My Photography Gear [2021 update]

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

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

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

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

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)

Software for Wedding Photographers (+ discount codes)

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.

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

Pixieset is my tool for delivering beautiful galleries and selling prints.

Calendly – Wonderful little tool to schedule appointments with across different timezones.

What to wear to a wedding as a Wedding Photographer?

1. 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.
2. 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!)
3. 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.:)