Wedding Kit

I shoot quite a lot wedding and my bag normal have:
2x5diis. 24-70 70-200 50f1.2 28f1.8
Lighting: 580exiix2 color gel, elinchrom quadra
Monopod
 
tonester said:
I have a few weddings coming up over the coming summer months, I am interested to know what your typical wedding kit bag consists of!! I want to make sure im not missing anything. Thanks folks.
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2 x nikon D3
1 X D300s
24-70 f2.8
70-200 f2.8
50 f2 zeiss makro
50 f1.8
85 f1.8
14-24 f2.8
2 x Sb900s, 1 x quantum T5D-R, radio triggers, battery packs, 42 inch shoot through umbrellas, 45 x 45 cm softbox, medium and large 1 stop lastolite tri-grip difusers, round reflectors, 1/2 and full cut CTS gels.
Lowel ID tungsten video light with barndoors.
Step ladder
Manfrotto tripod (usually stays in car).

BTW I know you don't NEED all this but I need it to do what I do, the D300s and a few other bits and pieces stay in the car most of the time but are there just in case. But most of the rest is in a think tank roller case and lighting bag with me and my assistant. There's other bits and pieces too like Justin clamps etc.
 
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5D1, 24-70 f2.8 and a 430II is the standard kit for main shooters with the company I 2nd shoot for sometimes.
I take more than that.
 
Well Guys it really is a mixed bag (pardon the pun). There is the take everything you have aproach right down to Body, lens and speed light!!!!! I sit somewhere in btween!! by the looks of it i could be doing with adding a cpl more primes and I think i should be just about there!! Looks like the bamnk balance is about to take a nose dive!!! thanks for all you comments!
 
There was a time I only used primes, but I'm finding the newer zooms are so good I don't need to be swopping lens around so much, now I'll mostly use 2 bodies one with 24-70 and one with a 70-200 (plus back-up) only if the lighting is seriously bad will I switch to the 1.4 50mm
 
swanseamale47 said:
There was a time I only used primes, but I'm finding the newer zooms are so good I don't need to be swopping lens around so much, now I'll mostly use 2 bodies one with 24-70 and one with a 70-200 (plus back-up) only if the lighting is seriously bad will I switch to the 1.4 50mm
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Yeah I find the 24-70 and 70-200 has me pretty well covered. I use the macro for detail shots and the others mostly as backup or the occasional play.
 
The23rdman said:
Brave or daft. ;)
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Daft i would say. No backups. Very unprofessional.

For me my kit is

Nikon d700
Nikon D300
fuji s3
SB-900
Sb-800
SB-28
24 -70 2.8
50mm 1.4
70-200 2.8
28-120 5.6
50mm macro
Light weight tripod
1 light stand
pocket wizards
speedlight softbox
silver, white and gold relector
Memory
Macbook
 
Don't do weddings and have no desire to ever do them but my niece is a wedding photographer and of all her photos the ones that get most comments are the fisheye shots she takes, candids and groups shots from the stepladder.
Interesting to see that no one above is using one
 
SussexBlue said:
Don't do weddings and have no desire to ever do them but my niece is a wedding photographer and of all her photos the ones that get most comments are the fisheye shots she takes, candids and groups shots from the stepladder.
Interesting to see that no one above is using one
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I've been looking into a fisheye for overhead shots in weddings, only trouble is you.can't use it more than once it twice each job IMO or it gets a bit much. My nikon 14-24 is a very wide lens on a full frame body and I can fake the fisheye look if I want in shop, but I agree they can be a useful trick to have in the bag.
 
SussexBlue said:
Don't do weddings and have no desire to ever do them but my niece is a wedding photographer and of all her photos the ones that get most comments are the fisheye shots she takes, candids and groups shots from the stepladder.
Interesting to see that no one above is using one
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I have one and never use it at weddings. Its gimicky and as above you could maybe use it once.
 
lensflair said:
The client should be paying for the gear, not sure what rich has to do with it unless shooting weddings is a hobby.
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well you get paid to do it ( I only do a few a year) and the money goes on things like the house. I have no need for two cameras and can't afford more lenses.
 
POAH said:
well you get paid to do it ( I only do a few a year) and the money goes on things like the house. I have no need for two cameras and can't afford more lenses.
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I am sorry if this offends but it my honest opinion.

If you are not equipped to do weddings you shouldn't even do a few a year. Back ups are standard gear for any wedding photographer. Without them you are putting the couples wedding photography at risk and putting yourself at risk for a law suit. I hope you have good insurance.
 
asphotographymk said:
I am sorry if this offends but it my honest opinion.

If you are not equipped to do weddings you shouldn't even do a few a year. Back ups are standard gear for any wedding photographer. Without them you are putting the couples wedding photography at risk and putting yourself at risk for a law suit. I hope you have good insurance.
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so you are saying you can't use one lens to shoot a wedding? seems odd that I've done several with just one lens.

and I have no insurance. dont have any requirement for it.
 
POAH said:
so you are saying you can't use one lens to shoot a wedding? seems odd that I've done several with just one lens.

and I have no insurance. dont have any requirement for it.
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Sounds like wedding tog baiting to me... and it's what gets threads locked and gets us nowhere!

Yes you can use one lens and one camera, until one or the other stops working or gets bashed or dropped or any other fault or mishap. And is no help to the OP
 
V8burble said:
Sounds like wedding tog baiting to me... and it's what gets threads locked and gets us nowhere!

Yes you can use one lens and one camera, until one or the other stops working or gets bashed or dropped or any other fault or mishap. And is no help to the OP
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neither is attacking me just because I chose to own only one camera and lens.

there was no need for any of the comments made about what my kit was since it is nothing to do with anyone else.
 
POAH said:
neither is attacking me just because I chose to own only one camera and lens.

there was no need for any of the comments made about what my kit was since it is nothing to do with anyone else.
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I don't think anyone is attacking you for just having one camera an lens, it is just very un professional not to have back up equipment if one of those becomes damaged and unusable. I presume that you are being paid to carry out the photography and that you sell your services as a professional wedding photographer? therefore you need to make adequate provisions to do a professional job. What do you say to the Bride and groom if the 1 camera and lens you have breaks after the first couple of shots, oops sorry my camera is broke i can't take any more photo's today. and to not carry any insurance perhaps speaks volumes about your professionalism.
 
Craig2008 said:
I don't think anyone is attacking you for just having one camera an lens, it is just very un professional not to have back up equipment if one of those becomes damaged and unusable. I presume that you are being paid to carry out the photography and that you sell your services as a professional wedding photographer? therefore you need to make adequate provisions to do a professional job. What do you say to the Bride and groom if the 1 camera and lens you have breaks after the first couple of shots, oops sorry my camera is broke i can't take any more photo's today. and to not carry any insurance perhaps speaks volumes about your professionalism.
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Exactly what he said!
 
For the half-dozen or so that I shoot per year I use:

2x D2x bodies plus batteries etc
70-200mm VR
17-55
50mm
10.5mm fisheye
Couple of speedlights with softboxes, triggers, stands etc

lensflair said:
The client should be paying for the gear.....
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Yep, through the overall cost of the wedding, but unless you are living rent-free, the money you pay yourself (which effectively what's happening) goes on the regular things in life, not just wholely on camera equipment. It's your salary regardless of how many you shoot and how much you make and unless I've been duped all my working life, salary gets spread around many pots...
 
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specialman said:
For the half-dozen or so that I shoot per year I use:

2x D2x bodies plus batteries etc
70-200mm VR
17-55
50mm
10.5mm fisheye
Couple of speedlights with softboxes, triggers, stands etc

Yep, through the overall cost of the wedding, but unless you are living rent-free, the money you pay yourself (which effectively what's happening) goes on the regular things in life, not just wholely on camera equipment. It's your salary regardless of how many you shoot and how much you make and unless I've been duped all my working life, salary gets spread around many pots...
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Sorry I don't really understand what you are saying. I'm talking about professional photographers, whether its weddings or other work, your tools are part of the cost of running your business. And you don't not have them because you don't want to spend the money. You charge for your time, your running costs, and the extra you want to make on top. Everything including living expenses gets taken into account or I don't see how you survive. The cost of buying or renting equipment is just another expense.

My point was the tools are not a luxury you have because you are rich, they are one of the assets you use to make money. Like a builder might own or lease a backhoe machine. I think the confusion arises because camera gear is often seen as a luxury item.
 
Lensflair - I understand what you're saying; you get the tools that get the job done but let's not kid ourselves here, not everyone gets the same tools to do the job, in the same way that not everyone takes the same route to get the job done. You don't need the latest kit to shoot weddings - far from it in reality, going by the (low) expectations of many clients - but in turn, you are right in the respect that there is a base level to which you invest, be it used lenses or a lower-end body that will, in all intents and purposes, do the same job in a large proportion of situations as a high-end pro body. It's just that base level isn't the same with everyone, and that includes going in with a spare body. That's where mistakes can be costly....

In a broader sense outside of shooting odd weddings for pocket-money, I wouldn't dream of going out and doing my job without a back-up body, in the same way I wouldn't dream of going out to a job with just one lens. I could, but i know the law of Sod dictates that sooner or later, i'll be left wanting because I require extra equipment to cover my backside. However, as you can see, the kit I own isn't the best or the newest but it's gets the job done within my financial constraints. I get paid to take photographs and I'm bloody good at my job but I have to buy 100 per cent of my own kit so in that sense, I have to balance what I can afford to buy to do my job AND what isn't going to eat at my other financial obligations such as feeding and clothing my little boy and other general living costs.

I'm probably in a small minority here because I'm a staffer, a salaried tog who has little or no say in the direction their employment takes in terms of money coming in. However, even if someone is a freelancer, there is still that financial balancing act to be done in terms of having kit they require to do that job within their budget (which come down to how they set their rates compared to employability), and wasting money that could be put to use somewhere else in their life... :)
 
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I seem to have opened a hornets nest here!! the question I wanted answered was what is in your wedding kit bag? It looks like I have a very good variety to choose from! There seems to be varying opinions on whats acceptabpe and whats not. For me I just would not turn up with out back up!! Its just not an option!! In fact every wedding I shoot I take a second shooter who carries the same 7D as I do and we share lenses! I also carry a sony with an array of lenses as my back up, Its like an old pair of shoes fits very comfortabley and still delivers great resukts. I do this because I have told my CUSTOMERS that they WILL have great pictures from their special day! Now if a tog has told them Pre-booking that they only carry one camera and should any of his equipment fail then he goes home and thats it then unfortunately thats acceptable!!! I Have had equipment fail in the past and until you experience that sinking feeling in the pit of your stomach then you will never understand how it feels.Most of us are in this because we have a PASSION and WANT to deliver our CUSTOMERS the service that they PAID for and the best of our abbilities!! But that unfortuneatley cant be said for all.
 
specialman said:
Lensflair - I understand what you're saying; you get the tools that get the job done but let's not kid ourselves here, not everyone gets the same tools to do the job, in the same way that not everyone takes the same route to get the job done. You don't need the latest kit to shoot weddings - far from it in reality, going by the (low) expectations of many clients - but in turn, you are right in the respect that there is a base level to which you invest, be it used lenses or a lower-end body that will, in all intents and purposes, do the same job in a large proportion of situations as a high-end pro body. It's just that base level isn't the same with everyone, and that includes going in with a spare body. That's where mistakes can be costly....

In a broader sense outside of shooting odd weddings for pocket-money, I wouldn't dream of going out and doing my job without a back-up body, in the same way I wouldn't dream of going out to a job with just one lens. I could, but i know the law of Sod dictates that sooner or later, i'll be left wanting because I require extra equipment to cover my backside. However, as you can see, the kit I own isn't the best or the newest but it's gets the job done within my financial constraints. I get paid to take photographs and I'm bloody good at my job but I have to buy 100 per cent of my own kit so in that sense, I have to balance what I can afford to buy to do my job AND what isn't going to eat at my other financial obligations such as feeding and clothing my little boy and other general living costs.

I'm probably in a small minority here because I'm a staffer, a salaried tog who has little or no say in the direction their employment takes in terms of money coming in. However, even if someone is a freelancer, there is still that financial balancing act to be done in terms of having kit they require to do that job within their budget (which come down to how they set their rates compared to employability), and wasting money that could be put to use somewhere else in their life...
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I Feel a very good point well made!!
 
specialman said:
Lensflair - I understand what you're saying; you get the tools that get the job done but let's not kid ourselves here, not everyone gets the same tools to do the job, in the same way that not everyone takes the same route to get the job done. You don't need the latest kit to shoot weddings - far from it in reality, going by the (low) expectations of many clients - but in turn, you are right in the respect that there is a base level to which you invest, be it used lenses or a lower-end body that will, in all intents and purposes, do the same job in a large proportion of situations as a high-end pro body. It's just that base level isn't the same with everyone, and that includes going in with a spare body. That's where mistakes can be costly....

In a broader sense outside of shooting odd weddings for pocket-money, I wouldn't dream of going out and doing my job without a back-up body, in the same way I wouldn't dream of going out to a job with just one lens. I could, but i know the law of Sod dictates that sooner or later, i'll be left wanting because I require extra equipment to cover my backside. However, as you can see, the kit I own isn't the best or the newest but it's gets the job done within my financial constraints. I get paid to take photographs and I'm bloody good at my job but I have to buy 100 per cent of my own kit so in that sense, I have to balance what I can afford to buy to do my job AND what isn't going to eat at my other financial obligations such as feeding and clothing my little boy and other general living costs.

I'm probably in a small minority here because I'm a staffer, a salaried tog who has little or no say in the direction their employment takes in terms of money coming in. However, even if someone is a freelancer, there is still that financial balancing act to be done in terms of having kit they require to do that job within their budget (which come down to how they set their rates compared to employability), and wasting money that could be put to use somewhere else in their life... :)
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Don't get me wrong, I agree you can do a very good job with basic gear and I certainly don't see anything wrong with what you are using at all.

There's something to be said for keeping it simple too, I think you can do a great job with a single body and single lens if you know what you're doing. I would want a backup body and lens in the car though.

My point was just that just because a photographer has good gear doesn't mean they are rich. It's just the gear they use to do the job.

BTW a couple D3 bodies and half a dozen lenses is cheap compared to medium format where you could easily pay $15,000 for a single lens a decade or so ago.
 
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its not unproffessional - its a choice which should not be getting questioned since its none of anyone elses business how I choose to do my photography why do people persist on doing it.

This is the only part of TP I really hate and there is no need for it.



Craig2008 said:
I don't think anyone is attacking you for just having one camera an lens, it is just very un professional not to have back up equipment if one of those becomes damaged and unusable. I presume that you are being paid to carry out the photography and that you sell your services as a professional wedding photographer? therefore you need to make adequate provisions to do a professional job. What do you say to the Bride and groom if the 1 camera and lens you have breaks after the first couple of shots, oops sorry my camera is broke i can't take any more photo's today. and to not carry any insurance perhaps speaks volumes about your professionalism.
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I am shooting my friends wedding in June.
It's his second wedding and he's in his 50's.
He is aware I am not a pro, he is aware I will have no backup kit but he has seen the photos I post on flickr and is happy to accept all the risks involved.

My current line up of kit is:

Canon 40d
Canon 10-22
Canon 28mm F1.8
Canon 50mm F1.4
Canon 70-200 F4 IS
Canon 580EX II

I've never shot a wedding before.
I've never shot a wedding before.

Personally, as long as you are up front with those whose photographs you are taking and THEY understand the risks and what they are getting *or may not get!, then who is to say who is right and who is wrong....
 
POAH said:
its not unproffessional - its a choice which should not be getting questioned since its none of anyone elses business how I choose to do my photography why do people persist on doing it.

This is the only part of TP I really hate and there is no need for it.
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Like I said I don't think there's anything wrong with using a single body and lens, but I'm really interested to know what happens when your primary camera or lens fails? Is that part of your agreement with your clients? Do you have a clause that says if either fail you call it quits?

I'm frankly surprised that anyone who's wedding photography is important enough to them to hire a pro would be willing to accept that risk. I've never met a professional wedding photographer who wouldn't have a backup, even if they didn't own it they would hire one for the job.

So you really shoot without any kind if backup at all?
 
kennysarmy said:
I am shooting my friends wedding in June.
It's his second wedding and he's in his 50's.
He is aware I am not a pro, he is aware I will have no backup kit but he has seen the photos I post on flickr and is happy to accept all the risks involved.

My current line up of kit is:

Canon 40d
Canon 10-22
Canon 28mm F1.8
Canon 50mm F1.4
Canon 70-200 F4 IS
Canon 580EX II

I've never shot a wedding before.
I've never shot a wedding before.

Personally, as long as you are up front with those whose photographs you are taking and THEY understand the risks and what they are getting *or may not get!, then who is to say who is right and who is wrong....
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That's fine but even as a favour for a friend you might be surprised how that understanding changes if the camera fails 5 minutes into the day. BTW he expects you to deliver images as good as he sees on your flicker, regardless of how long those pictures took to get and how perfect the conditions were when they were taken. I haven't looked at any of your work, I'm just sayin.

No backup makes no sense for a pro, even if your contract has you covered from a legal standpoint, your reputation will be toast as far as the couple and all they tell are concerned. Plus you can't sell photos you didn't take.
 
POAH said:
its not unproffessional - its a choice which should not be getting questioned since its none of anyone elses business how I choose to do my photography why do people persist on doing it.

This is the only part of TP I really hate and there is no need for it.
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As someone who has had their camera knocked to the floor by a guest and see it crash into several pieces before the bride even arrived, I would say it IS unprofessional if you go to a wedding without sufficient backup equipment if you have been hired as the official photographer.

Accidents and malfunctions can, and will, happen.
 
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