McCall Idaho Wedding Photographer | What's in My Bag?
As a McCall Idaho wedding photographer I have had several potential clients ask me about the gear that I use. Sometimes they ask because they want to know that I am coming to their wedding prepared with all the gear needed to capture their beautiful wedding. Other times they ask because they are interested in photography and want to know what gear I use to create the photos that I take. Either way, I am not shy when it comes to sharing my gear and I hope that it helps anyone who is interested! I have added some pictures of my gear and examples of how I use them in this post.
If you remember from an earlier post, I am a hybrid shooter which means I shoot both film and digital. During the day I primarily shoot on two cameras the Nikon D750 and the Nikon D610. When I do portraits and detail shots I will use my film cameras. I have two different film cameras, the Nikon F100 and Nikon FM2.
My favorite lens is the Sigma 35mm 1.4. I use this lens mostly on my D750 and use it to capture most of the wedding day. The 35mm lens is a normal-wide angle lens and allows me to capture the whole room without any zooming. This lens creates a strong sense of presence and place and helps capture the emotion that I desire to shoot as a photographer.
My other favorite lens is the Sigma 85mm 1.4. This lens is so dreamy! It is a short telephoto lens with an extremely flattering focal length! It is sharp and crisp. I use this lens when I need to get closer to the scene without moving closer physically and for portraits.
Now, my favorite part! Film! I typically shoot Kodak Portra films (160 and 400), which have a gorgeous grain that isn't too overwhelming. It handles shadows and light in a way that is unmatched. Film is typically softer than digital, but to me evokes even more emotion. I typically shoot both of my film cameras with 50mm 1.4 lenses. The FM2 is from the 1980's and is fully manual, so it is definitely harder to focus. The F100 allows me to use my current FX lenses on it, which means it focuses just like my digital SLR cameras.
You will notice I included a Lara Bar in my bag! This is not a joke! I always carry Lara Bar's around with me. The ingredients are dates, cashews, and other fruit- that is it! They are so delicious and always keep me going during a long wedding day.
Another thing shown in the picture is my Moneymaker strap from Hold Fast Gear. This camera strap allows me to hold two cameras at once and not have to use my hands! It has changed my life!
You can see my Nikon SB910 flash in the picture above, but I did not include the rest of my flash setup. I prefer to shoot natural light for most of your day, but I will bring out my flash setup for your reception and dancing photos. I have three strobes that communicate with my camera via transceivers.
The other thing not pictured is my bag! It takes a good, sturdy bag to hold all of my gear and I have found one that I think is perfect! I love my Jude bag from Kelly Moore Bag. It can be very heavy, but it holds every single thing I own! Okay, I lied, it does not hold my big flashes, but they came with their own bag so it holds nearly everything I own!
If you have any questions about my gear feel free and ask in the comments and I will reply back! Gear can be extremely intimidating if you are just getting started in photography. I remember the struggle of trying to decide what I wanted and what I needed and how I would use them to achieve the look I was aiming for.