WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHY GEAR |
MAKE YOUR DAY FLOW BETTER
Taking the right or wrong equipment to your wedding shoot can make the difference between success and failure, not only will you not be able to deliver on the day you may also miss out on any future word of mouth business, given this is one of the main sources of new clients its important to get it right. Below are a few things to consider when planning your wedding photography session and should see you through any situation.DSLR or Mirrorless
The decision to shoot with a DSLR or mirrorless camera when I comes to wedding is totally a preference thing. There is no right or wrong answer here its all about what you feel most comfortable with the only must is having more than one camera body on the day. This not only makes shooting much easier it gives you the added security of knowing should one camera break you still have the other to finish the day. Having shot weddings with both DSLR and mirrorless I find the mirrorless easier to use, the reason for this is the EVF or electronic view finder, with mirrorless what you see on the screen us more or less what you get, you also have the added bonus of the reduction in weight.
It can be a long day when you have to carry round 2 full size dslr cameras and a bag full of lenses so any weight saved is going to make your day that bit more enjoyable. On the odd occasion you do find clients who measure your level of professionalism by the size of your camera if you feel this is an issue then you may want to stick with the dslr, I currently shoot with a Nikon Z7ll and a Nikon d810, even though the d810 is now a little dated it is still a very capable wedding photography camera and I love the images that are produced by it. One must for a wedding camera is ensuring it has two card slots so you can back up your images whilst shooting should one card fail you always have the other. Lenses 24mm, 35mm, 50mm, 85mm & 70-200mm
This is arguably the most important item in your bag and could make or break your day if you don't have the right lens for the location then your work isn't going to be as good as it could be, I always carry a 35mm 50mm 85mm prime and a 70-200 with these lenses I can easily cover every possible situation a wedding day may throw at you from detail shots to large group photos. You could easily shoot a wedding day using a 24-70mm however I feel the consistency you get from prime lenses is just that much better and makes the final image gallery flow and gel together move than if a zoom lens.
On any given wedding I will use either a 35mm and an 85mm or a 35mm and a 50mm this will all depend on the size of the location with these combinations I am easily able to capture everything I need on the day and switch easily from close up to a wide shot. For the ceremony I will switch out my 85mm for the 70-200 this allows for maximum shots with very minimal movement and during the ceremony you want to be as invisible as possible, I find the 70-200 is perfect for this especially for the key moments of the ceremony as I go from close up to a full body shot in seconds without needing to change cameras.Importance Of Back-ups
One of the most important things when shooting wedding photography is the need for redundancy you will want multiple of everything from lenses to memory cards, by this I mean follow the guide of 2 is 1 1 is none the last thing you want is to be in the middle of a wedding and have your equipment malfunction leaving you unable to finish the shoot. You will want to have back ups of everything including camera body's. I always shoot with two cameras this serves two purposes one as a back up should the other break and also for convenience as I shoot one with a 35mm and the other with a 50mm or 85mm allowing me to quickly go close or wide at a moments notice.
This rule also applies to your lenses I always carry a 24mm 35mm 50mm and an 85mm with these I can cover every part of the wedding day should anyone of the lenses break, carrying these lenses also gives me more freedom when it comes to the size of the venue I am working in, if its a small space I can work with the 24mm on one body and the 50mm on the other and for larger venues I have the option to go with the 35mm and 85mm. Memory cards
When it comes to memory cards it all depends on what your camera accepts, almost all cameras accept SD cards and most new cameras accept the much faster CF express or XQD cards, you will want to ensure you have a minimum card size of 128gb on both cards. You also want to take in to account the cards read/write speeds as this will help when shooting lots of frames at once the last thing you want is to miss a key shot because your buffer is full waiting for your images to write to the card.
It also helps at the end of the day when downloading your images images your computer, downloading over 2000 images can take a long time so picking up a card with fast read/write times will help cut this time down. A reasonable SD card will get you speeds of 170 MB/s, and most CF express or XQD cards will be in excess of 1000 MB/s.
Straps/Harness
There are lots of different straps and harnesses available and what you use again comes down to personal preference. For weddings I would always recommend a harness and there are lots of these out there, the harness for wedding photography is perfect as it allows you to carry two cameras safely and securely on each side and most importantly allows you to keep your hands free should you need to use them for directing or moving things during the day.
It also helps spread the weight of the cameras over your back making it more comfortable during the day, most wedding days will last between 8 -12 hours and carrying round all that gear will start to leave its mark. Below are a few links to harness you may want to look at Flash
Having a flash in your bag is important to have but not always necessary to use, but when you do come to use it you want to make sure its reliable and ready to go. It's important that your flash has the ability to be used off cameras as sometimes you may need to place your flash in a location that you just can't stand, such as close to a head table during speeches.
By doing this you get your subject in the best light whilst not being as much of a distraction in the room. A great flash system for this is the Godox v1 and the Godox (trigger) this can be used both on and off camera. The large battery means it will never run out during the day and the fast recycle time means you will never miss a shot. 
Bag’s
There are a number of different bags and packs you can use, things like a sling bag, backpack or messenger bag are all good options. I like to use the messenger bag as it is easy to access at any time and doesn't require you to take it off to get what you need they also look a lot smarter and don't stand out as much in a wedding setting.
There is nothing worse than walking around with a big black back pack on during the wedding day, your aim is to stay out the way as much as possible. You want to make sure your bag is big enough to carry your spare lenses your flash and any accessories you may need on the day. Below are a few examples of messenger bags that are ideal for wedding days its best to try a few out if possible and see what is most comfortable for you remember its a long day and the more comfortable you can be the easier it will be.Bag extras
Tissues
Plasters
Painkillers
Gum
Glue
Black tape
Pins
Spare batteries - at least an extra one per camera
I hope this was of some use to you, give me a follow on Instagram @imagination_photo1 and on Facebook imagination photographers Remember to have fun and every day is the perfect day to create something new.
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