What’s in my Bag? // For Photographers

We’ve spent the last few years building up our collection of gear. And we’re still building, but we are confident that we can get the job done and produce the best images possible given any scenario with the gear we currently have. So, here’s what’s in our bag!

Canon 5D Mark iii: I started learning photography shooting on a Canon, so when I started building my collection, I stuck with Canon. We now shoot with 5D Mark iii’s. I love this camera, it’s great in low light, has dual memory card slots (for backing up images!), and has been great to us in every situation we’ve been in!

Canon 1V: This is my 35mm film camera. In addition to shooting digital I use this film camera during engagement sessions, during getting ready + portraits on your wedding day! It’s one of the best Canon 35 mm film cameras out there. Canon EOS3 is a bit cheaper and great as well for anyone wanting to try film. The best part is, both the EOS 3 and IV will work with the Canon lenses you already have for your digital!

Lighting // Canon 600 EX + 430 EX ii: Having lighting equipment as a wedding photographer is a must. And although we rely heavily on natural light throughout most of your wedding day, flash is a necessity 99% of the time at receptions. I use flash on-camera at a 45 degree angle and angled over my right shoulder at receptions, powered down a few stops to create as natural of a look as possible while using flash.

50 1.2 L: So I began shooting with prime lenses because I found out that I loved shooting wide open (1.2-2.0). I started with Canon’s 50mm and my collection grew from there. The 50 mm lens is on my body 90% of the day. With the exception of once the reception starts. If you are starting to invest in professional quality lenses, I think a 50 mm should be the first lens you look at! It’s super versatile, and can be used for so many different types of photography. It’s my favorite lens by far.

The 85 1.4: This is probably my second favorite lens to shoot with, the background that you can achieve when shooting wide open with this lens is magical. And although I don’t shoot with it nearly enough ( the 50 is my baby ) – I love the results when I do! This is a great lens when you need to zoom in a bit more, without using an actual zoom lens. I’m a prime girl, Tyler is a lover of zoom lenses. (more on that below.)

35 1.4: This lens is mostly used during reception dancing, family photos or to get a wide shot during portraits or your engagement session to get a lot of scenery in the shot. If I don’t have the space to back up, or the room you are getting ready in the morning of your wedding is small, I’ll use this guy to be able to capture it all.

70-200 2.8 L: This guy is a beast. When I say this lens is heavy, it is HEAVY. I swear lifting this lens all day will give you a work out you didn’t know you were going to get! This lens is Tyler’s favorite to shoot with. He loves having the ability to shoot to the right or left of me, while getting different angles and focal lengths all with one lens. He will shoot with this lens from the ceremony all the way through portraits and sometimes even during the first dance.

I already talked about my 35 mm Canon 1V above but I also wanted to share my favorite film stocks to shoot with. My go to is Fuji 400h, and I will occasionally shoot with Portra 400 or 160.

Other Gear:

Holdfast Moneymaker Strap: I just got this strap in January and love it, I love being able to have my digital and film camera on me at all times.

Holdfast Sightseer Sling Strap: Not pictured, but this is the strap Tyler uses and he loves it.

Hoya Close Up Filters: I love these filters and use them on my 85 mm lens to shoot details close up.

ShootSac: Tyler usually carries this bag for us which holds the lens we aren’t shooting with and our extra camera cards.

Think Tank Pocket Rocket: We have two of these, one for our SD cards and one for our CF cards.  These keep our cards safe until we get home to import the files.

HOF Rolling Bag: This rolling bag holds all of our gear when we go to weddings. It’s a little bigger than I wanted, and will probably be looking into a smaller carry on size rolling bag since we can’t fly with this one, it’s to big to carry on.

I hope this post was helpful and if you have any questions about our gear feel free to email us at info@ashleyerrington.com.