Having the right gear and workflow for wedding photography is essential to capturing the special moments of a couple’s big day. Over the years, I have carefully selected the equipment and workflow that I use for wedding photography. As far as gear, let me share what is currently working best for me.
First and foremost, I use two Nikon Z6II cameras for my primary shooting. These mirrorless cameras are lightweight and compact, which makes them easy to carry around on a wedding day. They also have great low-light performance, which is important for shooting in dimly lit rooms and reception halls. I always use two memory cards with each camera and I have plenty of backups in case one of the cards corrupts or fails.
For my lenses, in my arsenal, I have a Nikon 35mm 1.4, a Nikon 85mm 1.4, a Nikon Tilt-Shift 45mm, a Sigma Art 135mm 1.8, and a Nikon Z 50mm 1.2. These lenses cover a range of focal lengths, from wide to telephoto, and they are all fast, which allows me to shoot in low-light situations. The tilt-shift offers a fun perspective and a way to change up the feeling of the photos.
When necessary for lighting, I also use a Nikon SB-910 and a Nikon SB-5000 flash. These flashes are powerful and versatile, and they allow me to add light to darkly lit moments at your reception or create fun, shutter-drag dance shots. Like this wedding here! I also carry a Nikon F100 film camera, which I can use to shoot a few frames of film at the wedding for a unique, timeless look. My favorite film to use right now is Portra 400, but it’s currently expensive and in low stock.
After a wedding, I immediately back up all of my photos to my NAS Synology Disk Station. It backs up the files on four separate hard drives. This ensures that my photos are safe and secure, and I never have to worry about losing them. I plan to keep all of my files forever by purchasing new hard drives when I run out of space.
In conclusion, the gear that I use on a wedding day includes an array of lenses, flashes, cameras, and storage. This equipment allows me to capture beautiful, high-quality photos of a couple’s special day, and the backup gear ensures that I’m prepared for any situation.