I’m not really a gear nerd but after 6+ years with my trusty 6D and back up Canon 5D mark II I finally updated to a mirrorless system with Canon R6 and so I thought I’ll share what my experience has been so far. Hope you’ll enjoy a read and let me know if there is something new out there regarding wedding photography gear must haves which I really really really really need to try!
Wedding Photography Gear List
Cameras
2021 update:
Canon EOS R6
Canon EOS 6D (backup)
Panasonic Lumix DMC – LX100 (backup of a backup)
2015-2020
Canon EOS 6D
Canon EOS 5D mk II (backup)
Panasonic Lumix DMC – LX100
Canon EOS 6D for wedding photography
My 2016 – 2020 setup: As I said previously this setup is couple years old. But to be honest I just really like it. Before the corona thing happened I was planning a major upgrade. So once there will be weddings to shoot I’ll be getting a Canon EOS 6D mark II Canon EOS R6. My beloved 6D will then be my second body and 5D mark II will finally retire. I love my Canon EOS 6D, it’s not the quickest camera out there and doesn’t have the biggest amount of focus points, but I mainly shoot with the central one selected anyway. It’s also on a lighter side compared with other DSLRs – 5D mark II is a heavy beast in comparison. It just works well for me. During the wedding I always carry 2 cameras on me and prefer to have a third one in the bag – just in case.
Panasonic Lumix DMC – LX100 – Emergency Backup Camera
Right now my spare camera is tiny Panasonic Lumix DMC – LX100. Wait! It’s not a professional camera… To be honest, if I had to shoot a whole quickly paced wedding madness on it I would die. Or more likely the camera would die. But as a backup of a backup it will do. I got it last minute for our 2-month hike in Pyrenees as I needed something small, light, good quality and with the best possible lens. This one at f/1.7-2.8 is magnificent and I LOVE it. I was really surprised how good it actually is and since then I actually shot a couple portrait sessions with it. Looking back I should have invested into a version II since it’s said to be much quicker but it works for me as a great camera on a budget. Oh and I love it’s quiet and mirror-less..
Lenses I use to shoot weddings
Canon 50mm f/1.4
Tamron 24-70 f/2.8
Canon 85mm f/1.8
These boys are an obvious choice. Canon 50mm f/1.4 is great one, much quicker than the Canon 50mm f/1.8. Also a slightly sturdier, but even so this boy takes a beating every season as it’s my most used lens and over the years it’s my third one I own. Canon 50mm F/1.2 is on my wish list for the next upgrade.
A Tamron zoom lens 24-70 f/2.8 is spotless sharp and great for quick actions and landscapes. I was never a girl for the extremes (macro or super long lenses) but as I am shooting more and more adventurous elopements every year a longer lens now starts to make sense. I don’t really use my 85mm much, mostly just during the ceremonies so starting to think to upgrade that one to a longer lens. Do you have any suggestions which one to get? As you can see I have a thing for very low aperture numbers.
Other equipment & Photography gear
Flash: Canon 430 EX – the old version – I very rarely use flash, usually only once everybody is pretty drunk and it’s not disturbing anyone. I’ve got two diffusers and haven’t really optimised this setup yet so if you have any diffuser tips, let me know in the comments!
Batteries: Your standard Canon LP E6 & couple non branded ones as backup (they loose charge much quicker though).
Memory cards: Sandisk Extreme PRO 64GB
Laptop: MacBook Pro 13” 2014 – old boy but good boy
External hard drive: Transcend 2TB – I do fill couple of these every year
Diffusers: Ebay
SUPER IMPORTANT MEMORY CARD ADVICE: Buy new Memory cards regularly. These boys tend to fail after a year or two of heavy usage. Please be good to yourself and do get new ones every now and then!
Harness & Backpack
Harness: custom made from Six Magpies Leather (etsy) – It’s amazing and custom made, not sure if they make them anymore.
Backpack: Tog Bag – more on this beauty below
Water Bottle: Clean Kanteen
Lens pouch: No idea what brand it is, it says Adventure and it’s sturdy enough, I clip it to my harness to keep my spare lens or flash in.
Cards & batteries pouch: Another super helpful littly pouch handing on the other side of my harness and keeping my batteries & memory cards safe. I add couple of my business cars so they’re handy if anyone asks about my business and to have my contact details just in case I’d lose the pouch.
Custom Made Double Camera Harness
If I was to choose one favourite kit of equipment, it’s my harness. I hope if you’re a wedding photographer shooting with 2 bodies you have one too since it’s just such a relief for your neck. I’ve had this custom made by a wonderful guy in England.
Minimalist Photo Backpack – Tog Bag London
My second favourite thing is my backpack – I spent ages looking for one which would not scream: HEY PHOTOGRAPHER HERE! And finally found one in Tog Bag. Elegant, sleek, fits my laptop perfectly (would even fit 15”). The new version even has a pocket for a bottle or tripod which I would love as I always struggle to fit my bottle in and worry about potential spillages.
Extras (not pictured)
Snacks! – I always get stressed and unable to eat before the wedding and then hungry during the day, so I’m snacking on energy bars whenever possible.
Extra layers – I basically live in my down jacket.
First Aid Kit – basic stuff which comes pretty handy on a busy day.
Tripod – I only carry this one for commercial shoots.
Software for Wedding Photographers (+ discount codes)
![My Photography Gear [2021 update] 8 narrative select](https://ceranna.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/narrative-select-845x329.png)
Narrative SELECT – For culling Narrative Select is a game changer for me, I used to use Photo Mechanic 6, just for speedier culling, but it still was slow compared to useful AI Narrative Select offers – basically in one look, you’ll know if the photo is in focus, if anybody blinked and you’ll see all the zoomed in faces as well. Pure magic, it cuts my editing time to half and I am even really excited to cull.
If you’d like a 10% discount, use this link to sign up.
![My Photography Gear [2021 update] 9 Studio Ninja review](https://ceranna.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/Studio-Ninja-review.jpg)
I’ve been looking for CRM for ages and finally in 2020 I made a switch. Studio Ninja is easy to setup and it keeps me organised.
Get 20% off your Studio Ninja subscription with discount code: BFJE13XJ52GU5K
![My Photography Gear [2021 update] 10 Pixieset logo review](https://ceranna.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/Pixieset-logo-review-845x192.jpg)
Pixieset is my tool for delivering beautiful galleries and selling prints.
![My Photography Gear [2021 update] 11 calendly logo colored](https://ceranna.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/calendly-logo-colored.png)
Calendly – Wonderful little tool to schedule appointments with across different timezones.
Wandering Weddings discount code
If you’re looking for a quality photographers directory, Wandering Weddings are my choice. Get 10% off your first year with Wandering Weddings with discount code: OI9ZCBHMMR
Adobe Lightroom – I use Adobe Lightroom with my customised favourite presets from DVLOP and Adobe Photoshop for some more advanced retouching. But 90% of the work is done in Lightroom.
Clockify – I like to keep track of the time I spend on projects, admin, etc. Clockify is free tool for desktop or mobile which enables you to have an overview and stats of your time.
What to wear to a wedding as a Wedding Photographer?
- Comfy shoes – I swear by my Birkenstock shoes – for real, they don’t do just sandals! These are the first shoes which work for me to be up on my feet the whole day. I usually take simple black ballet flats too.
- Wear something reasonably elegant but no need for a fancy hat – I am a minimalist so chances are I only have two outfits for all the weddings – the first one is my simple black trousers, simple burgundy or black t-shirt and a gray jumper. I am not a fan of blazers or blouses or anything business looking, but that’s an option too of course. The second outfit is a simple black dress for really hot summer weddings (usually not in Scotland but also had a couple weddings when it was just roasting!)
- Feel free to talk the dress code with the couple. I’d probably dress up more if it was a black tie wedding. From my experience all the couples who choose to work with me are just super chilled, they want everyone to have amazing day so suppliers dress code is one of the last things to even come to their mind. I always make sure to ask if what I’m planning to wear is okay – given I’ll be moving around in front of everyone and that there might be some cultural traditions I might not be aware of – is wearing black ok, etc.? Like obviously wearing a long white dress to a usual European wedding would a no-no.:)
Over here you can find a list of everything I pack for an adventure elopement on top of my photography gear.
That’s it for my Wedding Photography Gear!
I like to keep it minimalistic and light, so I am not carrying around suitcases full of equipment. Did I miss anything crucial? Let me know in the comments below.:)
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