Recommended Gear for Wedding Photographers
My favorite gear for photographing weddings.
I’ve been shooting weddings for 9 years now and over the years I’ve bought, sold, collected and traded my gear around. Now, I have a pretty solid grip on what works best for me when it comes to wedding photography and I’d love to share that with those of you just starting in wedding photography. Scroll on!
Camera Body:
Canon 5D Mark III
This camera rocks! It’s exceptional in low-light, reliable and made with quality. I recommend getting two of the same camera bodies and shooting them simultaneously. This is so when I’m photographing the ceremony and switching between cameras with different lenses on, I don’t get tripped up by the settings being in different places. I can adjust each without much thought because my mind knows the camera dials by heart. You only get one chance to photograph the ceremony, and it can move quickly, so you don’t have much time to think about setting placement when switching between cameras. I always wear the two cameras on me for the ceremony and reception. I know this isn’t ideal for everyone, but for me, it saved me so much time from switching lenses or cameras and I’d always be ready to get a closeup with one camera or a wider shot at any given moment. (Pro tip: schedule yourself a massage for the next day. Your body will thank you).
Lenses:
When it comes to lenses, you really only need 3-4 high-quality lenses. Here’s what I’d recommend:
Macro Lens - I use the Canon 100mm Macro. - It’s a great lens to have in your bag for getting those beautiful, sharp close up detail shots. I’ve also used it for close up photos at the ceremony/reception before I had a zoom lens. The L series of this lens is WAY better and less finicky than this version I use, but I couldn’t justify the price when I only use it for details and then it sits in my bag for the rest of the day.
Zoom Lens - you should always have one lens that can extend beyond 70mm. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve gotten to a ceremony and couldn’t get up as close as I wanted because of church rules, getting in the way of the videographer, etc.. Not to mention, you don’t want to be so close up to the Bride and Groom that you’re blocking the view of the guests. I used the Canon 85mm Prime Lens or my Canon 100mm Macro until I was able to save up and purchase the gorgeous, but heavy Canon 70-200mm.
Wide Lens - A wide lens sure comes in handy for small venues or getting ready locations when you just can’t back up any further. My go-to was the Sigma 35mm because I prefer prime lenses, but there were many times I had to run back to the car for my Canon 24-70mm because I still needed something wider. If you can swing it, go for a 24mm zoom lens. It is so versatile. The Canon 24-70mm also was pretty impressive for detail shots. It couldn’t get the super close details my Macro lens could, but it was great in a pinch. The only downfall was the lens distortion when shooting widely at 24mm, but that was usually a quick fix in Lightroom.
Everything Lens- Canon 50mm is my favorite everyday lens and you can shoot most of a wedding on it. It’s on my camera for most of the day while I rotate my other camera with a wide or zoom lens depending on the situation.
Now, my camera bag for weddings is excessively full. I will be the first to admit I probably don’t need all of my lenses, but over the past 9 years of shooting weddings - I’ve created my unique style of photography by combining up to 6 different types of lenses throughout the wedding day. I’ll typically use my 50mm Prime and 85mm Prime for Portraits and then switch to the 24-70mm Zoom and 70-200mm Zoom for the Ceremony. During the reception, I’ll use a combination of those lenses depending on the size and lighting of the venue, switching out the 35mm for the 24-70mm when my back needs a break from heavy lenses or I want to shoot wide open. Details are always photographed with the 100mm Macro. If it’s a huge venue with excellent light and space, with no restrictions, I’ll usually only use my prime lenses. You’ll figure out what’s best for you, but start with only a few necessary ones like the 4 I listed above.
Lighting:
Reflector - Annoying to carry around all day, but it’s the best tool in your box if you’re shooting portraits in natural light.
Speedlights - Canon 600EX II-RT and Canon 580EX II. I love the 600EXII-RT because it can wirelessly control the 580EX II without additional triggers when I want off-camera flash. This way I can have the Canon 600EX II-RT on my camera as needed and control the 580EX II on a light stand in the corner without running back and forth.
Lightstand - Manfrotto makes awesome light stands. Don’t forget sandbags to hold it down!
Light Modifier - Umbrella or Softbox for off-camera flash at the reception.
Accessories:
BlackRapid Double Strap - I’ve used this for years and it’s design is hard to beat. My favorite part about it this strap is that it’s designed to rest on only one shoulder so that you can take one side off if you only need one camera on at a time.
2. Extra batteries - I always make sure to have extra batteries (pre charged) packed for both my camera and my speedlights. Eneloop makes the best rechargeable batteries that I’ve tried. Don’t mess around with knockoffs for your camera. I’ve learned the hard way that they aren’t even half as reliable or durable as the Canon LP-E6N Battery.
3. SD Cards - The Canon 5D Mark III Cameras hold both SD and CF cards and I shoot on both at the same time. This way if one card fails, I have the other to fall upon. At the end of the wedding, I can clear one card and use it again for other weddings/sessions while the other card holds the images until they’re delivered to the client. In order to shoot on 2 cards seamlessly, I recommend getting ones that can read/write fast. I use the Sandisk 32GB 300MB/s and they’ve never failed on me.
4. Camera Bag. I have two favorites. First, my House of Flynn bag because it fits SO much inside and is both durable and stylish. Second, my Peak Design 20L Backpack which carries my backup gear or equipment I won’t need until the reception. I’m obsessed with this backpack because of it’s unique anti-theft system, which makes it great for traveling with gear!
So there you have it! All the gear in my camera bag that come recommended by yours truly for wedding photography. I know there’s a million other opinions and preferences out there; these are just my own. If you have any questions, just leave them in the comments and I’ll help you out!