Why Gear Is Important?

The gear that makes it in the camera bag on a wedding day DOES matter. We are advocates of the mentality that the gear listed below will maximize your ability to create the best final product for the couples that trust you with their memories. In this blog post, we share the gear that we rely on every wedding day.

Camera Bodies That Crush

The Canon R5 + Canon R6 mirrorless cameras have changed the wedding industry. Their ability to perform at a high level in low light and create quality resolution images at a high ISO is what separates them. The improved focus technology is far better than its predecessor and truly makes the transition from mirrored camera bodies almost a no-brainer.

Camera Lenses You Won’t Believe

We bring the Canon RF 24-70mm f2.8 lens along with the Canon RF 28-70mm f2 lens. The Canon EF 35mm f1.4 lens and the Canon EF 85mm f1.2 lens also make it into the bag. In order to use our EF lenses with our mirrorless bodies, we bring EF to RF adapters. After we connect the adapter to the EF lens it works perfectly with the mirrorless body. These lenses handle just about every possible focal length you may need on a wedding day.  

Flash Equipment Must-Haves

In our wedding day camera bag, we bring the Canon Speedlite 430 EXIII-RT flash and pair it with the Magmod Magsphere 2 omnidirectional light diffuser. Stock up on AA batteries for the reception/indoor parts of the wedding day. Using flash with confidence is an enormous part of the wedding day, and you don’t want to be caught in the dark.

Constant Lights That Brighten Everything

Lighting the ballroom or dance floor during any reception or grand march is a tall order with just a Speedlite. Adding two constant lights will improve the quality of your flash photos and is a necessity for creating video! The Viltrox LED video lights are lightweight and adjustable with brightness and color. They plug into a regular wall outlet and also have the option to be battery-powered for truly off-grid creativity. 

Straps & Harnesses That Work

Maneuvering around tight spaces with your camera is a breeze when you utilize Peak Design camera straps for a run + gun one camera set up! For those moments where you want to have two camera bodies, you will feel comfortable and agile with the Holdfast Moneymaker two camera body harness. The Holdfast Moneymaker is a true game-changer if your ceremony strategy involves multiple prime lenses. These two carrying options will cover almost any scenario and you will feel confident in your ability to move in for the shot!

Stabilizers You Can Trust

Steady cinematic footage is important. Utilizing multiple stabilizers and determining when and where to use them is part of the fun of exploring film. The Peak Design Travel Tripod is the stabilizer we reach for most often. With its ability to compact down to the size of a water bottle, it is difficult for many tripods to compete with that versatility. When looking for steady footage with active movement and a different style, the Flycam hd 3000 is a great option. After a quick balance and drop-test, you are ready to go into any kind of environment with confidence. This stabilizer is all mechanical, no wifi…no problem. A firmware update won’t stop you from creating that shot from your imagination.

DJI Ronin RS2 stands out as the most complete tool for film-making discussed in this post. The customization this gimbal offers will get you the exact shot you are looking for. This piece of equipment will most often produce the best quality out of all stabilizers discussed. However, this stability comes at the cost of learning how to quickly and accurately balance the gimbal with your camera rig.

Camera bags + Cases That Last

Transporting all of this gear safely is the highest priority before the wedding day really begins. The Pelican Air 1535 is the best option to transport our Canon R5 and Canon R6 mirrorless camera bodies along with our RF 24-70mm F2.8 + RF 28-70mm F2. There is plenty of room for the Canon EF 35mm 1.4 and the Canon EF 85mm 1.2 as well which helps to have them all in one place.

Any gear or accessories that we cannot fit into the Pelican Air 1535 will be neatly stowed in our Brevite camera bags. These will remain on our backs or tucked closely by throughout the event. The straps are durable and comfortable enough to wear throughout a full wedding day. There is even an easy access pocket for an additional camera body or lens on the side of the bag that makes switching out gear quick and simple. 

Data Storage Need To Know

SanDisk Extreme Pro SD cards won’t let you down when it comes to handling the buffer during photo burst moments! This is also a handy trick for creating a GIF. These cards have a read/write speed of 170 MB/s which should be capable of handling most in-camera workloads. This speed will also be useful while you are transferring the data from the card to your computer. Efficiency is an important part of the process. For large video projects we recommend the 256 GB SanDisk Extreme Pro and for normal photography projects, the 128 GB SanDisk Extreme Pro is perfect. 

Western Digital Solid State Drives are by far the best option for backing up your data. They offer a 1 TB Western Digital SSD along with a 2 TB Western Digital SSD and for the most aggressive creators they have a 4 TB Western Digital SSD option. Investing in these SSDs keeps our computer memory available which increases output.

Bonus tip! Emergency Bride Kit Must-Haves for your Camera Bag!

The last addition to the camera bag is your emergency bride kit! This kit has the essentials that could save the day! You may add or subtract items to your kit, these have worked well for us.

• Tide to-go pen
• wooden hanger
• command hooks
• large safety pins
• black gaff tape
• tissues
• lip balm
• scissors
• satin ribbon for flat lay

The emergency at hand may come in all different shapes and sizes, the most nerve-wracking is of course concerning the wedding dress. Grab ahold of that fanny pack and retrieve the oversized safety pins. These babies grab the fabric and keep it there, ensuring that even after an evening full of dancing your private parts remain…private.

What’s in the Camera Bag Educational Mentorship 

There is so much to learn when it comes to what gear makes it into the bag for the wedding day, we encourage you to ask us any questions! Alex and I hope this blog post has shed new light on an important topic. It is our intention to share guidance on similar topics like this that will help you to feel more confident and comfortable creating legacy moments. If you are interested in learning more information about what a customized mentorship program includes submit an inquiry on our website.