Welcome to the photographer edition of what’s in my bag! It’s always fun to hear what’s in other people’s purses but, since mine mostly just holds old receipts and empty hand sanitizer bottles along with my wallet (embarrassing, but true) I figured I would share what’s in my camera bag.
I spend a lot of time with my photography bag during the wedding season and, while it does amass some other random objects every now and then, today I’m going to be sharing the staples of what I always have with me on a wedding day! If you’re looking for inspiration for tools to add to your own kit or are just curious what photographers carry around in their (very heavy) bags, this is the post for you!
Camera Bag: Kamrette Lyra Backpack
This backpack is one of my favourite purchases I made last year! It may not look like it, but camera gear is HEAVY! And I love that this bag is a backpack meaning I don’t have to sling it over 1 shoulder. It is so comfortable to wear, even when full, and is such beautiful build and quality! I’ve tried a few other camera bag brands over the years and my Kamrette bag is by far the best quality bag I’ve ever used!
2 D750s and a D610
I bought my first D750 all the way back in 2016 and have been in love with it from the moment I first used it! Its low light handling is unparalleled and it has a great focusing system as well! I loved it so much I added a second one as my back up camera. I also have a D610, the very first full-frame I ever bought, as a back up to my back up.
Lenses : Nikon 50mm 1.4, Nikon 85mm 1.8, Sigma Art 35mm 1.4, Sigma 105 2.8mm, Tamron 70-200mm 2.8
I’m a sucker for prime lenses (lenses that only have 1 focal length) with the exception of my 70-200 2.8. While I’m not going to tell you my favourite lenses just yet (that’s coming in another blog post!) I will tell you my least used lens. And that is my 35mm! I really only pull it out when I need the wider field of view for tight spaces. It’s a good lens but I don’t like having to get super close to my subject to take a close-up picture. However, I’m not going to lie. Some of my favourite pictures have been taken with my 35 because it was just the right lens for the job!
2 Godox V1 Flashes
These are the newest additions to my camera bag after shooting with Yongnuo flashes for 4 wedding seasons and I AM IN LOVE! They have dedicated batteries so that means no more loading my bag up with AA batteries. They have an amazing refresh time (which can get quite long meaning you miss moments) and the batteries last a long time!
TONS of SD Cards!
You can never have too many memory cards! I’m a big fan of backups on backups of pictures (especially for wedding days) juuuuust in case! Weddings are a one-time thing and I would die if something ever happened to one of my couple’s pictures so I have tons of memory cards. I shoot on 2 memory cards during the wedding day, back up images at the reception on to my external hard drive, and back them up onto a second hard drive when I get home. I also have them set to back up online as an extra form of protection just in case!
2 Memory Card Cases
I need somewhere to put all of those memory cards! I have a dedicated case for empty memory cards as well as a case for ones that have already been used.
Batteries
I always carry lots of extra batteries with me! I have one battery that I use in my camera plus 2 extras charged and ready to go in my bag for every wedding day. Since these batteries work in all of my cameras, I am able to switch them between cameras if needed. I also always carry a battery charger with me as well just in case. I also have 2 batteries for my flashes as well as the charger for those batteries in my bag as well.
Mini Reflector
I love my mini reflector, it comes in hand for so many things! Whether I want to block too much light from getting in to my lens and causing lens flare or reflect light back on to a small subject like a ring, it’s one of my least expensive and favourite purchases!
And there you have it! That’s what’s in my camera bag. Do you have questions about any of the gear I use? Feel free to drop your questions in the comments section and I’d be happy to answer them!
Check out my other posts for photographers:
Best Camera for New Photographers
How to Photograph the Night Sky
Until next time!
