Starting out as a wedding or elopement photographer can be SUPER hard in soooo many ways, especially when it comes to finding the right gear for you!! So to help you find what might be right for you, I wanted to create a “What’s in My Bag?” blog post with a list of all my fav wedding photography gear.

 

This setup is ideal for my personal style of shooting, and is what I’ve found over time that works best for me! Find the wedding photography gear that fits how you shoot + what you do, don’t necessarily copy all of this. It’s simply what I do, and what I wanted to suggest to you as at least a jumping-off point!!

This list can serve as both a guide to items for you to buy for your own biz, OR a great gift guide of what to ask for for the holidays as a photog! (Hint: Christmas is coming up!!)

 

*Disclaimer: all the Amazon links within this article are affiliate links to my Amazon Storefront! But I truly use + LOVE all of this gear, and used it before Amazon Affiliates was even a thing!**

 

Main Photography Equipment

The main equipment I always have in my camera bags!!

Camera: Sony A7iii

I switched from Canon to Sony this past year and it has been a GAME CHANGER!! It definitely took a lot of time + practice to get the hang of Sony & feel comfortable shooting on it, but it has been soooo amazing since nailing it all down.

I shoot on 2 A7iii cameras at every shoot/wedding/elopement and freaking LOVE them! Plus the bodies are sooo lightweight compared to Canon!

Lenses

If I had to choose my fav lenses, I’d probably say my 35 & 50! But I use all of these together and the combination of all of them has worked so well!

Sony GM 24mm 1.4

A dreammm for those epic wide shots!

Sony GM 35mm 1.4

The perfect all-around lens that will work for anything!

Sony GM 50mm 1.2

Such a crisp, beautiful lens – especially for portraits!

Sony GM 85mm 1.4

For when you need to get in real close without being in your couple’s faces!

Canon 45mm 2.8 tilt-shift

I use my old Canon tilt-shift lens with a Metabones adapter!

Other Gear + Tech

Drone: DJI Mavic 2 Pro + smart controller

I freaking LOVE this drone and it has been so amazing to use during my sessions & elopements!! My couples love the epic shots we can get using it!

Polaroid: Fujifilm Instax SQ1

I loveee taking Polaroids in both my personal life AND during my sessions/elopements to gift to couples. Such a fun + nostalgic way to keep some hard copies of memories!

SD cards: SanDisk Extreme Pro

I’ve always used these SD cards and they’ve been great! Choose the right one for you depending on the size card you prefer to shoot with – I usually shoot on 64GB cards & switch them out throughout elopements!

Batteries: Sony Z-Series Battery

These are the batteries that are compatible with the A7iii’s!

Battery charger: Dual Charger

I highly recommend getting a dual charger so you can charge 2 batteries at once instead of just 1 at a time! And buy multiple dual chargers – that way you can charge 4+ batteries at once rather than swapping them out one by one!

Hard drive: LaCie Rugged External Hard Drive

Love my LaCie hard drives! I store everything on them!

SD card reader: 5-in-1 Macbook Pro Adapter

This is the adapter I use to plug SD cards + USB cords into my Macbook!

Camera Bags + Travel Storage

Camera Bags

There are soooo many amazing camera bags out there, but here are the 2 I have ended up with and LOVE, plus one more brand to check out!

 

Choose your bag(s) based on a few things:

• How often you’ll travel with it (consider driving AND flying)
• What type of camera you have (mirrorless vs. DSLR)
• How big your lenses are
• How minimalist you want to be
• The comfort of the shoulder straps/how much it’ll weigh during sessions/elopements

Wandrd 31L PRVKE Pro Photography Bundle

I have the 31L bag in tan, which I think is sold out rigt now but all the colors are soooo nice & aesthetic! This bag fits SO freaking much. I have the pro photography bundle, so I store my gear in the main compartment. Then I use the side compartments for miscellaneous accessories, the laptop pocket for my laptop (duh), and my fave part of the bag has to be the top compartment!!

It adds on SOOO much storage to an already decent-sized bag. I typically keep a jacket in there, along with maybe some snacks, items for clients, clients’ keys/phones if they want to hand them off, and my camera harness!

Brevite Jumper in Tan⁣

I also have this bag in case I need extra extra storage!

Kamrette 

I don’t personally have a Kamrette bag but I’ve heard lots of good things about the brand, so I wanted to include it!

 

Think Tank Memory Card Case

A great case to keep memory cards in on the go during shoots! You can clip it onto your bag, pants, jacket, or fanny pack for even easier access. Then I have a separate holder I keep them in at home when there’s content on them that I’m currently editing.

Battery storage bag: Mudcloth bag from Etsy⁣

I keep my batteries in a simple mudcloth bag I got a while back from Etsy! I linked a similar one above, just find a bag that works for you & will keep your batteries from clunking around and hitting each other. Plus that’ll give you easy access while you’re shooting!

Fanny pack: Calpakk Belt Bag

I couldn’t shoot without a fanny pack!! I keep all the things in it that I might need super quick access to during a shoot so that I don’t have to be constantly taking off & opening up my whole backpack. I never want to have to do that during a ceremony or something in case I fill up an SD card or a battery dies and I need to grab a card/battery as fast as possible!

For example:

• Extra SD cards
• Extra batteries
• Hairpins, lipstick, safety pins, medicine, etc.
• Phone
• Car keys
• GPS

 

Miscellaneous Accessories

Camera harness: Rose Anvil Dual Camera ⁣Harness

Y’all I cannot say enoughhhh good things about this dual camera harness! It’s SO high-quality, comfortable, and freaking savesss my back every time I shoot. If you shoot with 2 cameras, you need this harness. I haven’t found any other brands that can match it!

Camera rain cover

Because I live in the PNW and it’s impossible to avoid rain here! Sony cameras are so awesome at being truly weatherproof but I like to have these on hand just in case of emergencies or super extreme weather!

Desk cable management box

I doubt I’m the only one who has way too many cords on every corner of my desk all tangled up hahah. Some sort of cable management box or setup is a must for work-from-home creatives!

Instax mini photo album

To store all your fun polaroid photos in & look back on!

Microfiber towels

Getting some sort of towels like these is great in case you need to set your gear down somewhere super dirty, your clients need to sit somewhere out in nature, you need to dry off, etc. Great to have on hand for plenty of outdoor scenarios!

KUVRD rubber lens caps

Say goodbye to the cheap plastic lens covers that your camera comes with and that you lose within a week! These rubber lens caps are lifesaverssss. They protect your lenses SO much more than plastic lens caps, you can buy them in bulk, and they stretch over every size of lens so you can use them no matter what lens you have! Seriously, do not go one more shoot using plastic caps instead of these guys!!

Bestek car charger

For all the times I want to get some work done in my car & need to charge my laptop or phone! Plus great to have on hand for roadtrip emergencies!

Fractals

Fractals and prisms are soooo much fun to use during shoots to help you get creative! You can use them to play with light and to bring the focus to certain parts of your image. They are SO fun and your clients will love them! This 3-pack is the perfect fractal kit to start out with.

Garmin Inreach GPS + charger

It looks like this specific GPS that I have is currently out of stock, but you can def find similar ones on Amazon! It’s super handy to have a GPS like this one when you shoot out in the middle of nature without cell reception so often like I do. In case of emergencies, you’re able to send 2-way text messages thanks to the satellite coverage, and you can track & share your location with others!

JBL Clip Speaker

Finally, I had to include my fav speaker!! It’s super great quality, waterproof, and sooo portable + easy to carry. I just clip it onto my fanny pack, camera bag, or belt loops and I don’t have to carry it around at all during shoots!