Top 10 “Must Have” Photography Items

Things I can’t live without as a wedding photographer.

Hi friends!  I hope this post finds you well!  I wanted to put together something useful for you all.  So, I’ve gathered my Top Ten “MUST HAVE” items that I absolutely can’t live without as a wedding photographer and placed them for you down below!

1. My Canon Mark IVs!  I take two of these with me to every wedding.  They dual record and capture great color, and they work well in low light situations.  I’ll eventually be upgrading to mirrorless, perhaps next year, but I wanted to wait and hear more reviews before I replaced these time-tested rockstars.
2. My Canon 35 mm 1.4.  I’m sure you’ve heard others rave about this lens and it’s usefulness.  It’s the closest lens you can use to capture what the human eye really sees, making it wonderful for portraits and more without much distortion.
3. MY CANON 24 MM 1.4!  All caps because this lens is so underrated.  I wouldn’t be able to capture small getting ready spaces or large parties without it!  This lens is also my favorite to use for “under the veil” shots and whenever I use a prism of any kind.
4. My 128 GB memory cards.  I’ve always dual recorded with 128s, and I’ll never look back. They’re fast, they hold so much, and I’ve never had an issue.  The SD cards go on sale quite a bit, and while the CF cards can be quite expensive, it’s well worth the investment to be sure your client’s memories are safely saved.
5. My Pelican card holder.  Perfect for bringing extra cards when I swap out at the reception (not always due to a card being full, just out of habit.)
6. My Chandelier Rings!  I get so many questions about how I create some of my natural light images, and this little gadget is one of the ways that I harness light.  I usually buy the pack I’ve linked here when they get lost or break.  Hook them up to a piece of dental floss, fishing wire, or a safety pin, and hold it in front of your lens while shooting at sunset or around any lights!  IT’S MAGIC!
7. My convertible backpack/rolling suitcase camera case!  This makes carrying gear into a wedding day a breeze.  It also just feels super professional to stroll into a day with this bad boy. I have the Amazon Basics brand, but this one is amazing too!
8. My flashes.  And yes I said that in the plural sense!  As a wedding photographer, you have to have at least two of everything in the event one breaks or is damaged during a big day.  I love my Canon Speedlite 600EX-RT and I also have a Canon Speedlite 470 EX-AI – both work fabulously.
9. Comfortable shoes like these! I just bought these bad boys this summer and O M G my feet were so happy. Shooting weddings I’m often standing for 10+ hours at a time, running, ducking, and doing all sorts of strange things … so healthy feet are a priority!
10. And last but not least, my leather camera strap!  I’ve had the “James” strap from Foto for like five years now and it’s still in such amazing shape.  I had my logo personalized on it and get compliments on it nearly every time I shoot.  Occasionally I take my camera off of it to use my dual harness, but a dual harness is wayyy too hard on my back to wear all day – so this is my main accessory 90% of the time.  I love it!

These aren’t the only items needed as a wedding photographer, but this is my top ten!  And if you’re just getting started or even just looking to invest in new equipment, I hope you enjoyed this read.

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Have a blessed week friends!

xoxo,

Ashley