One of the most common questions I get is “what gear do you shoot with?” I have quite the arsenal when it comes to what equipment I bring with me on wedding days, and I thought i’d give you an idea of what my Wedding Day Gear List looks like! There’s some things that I just couldn’t live without, but there’s also things that I bring just-in-case. Regardless if it’s something that I KNOW i’ll use, or something that I may use, everything I bring has it’s own special part to my style and aesthetics.

We’ll start with the most important piece to this puzzle!

Nikon D750

I seriously LOVE this camera… so so much. So much that I went and bought a second one because it’s so great. It renders colors perfectly. It’s ISO performance is amazing. And one of my favorite things about it is how well it focuses when it’s dang-near pitch dark. I seriously don’t have any complaints about this guy.

I shoot wedding days with two of these hooked to my Holdfast Moneymaker (you can read my blog all about that here) most of the day, but then usually drop down to one for the reception. They’re just amazing.

Nikon 70-200 f/2.8 VRII

This lens is on one of my cameras almost all of the wedding day. It’s so heavy, and sucks to lug around, but I love the photos that I get from it, SO much that I don’t even care. It’s great in low light situations because I can shoot at 2.8, and don’t even get me started on it’s crazy delicious bokeh. I love using this to step back from the scene and let my bride prep for her wedding day without me all up in everyone’s business, and this lens let’s me do just that. It’s one of my favorites lenses for bride and groom formals, and I would never dream of shooting a ceremony without it. It’s pretty great.

Nikon 85 f/1.8

This is the lens that dreams are made of! This is one of the first lenses I bought when I just started getting into photography, and it is probably my favorite by far. I would love to get the f/1.4, but i’m holding out for Sigma to come out with an Art version :P. While I definitely have a love affair with my 70-200, I don’t love how heavy it is. When it comes to bridal portraits, this is the lens I LOVE! I’ll also put it on my camera during prep to get some compression, or to reduce clutter in the images, and also at the reception during toasts, and cake cutting, when I want to create a little distance. It’s way easier to tote this around at the end of the day too!

Nikon 105 f/2.8 Macro

My 85 may be what dreams are made of, but this one poops rainbows. SERIOUSLY! I love the macro shots that I get with this baby. So many people ask what Macro lens I recommend and HANDS DOWN, it’s this one. It has a 1:1 ratio that I love, and it gets some amazing ring shots. This lens isn’t on my camera for very long, but I love the time that it is!

Sigma 24 mm f/1.4 Art

You read that right…I jumped ship for this lens. I had heard so many great things about Sigma’s Art lenses, but just couldn’t justify buying another 35 mm or 50 mm because of how little I use them, so i broke down and got a focal length i didn’t have covered. This lens blows me away! It seriously (i say seriously WAY too often) focuses SO fast. Every time i use it, i focus, and have to double check to make sure that it really is because it happens SO fast. It’s tack sharp, and it perfect when i want to go super wide. I love getting wide shots of the ceremony, or reception or the venue with this lens. And it never lets me down! (Like i said, i’m waiting for Sigma to release a 85 Art, that would be AMAZING! Are you listening Sigma!?!)

Nikon 35 mm f/1.8 and Nikon 50 mm f/1.4

I’ll group these two lenses together because they are the least likely to leave my camera bag. I’ll use my 35 during reception dancing, and some shots during prep, maybe even a few to get a wider view of some bride and groom formals, but their focus is a bit too soft for me. I love my photos sharp, and these lenses tend to be hit or miss. I do use them occasionally though. If the scene is right.

Nikon Speedlights

Last but certainly not least, but Nikon Speedlights. I have three that I use, generally, during the reception portion of the day, one Nikon SB-910, and two SB-700. My 910 is a TANK of a flash. It’s huge, and puts out some huge light, but sometimes i don’t always need that. I’ll set up my three flashes in a way during the reception to separate my subjects from the background during first dances, and toasts, and other important times. Once the dancing starts, i’ll usually take one of the flashes off camera to put it on and get some fun shutter drag shots, just to mix it up a little. 🙂 Really though, I don’t know what i did without these things though!That’s a bit of gear! Could I shoot a wedding with less than that? SURE! Could i shoot a wedding without flashes? I used to! Would I want to? Heck No!

I love all my gear, even my poor 35 and 50, and would hate to shoot a wedding without some of it!

For photographers, what’s your favorite part of your wedding gear!?

For brides, what are you looking forward most to me photographing at your wedding!?