Wedding Photography Equipment

Sony A7III

The Sony A7III is my current preferred camera body, but I’ve enjoyed photographing weddings with the Canon EOD 5D IV as well as the Nikon D850.

Reasons why I love the Sony A7III as my preferred wedding photography body:

• 93% autofocus coverage (693 phase detection points, 425 for contrast detection)
• 24MP full frame BSI CMOS sensor
• Much smaller, lighter, and less conspicuous than DSLR bodies
• Silent shutter – Allows me to be even more of a ninja
• Electronic Viewfinder (EVF) – Took a while to get used to, but now I love it!
• Dual SD memory card slots – Essential. Allows me to take a photograph and for the file to write to two cards simultaneously. Very important for immediate backup in case a card gets lost or is corrupted.

Sony 35mm f/1.4

The 35mm is my favorite storytelling focal length. It’s wide enough to show the environment, without worrying about distortion. It’s great on the dance floor. It’s great for portraits where I want to show the architecture of the building or some of the surrounding nature. I almost never leave home without this lens. When I photograph my social life, this is the lens that I chose to bring with me.

The baby brother versions of the Sony 35mm f/1.4 are the Sigma Art 35mm f/1.4 ($630) and the Sony 35mm f/1.8 ($750)

Sony 55mm f/1.8

The good ol’ nifty fifty is a classic. I’ve been told that it’s the closest thing to what the normal human eye sees. The Sony 55mm 1.8 is versatile enough to photograph wedding full length couple portraits, half-body portraits of individuals, action shots of the first dance, and of beautiful details – both reception tables and and of flat-lay invitations with wedding shoes and wedding rings.

For those starting out in photography and looking for a true inexpensive, but high quality nifty fifty, I love suggesting the Sony 50mm f/1.8

Sony 85mm f/1.4

The 85mm is my favorite focal length of all time. For all engagement sessions, headshots, and anything having to do with a person’s face, you can be sure that this lens is on my camera. The Sony 85mm f/1.8 balances out fast focus so that it locks in sharp every time.

When I photographed on the Canon system, the Canon 85mm f/1.2L II ($2000) was one of my favorites.

The baby brother versions of the Sony 85mm f/1.4 is the 85mm f/1.8 ($600). It’s a lightweight and still beautiful version of my favorite portrait length.

Sigma 135mm f/1.8 

Our video team adores the 135mm f/1.8 lens for ceremonies so that they can get more reach during wedding ceremonies, especially for facial reactions during the vow and ring exchange.

While the focus doesn’t lock on as fast as my 85mm, I love using this lens because when I want bokeh (the blurry background look), this is my go-to. It’s definitely the largest lens in my kit, and this. bokeh master as earned a spot there.

Sony 16-35mm f/2.8

For landscapes and big-world-little-people environmental wedding portraits, the Sony 16-35mm is the showstopper. It takes your breath away by helping me photograph an ultra-wide view of my surroundings. I do have to be careful of distortion, so I’m always very mindful of my angle.

Also, on packed dance floors, the Sony 16-35mm f/2.8 is flexible and lightweight. The baby brother version – Sony 16-35mm f/4 ($1400) is my husband’s favorite travel lens

Sony 24-70mm f/2.8 

If I were forced to only photograph with one lens for the rest of my life, the 24-70mm f/2.8 would be it. It is, hands down, the most versatile lens created.

This lens is part of my backup wedding day equipment.

An honorable mention is the Tamron 28-70mm f/2.8. At less than half the cost of my Sony 24-70mm f/2.8, many have said that it is “just as good”. I’ve tested it and have been impressed with the price and the quality.

Sony 70-200 f/4

This is the big boy. When I’m banished to the back of the church and told that I’m not allowed to go in, this is the lens I use to creep. It’s a beautiful portrait lens, too!

It’s big brother, the Sony 70-200 f/2.8 is incredible, but because of how infrequently I use this focal length, I didn’t find the cost worth it. I know some photographers that solely shoot with the 24-70 on one camera and then the 70-200 on the other camera!

It’s expensive bigger and older brother, the Sony 70-200mm f/2.8 is incredible! Because of how infrequently I use this focal length, I didn’t find the cost worth it. I know some photographers that solely shoot with the 24-70 on one camera and then the 70-200 on the other camera!

Godox AD200

When I need a lot of power, the Godox AD200 saves the day. At almost three times as much power as the 860II S, I can use two Godox AD200s and generally overpower the sun if needed. I love how small and lightweight this flash is.

For commercial shoots, I tend to go either for the Godox AD400 or the Godox AD600.

Godox 860II S

I have about half a dozen of these flashes and they all are equipped with MagGrips so that I can use the whole MagMod flash modifier system on it.

A big part of my ability to create natural-feeling photographs in whatever environment is because of my knowledge in lighting – natural light, artificial light, and off-camera light.

I don’t bother with the diffuser or the colored gels that come with this the Godox 860II kit because I think the MagMod system does such a stellar job.

Godox Xpro-S

I could set one Godox 860II-S flash on top of my camera to wirelessly control the other flashes, but if I didn’t need the ability to use an on-camera flash, I use this Xpro-S trigger to trigger my off-camera flashes. It’s lightweight, and inconspicuous!
Read more about the Godox X2t vs XPro here

MagMod MagGrid and MagSphere Kit 

If you’re interested in kicking off in the MagMod world, I highly recommend purchasing the MagMod Starter Kit. You’ll save a lot of $ this way. MagMod makes some of my favorite wedding photography equipment because of how fast I’m able to work. On. a wedding day, every second matters!

MagBox 24” Octa Pro Kit

I have two of the MagBox 24” Octa Pro Kits because I like having the carrying case. I use these softboxes when I want extremely soft light. They’re also great for headshots. My fastest time in setting one up is 44 seconds!

MagShoe 

Previously, I would use these inexpensive umbrella brackets to attach my flashes to light stands. They were so frustrating because I never knew if I finger tightened them enough. Without a doubt, MagGrips have decreased my frustration and stress level by at least 100 points. 

Peak Design Slide Lite

Awesome for one camera. I have both the thinner one (Slide Lite) and the regular Peak Slide strap one. I think the thinner one for my smaller frame, but they’re both great. Love the mechanism to easily clip on and clip off!

Holdfast Money Maker

My go-to for two camera straps. There are lots of color options for the leather. For those with long hair, you’ll have the option to not have the D-rings in the back so that it doesn’t clip your hair. 

Spider holster

When I want to not have any weight on my shoulders, I use my spider holster. It feels really good to click it into my hips. Lots of people have asked, “Do you ever miss?” and my answer is no. I’ve never missed my Spider Holster and dropped my camera. This can be used with two cameras or one. 

Here’s the link for the single (1 camera) Spider Holster and the dual (2 camera) Spider holster