Gear
What's in My Bag: Wedding Photography Gear
Couples ask what we shoot with, so here it is - the actual kit, nothing embellished. Everything on this page is equipment we own and carry on wedding days.
The cameras: two Sony A1 bodies
I photograph weddings on two Sony A1 bodies. Fifty megapixels leaves room to recompose a frame without losing detail, and the silent shutter lets a ceremony stay a ceremony.
Two bodies means two lenses are always ready. I am not changing glass while your first look happens. Everything writes to Sony TOUGH cards, which are built to survive a wedding season.
The lenses
Four lenses cover the day.
The Sigma 35mm f/1.2 Art is the storytelling lens - wide enough to hold the room and the moment in one frame. The Sony 50mm f/1.2 GM handles portraits and low light. When a reception drops to candlelight, this is what stays on the camera.
The Sony 90mm f/2.8 Macro G photographs the rings, the invitation suite, and the heirlooms up close. The Sony 70-200mm f/2.8 GM covers ceremonies from a distance, so I can stay out of the aisle and still bring you close to what happened there.
Light
Natural light comes first. It is most of why the work looks the way it does. When a venue goes dark, I bring Flashpoint flashes and strobes - enough to shape a room, with a footprint small enough that nobody trips over a light stand at their own wedding.
The film side
Wedding films are shot on the Sony FX6 and Sony FX3 cinema cameras. They share the same lenses as the photography kit, and a set of DZOFILM Arles cine primes comes out when the film calls for that rendering.
Movement is handheld or on the DJI RS 4 Pro and RS 3 Pro gimbals. Lighting on the film side is Aputure. Vows and toasts are captured on dedicated audio recorders - the same professional audio kit our production company runs.
How it all travels
On my body all day: a HoldFast MoneyMaker leather harness carrying both cameras, no bag in sight. The photo kit rides in a Pelican 1535 Air; the cinema kit travels in a Pelican 1615 Air and a fleet of other Pelican cases.
Why this kit
The short version: two of everything that matters, light I can carry in one hand, and cameras quiet enough to disappear. If this is how you want your wedding seen, visit our documentary wedding photography page or tell us your story.
Product photos: Henry Söderlund, CC BY 2.0