A Look At The Photography Equipment We couldn't do Without
If you're like me, you probably love looking at what equipment other photographers use! I find it endlessly fascinating (although admittedly, I'm a photography nerd). So, since I totally dig it when other photographers share what equipment they're using, I wanted to do the same!
Camera Bodies
Canon EOS R5 Mirrorless (Sam’s primary camera)
After making the switch to mirrorless, I can see what folks are raving about! The moveable LCD screen is very handy for getting shots from odd and interesting angles, and the performance of the camera is excellent. I love everything about it except that the battery life isn’t quite as long as DSLRs, so if you’re shooting weddings or other longer events, just make sure to have an extra battery on hand
Canon EOS 5D Mark IV (Rob’s primary camera)
This is a badass camera body, and it's the one Rob uses in his day to day and for weddings, and while it doesn’t have all the bells and whistles of the R5 (the LCD screen is stationary for instance), it produces excellent images and is the best DSLR for weddings hands down
Canon 6D Mark II (Sam’s backup camera)
I wanted a full-frame sensor for my backup camera body, since I do shoot with two camera bodies on wedding days to avoid a lot of lens switch outs, and the 6D Mark II is a great backup body that performs well in low light
Canon EOS 7D Mark II Rob’s backup camera)
If you don't need a full-frame sensor, the 7D Mark II is the way to go! It's a workhorse camera with excellent low light performance and so is great for wedding photography if you’re on a tighter equipment budget
Lenses
Sigma 35mm f/1.4 Art Lens for Canon
I have barely taken this lens off my camera since I got it! It's sharp, fast and accurate auto-focus, and has the dreamiest bokeh imaginable (seriously gorgeous) and the focal length also makes this a very versatile lens as well - this is definitely my go-to lens!
Sigma 24mm f/1.4 Art Lens for Canon
In my time as a wedding photographer, I’ve struggled to “zoom out” and get those beautiful, wide-angle shots, in part because I’d never found a wide angle lens that I actually liked, but now that I’ve got the 24mm from Sigma, the world of stunning, scene-capturing wide angle shots is mine!
Sigma 50mm f/1.4 Art Lens for Canon
Okay, this is also an amazing lens, and I just love all of my Sigma lenses so much it's not even funny
Canon EF 100mm Macro f/2.8 Lens
This lens is a great prime lens to use as a telephoto during wedding ceremonies (particularly outdoors) and a great macro lens to capture close-up details like rings, etc. (This lens seriously takes the best ring shots)
Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L Lens
We call this lens The Beast, and with good reason! It's not for the faint of heart, or weak of arm! It's a heavy but magnificent lens that's sharp, great for getting that close up feel I love during moments where perhaps we can't get that close (wedding ceremonies anyone?) Be prepared to have sore arms the next day, but at least you’ll be able to admire the gorgeous images you got while you were getting in that upper body workout!
Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8L Lens
This is such a versatile lens, particularly for wedding photographers, and even though I generally prefer prime lenses (lenses that don’t zoom), the 24-70mm will always hold a special place in my heart
Lighting
Godox V1 Speedlites
I cannot say enough wonderful things about this flash. We have 5 of them, and coupled with using one as a wireless transmitter (that can also itself fire flash or not, as you choose, or we also have several wireless transmitters), they create the easiest and quickest-to-use wireless lighting setup for off-camera flash imaginable! Plus the batteries are rechargeable lithium ion batteries, so gone are the days of bringing 50+ AA batteries with us to every wedding! (The flash recycle time can wane sometimes if you’re shooting on ETTL, and that’s my only complaint about these, but that’s an issue with all speedlites, which is why I tend to shoot in manual mode on my speedlites and when I do that, the recycle time is much faster)
Accessories
SanDisk 64GB and 128GB Extreme PRO Memory Cards
You can also never have too many memory cards, and these are our favorites
Peak Design Camera Bag and Straps
I just ADORE this brand! It's stylish, unisex, and sturdy. <3
Rose Anvil Two Camera Leather Harness
I like this first and foremost because I look like a badass in it (very important), but second, because it allows me to have two camera bodies on me at all times, with different lenses, so I’m always ready whatever the shot calls for, and it takes all the pressure off my neck and lower back (yay!)
Sipsey Wilder Hip Bag
Yeah…. I know fanny packs were unfashionable for a very long time, but they’ve come a long way since the eighties and nineties, and Sipsey Wilder makes super stylish hip bags (i.e. not your mama’s fanny pack) that I can throw a few extra batteries, memory cards, and chapstick in so I’m prepared during the wedding day
Photo Editing Software
Adobe Lightroom
Lightroom for LIFE! I've been hooked ever since the Beta came out back in 2006, and although I've shopped around, nothing beats it for intuitive workflow. There are also mobile versions that make on-the-go editing and culling a breeze
Adobe Photoshop
There are certain things Lightroom can’t do as well as Photoshop (though very few in my opinion) and adding texture to images for a more fine art feel is one of them, so we use Photoshop for that
In Closing...
I am so excited to share our camera bag info with you, and if there is anything in particular you'd like to see a review on, leave us a comment and let us know!
-Sam