When it comes to what is in my camera bag on a wedding day, I’m Marry Popping Ya’ll!  On a serious note, I do bring way more than just my camera equipment with me on a wedding day.  A button falls off a dress?  I have a needle and thread.  You cry during your first look but don’t have tissues?  I have hankies.

Gear, Gear, and More Gear

Of course, the first thing in my camera bag is going to be gear.  Here is a snapshot of what I bring with me:

• 2 Cameras: 5D Mark iii, 6D
• 5 Lenses: 70-200mm, 24-75mm, 16-35mm, 50mm, 100mm macro
• 2 Speed Flashes
• Trip Pod
• 3x the batteries I need
• 2x the memory cards I need
• Extra memory card (yes, even more)
• Hold Fast Money Maker Strap
• Other Gear: Filters, Lens Hoods, Cleaning Tools, Flash Modifiers, Battery Chargers, etc.

You may have noticed that I have double or triple of some items.  That is to make sure that if anything happens to my gear, I still have fully functioning gear to shoot your wedding!  Ok, now that we have gone through a quick list of my gear, let’s get on to the fun stuff!

Food

I always bring a variety of snacks with me to a wedding.  I try to bring  a variety of protein, energy, and granola bars with me (with at least one nut-free option if I can).  As someone who has been known to get hangry, I always make sure I am fully fed on a wedding day.  I usually shove a bar in my mouth while I am shooting the reception details before the ceremony.  That keeps me full until the reception.

But I do not only bring food for myself.  I need to make sure my couples are fed too! Often time the bride or groom will have forgotten to eaten in all of the excitement of the day.  Or they will be too nervous to eat until they see their fiancé for the first time.  In either case, there is always a spare 3 minutes for me to feed them one of my bars!

Day Of Emergency Kit

I bring an emergency kit to every wedding as well.  This is focused mostly on things that could affect the images, as I am a photographer.  Here is a list of the things that can be found in my emergency kit:

• Advil, Tylenol, Benadryl, Tums, Pepto and Sudafed
• Mini First-Aid Kit
• Needle & thread, Hemming Tape
• Bobby Pins & Hair Ties
• Deodorant
• Un-opened Burt’s Bees
• Tampons & Pads
• Sun Block
• Lotion
• Hankies
• Wet Wipes
• Blotting Cloths
• Toothbrush & Toothpaste
• Gum & Mints
• Lint Roller
• Eye Drops

Shot List

Of course I cannot forget the shot list!  I create a custom shot list and timeline for each of my couples.  I have a copy of this in each of my bags and my second shooter has one as well.  If all else fails, I can access it through my Dropbox on my phone.

 

My emergency day kit is what makes me feel most like Mary Poppins (whom I dearly love!).  I love hearing things on wedding days like, “Um, did I bring deodorant?” and being able to say “I have some!”.  Or “Oh crap, I just had garlic!” and being able to say “I have a toothbrush or gum!”  This is when my inner Mary really comes out!