When shooting a wedding I will take hundreds of photos, and whilst it can be a bit of a chore trawling through loads of photos, many of which will be deleted and binned, but it is better to take too many than not enough, and digital photography allows for this.
Taking loads of photos obviously requires a lot of memory therefore it is crucial to have lots of memory cards. Some modern day memory cards are huge and you can store hundreds of photos on them. In fact, if you buy the highest capacity memory cards you could probably get away with just one, although it is not advisable.
When I shoot a wedding I use several small memory cards rather than one just large one since I don’t like to put all my eggs in one basket. Using several smaller memory cards means that if one of them fails I still have several more full of photos whereas if I only had one memory card and it failed I would lose everything, and this would be catastrophic. You only get one chance with wedding photography and to lose all the photos because of card failure would be soul destroying for me, so my contingency is to use small cards.
Spare batteries
I make sure my camera and seed light batteries are fully charged before I go on each and every shoot, and in addition to this I also make sure I carry spare batteries. Running out of battery power would bring an instant end to the shoot, which would not only be embarrassing but also unprofessional which is not good.
So there we have the contents of my wedding photography bag. There are other small consumable items, such as lens cloths, an air rocket, lens pens etc. which is pretty normal stuff but the above includes the main items. That’s my wedding photography bag empties for all to see – what’s in yours?
I make sure my camera and seed light batteries are fully charged before I go on each and every shoot, and in addition to this I also make sure I carry spare batteries. Running out of battery power would bring an instant end to the shoot, which would not only be embarrassing but also unprofessional which is not good.
So there we have the contents of my wedding photography bag. There are other small consumable items, such as lens cloths, an air rocket, lens pens etc. which is pretty normal stuff but the above includes the main items. That’s my wedding photography bag empties for all to see – what’s in yours?
Related articles and further reading
If you found this article useful below are some related articles you may find interesting. Please feel free to take a look and check them out.
Wedding photography lighting tips and tricks
From dimly lit church and chapel interiors to the bright midday sun to dark reception venues, the wedding photographer has to deal with all sorts of lighting conditions in order to capture those stunning photos. “Wedding photography lighting tips and tricks” focuses on lighting and provides some helpful lighting techniques that will help you capture awesome wedding images.
Three lenses all wedding photographers should have
“What lenses do I need for wedding photography?” is a common question people wanting to get in to the world of wedding photography first ask. There are only three lenses wedding photographers need and these are explored in the article “Three lenses all wedding photographers should have”.
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Planning is essential in capturing awesome wedding photos and one crucial part of the planning process is visiting the wedding locations before the big day. The reasons why visiting the locations before the day of the wedding is just so important is explored in the article “Why you need to visit the wedding locations before the ceremony”.
The responsibilities of being a wedding photographer
Before taking on a wedding photography assignment, especially a paid gig where you are the only wedding photographer, it is important you are aware of your responsibilities. If you are not sure what they are “The responsibilities of being a wedding photographer” explains it all.
Low light wedding photography tips
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Taking group wedding photos
A key skill of a wedding photographer is being able to capture group photos that will impress the happy couple. If you need some ideas how to improve your group photos “Taking group photos” may well be just the thing you are looking for.
People skills for wedding photography
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Candid wedding photography
If you don’t take candid photos at wedding shoots I have to ask the question “Why not?” Candid wedding shots are an excellent way to earn additional money from a wedding shoot, and this article provides some tips and tricks you can use for great "Candid wedding photography" shots.
