A popular question among photographers is what are you shooting with. There is a constant debate between Canon and Nikon and which lens is the best. And while for you brides this might not matter, what’s important is will you get the best image possible, I thought you’d like a behind the scenes look into all the gear that’s in my bag. And since I’m getting ready to shoot a wedding out of town this weekend, I started to getting my gear together a little earlier than normal – and laid it all out to show you. In my film days I was a Nikon girl, but I switched to digital with a Canon and have shot with one ever since. Here is an overview picture of everything I take to a wedding, out of the bag:

I shoot with two camera bodies, the 5D classic and the 5D Mark ii. This is both so I’ll have a back up and so I can have different lenses available to me with out having to swap them out (think zoom and wide views at the ceremony).

This is what holds my camera onto my awesome Spider Holster. It’s a belt instead of a strap so I don’t have the weight of the cameras on my neck and back – I’m going to try and do this for the next 15 years at least :)

And here is a pic of the holster in action as captured by my amazing second shooter JLE Photography:

Next we have the lenses I carry:

My first lens I purchased, and one of my favorites still is the 50mm 1.4 – this means the focal length is 50mm long, or the same view as the human eye sees. For those of you who aren’t photographers the 1.4 refers to the aperture, or how wide the lens can open. The wider the lens the more bokeh you see – or the blurry, out of focus backgrounds like below. The wider you open the smaller the plane of focus:

The next lens I bought was the 100mm (or twice the zoom of the 50mm). It is also a macro lens, so it helps get details like rings up close and in beautiful detail. It’s also a great portrait lens:

The must have lens for the ceremony is the 70-200. This is a zoom lens unlike the above which are prime lenses (or you can’t zoom in and out, you just have to move your feet). I love this lens and you’ll see it on my camera during the ceremony.

I also love this next zoom lens because of it’s versatility. It’s a lens that opens very wide to get overall views (like the whole reception set up) and then zooms in to a little more than the 50mm above. It’s the 24-70mm:

Lastly, I carry the 85mm. This is the lens I love for portraits, especially bridal. It is a photographers dream. The focal length will capture you in the most flattering way, and it’s fun to take on engagement sessions too!

I have some lighting tools I bring along too that you’ll see me break out. I have two flashes, Canon 430ex ii’s for the curious, and a diffuser for one – it’s that little white rectangle. It helps flash light diffuse out and not be a harsh strong beam:

The flash with out the diffuser lives in the Rapid Box. (It’s the folded up umbrella looking thing in the first picture on the right). It’s an umbrella that I use as an off camera light during the reception on a light stand. Then these Phottix transmitters help my camera talk to the external flash so it goes off when I push the shutter button:

Lastly, I carry a light meter, a natural density filter (helps block bright sun) and an ExpoDisc. These are tools to help measure or control light and white balance – which may require a post of their own to explain further.

So that’s it – besides extra batteries, safety pins, chapstick, and a Kind Bar. This may have been one of the more boring and technological posts I’ve written – but if it’s helpful to you at all I’d love to know! Or if you’re a photographer let me know what your favorite lens to use is!