What gear do you bring to weddings?

[photography by trish]

I was just curious to see what gear wedding photographers bring with them.

I'm doing my cousin's wedding (in WA where i'll probably be stuck indoors. weather's suppose to be high 53F low 44F 30% chance rain fyi.) and just wanted to compare to what I'm planning to bring:

-xsi
-40d
-tamron 11-17mm
-70-200 2.8
-50 1.8
-28-135
-580 exII
-maybe a stepping stool
-a shot list as a memory refresher
-lens cloth
-extra AA batteries
-20-something inch reflectors
-an umbrella!
-considering renting pocketwizards
-lowepro backpack
-tamrac sling

This should be fun!

[elysium]

Even as second shooter, I tend to take everything even things like filters since you never know what you could be in for. I rather be safer than sorry.

Although I do need to pick up a little step ladder.

[bestfromnw]

5d
17-40+hood
24-85
100macro
50+hood
70-200+hood
28-80+k2(backup with porta film rolls)
about 32AAA
430ex
couple of extreme III 4gb cards
diffuser
filters

[tim]

2x40D, 1x20D (for the assistant)
17-55 F2.8 IS, 70-200 F2.8 IS, 30m F1.4, 70-200 F2.8 IS, 100mm F2.8 macro, second 17-55 F2.8 IS (for assistant)
580EX II, 580EX, 550EX, with two Canon battery packs
3x8GB Sandisk Extreme II, 4GB E3 (I lost the rest)
Skyport radio slaves (3 pairs)
10 BP-511 cells, AAs in each flash, spare AAs for each flash, AAs for the battery pack (I think that's 40-50 AAs I take).
Two light stands, bunch of umbrellas, umbrella brackets, tiny soft box
Ladder
Assistant
Snacks, drinks
Some little book of posing ideas I bought. Photogarphers toolkit or something. I don't really look at it often.
Day plan, group photo list
Business cards with the proofing website URL on the back.
LOTS of misc things in my bag. Cables, cloths, headache type stuff
Going to add safety pins, double sided tape, sewing kit
6 golf umbrellas, if necessary
Probably other things

[Matt30D]

30D Back-up 17-85Lens---still me favorite camera
40D - - - 10-22 lens, 85 1.8, 50mm 1.4, 14 Prime.
5D Mark II - - - 70-200 2.8
1Ds Mark III - - - 24-70 IS 2.8
1 580 EX
2 430's
2 Umbrellas
2 Flash Brackets
1 Ring Flash
1 Monopod
5- 8 Gig Extremes CF Cards
LOTS OF BATTERIES!!!

Second shooter- if available!
And lots of FUN!

[Matt30D]

Nice Bag Tim!

[stathunter]

On my person (or in my thinktank changeup--on me):
1DMKII & 5D --- both around my neck.
one or two 580exII's
extra batteries
extra cards in my think tank pixelpocket rocket-- straped on my belt in my pocket
24-70 or 70-200 on the MKII and a 35L on the 5D


In my pelican case/and or another case:
another MKII & a 40D
back up glass- typically back up 70-200 and one or two others.
2more 580exII's
lots of pocket wizards
light stands
two umbrellas
batteries-- lots (for cameras/pocket wiz etc)
step ladder- in vehicle -- until formals - then is comes out for a quick visit-- then returns
ebay remote-- sometimes I use it for a remote camera
whitebal card - lots of business cards-- and other small stuff in the top container of my pelican case.
rocket blower-- and a few travel cleaning things.

When I fly to weddings I bring the Pelican Case-- and Thinkank changeup-- and typically 3 camera bodies- batteries - 4 lenses. 3 flashes-- batteries- 1 light stand- a small softbox.

OH-- and no matter what I always have black gaffers tape with me.

[form]

Hmm...

40D and 20D
Sigma 10-20, Canon 24-70, 85 f/1.8 and 135 f/2
Speedlite 580EX, 3x Sunpak 383s
Several umbrellas and brollys
3-4 light stands
3x skyport receivers and 1x trigger
Reflectors I never use
Gels I almost always use
4x spare batteries
24-32gb of CF memory in 2gb, 4gb and 8gb ultra II or extreme III
A few flash adapters, some cables, optical triggers, etc.

[tim]

Nice Bag Tim!

It takes four bags to carry it all. Most goes in my one big bag, assistant has her own bag, light stands/umbrellas/couple more flashes in a big light stand bag for reception lighting, and a portable lighting kit in a smaller tripod bag.

[Matt30D]

How about one really, really big BAG!

[tim]

I don't think my assistant would like to carry that bag!

[photography by trish]

...
Ladder
.......
Snacks, drinks
.....
Business cards with the proofing website URL on the back.
LOTS of misc things in my bag. Cables, cloths, headache type stuff
Going to add safety pins, double sided tape, sewing kit
...


when you say ladder, i picture a full size ladder. is that what you bring?
snacks, drinks, and business cards...almost forgot that!
and how often have you needed a sewing kit for jobs?

:) just had to pick your brain!


Hmm...

Gels I almost always use


i've never used gels before. is it true or not; that you can use photoshop to do what gels can do?

[tim]

when you say ladder, i picture a full size ladder. is that what you bring?
snacks, drinks, and business cards...almost forgot that!
and how often have you needed a sewing kit for jobs?

:) just had to pick your brain!

I have a ladder the folds up and takes up 1/4 of the boot of my little car. I use it for at least the big group shot at every wedding, i'd call it essential. You can climb things, but a ladder is more reliable.

I could've used a sewing kit at the last wedding, to give to a bridesmaid. Double sided tape would've been handy too. They're just things I can throw in my car and leave there, no harm to have them, and they could come in handy.

[form]

i've never used gels before. is it true or not; that you can use photoshop to do what gels can do?

Uhhmmm....I use the gels to match my flashes to the ambient lighting (indoors tungsten is common so I use CTO gels) so neither one shows up blue or orange vs. the other. If you want to spend time trying to selectively remove the blue or orange tint from each surface that is affected, then yes it might be possible to photoshop it. But, it's about 1,000 times easier to just color match your flash to the ambient light and avoid having to do so much touchup later.

[tim]

In practice a gel is FAR easier than trying to match mixed light source temps in Photoshop, like Form says. My gels eat about a stop though. Often I use the flash to override the ambient light, sometimes to compliment it, but light is often so low that you pretty much override it. Gels are more useful with on-camera flash when you can only light a limited area, when i'm strobing a room I tend to override and just use bare flash.

[photography by trish]

Uhhmmm....I use the gels to match my flashes to the ambient lighting (indoors tungsten is common so I use CTO gels) so neither one shows up blue or orange vs. the other. If you want to spend time trying to selectively remove the blue or orange tint from each surface that is affected, then yes it might be possible to photoshop it. But, it's about 1,000 times easier to just color match your flash to the ambient light and avoid having to do so much touchup later.

In practice a gel is FAR easier than trying to match mixed light source temps in Photoshop, like Form says. My gels eat about a stop though. Often I use the flash to override the ambient light, sometimes to compliment it, but light is often so low that you pretty much override it. Gels are more useful with on-camera flash when you can only light a limited area, when i'm strobing a room I tend to override and just use bare flash.

that is such useful info!!! thanks for sharing that. now i have to look into gels and how to use them properly. i am very excited to incorporate gels into my photog life.

i actually picked up a presslite (presslite.com) and was planning to strategically use that as a second light in a weird, budgeted way... in my experience with using the product, it is pretty effecient in what it is made for. of course not as effecient as a slave!!! but i did say budget!!!!!!

[form]

Yes, CTO gels eat about 1/2 the light output, but I can't really defeat the ambient light without running into dark areas sometimes, and anywhere my flashes don't hit will either be dark (or orange if I don't use gels), so I try to balance it as much as possible with a medium shutter speed to minimize color issues and blend everything. I also think there would be a noticeable color cast or tint to some areas if any of the ambient light showed up when using flash, even at fast speeds to reduce the ambient light.

By the way, tonight I tested my sunpak 383 vs 580ex vs alienbees b1600 output at max power when bounced off the ceiling. The 580EX has the zooming feature that gives it about 1/3 or 2/3 of a stop more light output than the sunpak 383 for bouncing, and the b1600 gave me about 6-7x the light of the 580ex, and about 8x the light of the sunpak 383. I tested by adjusting aperture and projecting each light by itself on the same area of ceiling with a generally similar distance-from-ceiling each time. It's very unscientific, but it gave me a rough idea.

[Matt30D]

So you just place the gels over the external flash, to match the ambient light? What fun is that?

[tim]

Yes, you gel your flashes to match ambient.

[jmanser]

Wow.. OK I am NO where ready to do weddings.. lol
You have to carry so much stuff!

[DigitalSpecialist]

Manser, Weddings are one of the toughest jobs to shoot! But, I will add that each wedding dictates the amount of kit you must carry. For a large wedding I have a second phtog, and an assistant. Not to mention to full kits, step ladders, etc..

You would be surprised how many so called Pros have no idea of using gels to match lighting! And many that primarily use the dreaded green box!

[picturecrazy]

I bring everything in my sig... minus the TS-E and 75-300.
In addition, there's:

-lighting gear (reflectors, stands, more lights, 7 pocketwizards, gels, umbrellas, brackets, cables)
-my laptop computer with cables, mouse, card readers, ac adapters, extra battery
-a complete extra set of clothes
-step ladder
-blanket
-sandwiches, energy bars, gatorade, 12 pack bottled water for the bridal party
-sunscreen and bug repellant
-first aid kit

It's a lot of stuff. It's also a PITA. Wedding shooting is a total PITA, you gotta really truly enjoy it to do it well.

[Exit]

5D (now Mk2) with 35L and 1dMk3 with 85L II.

In the pelican I have my Mamiya RZ system and 580EX.

Keep it simple

[collierportraits]

Everything in the sig PLUS

Expodisc
About 30 GB of CF cards
tripod
lightstand (I use a Metz off camera in a small Lumiquest softbox for a LOT of shots)
Radio slaves to fire it...
My "Extras" bag which includes spare cords, backup radio slaves, backup camera brackets, basically backup everything, that I hope to never need. I also use this bag to store my Tupperware, extra batteries, etc.
(I had one wedding several years ago where I had a body freeze up, lens lock up and a bracketed camera kicked over by the videographer that killed a flash, SO, backup, backup, backup equipment)

[Ken Cravillion]

I'll play:

2 5D's, 40D, 14L, 24L, 35L, TS-E 45, 50L, 85L, 100 Macro, 135L, 300 2.8IS, 24-70L, 70-200 2.8IS, 2 580's, Pocket Wizards, 40GB of CF.

All fits in a Thinktank...

[SuzyView]

This is a decent thread :) Since I see some old timers with their gear.

I bring:

5D, 40D, EOS 3 (sometimes), P&S, just in case
24-70, 17-40, 70-200 2.8 IS, 50 1.4, 85 1.8
580, 430, 550 with diffusers, bracket
Epson viewer
light stands, umbrellas, PWII's, etc. (in car just in case).
3 golf umbrellas
1 assistant
1 second shooter
3 bags, batteries, cords, filters.
Laptop and printers if part of the deal.

[photography by trish]

Wow! This thread has been so fun and informative.
Thanks everyone for participating.
Let's keep it goin!
:D

[_aravena]

Like...everything.

Seriously:
20D
40D (after the New Year)
10-17 Fisheye
18-50
70-200
Nifty Fifty
430EX (crap, guess I'll need another too, I forget about that)
4x BP-511
5x 4GB CF cards
3x AA batteries (probably need more here soon)
15min Battery Charger (never know or forgot to charge the ones I have)
DIY DIffuser
Filters
Extra shirt sometimes (it's Fla, it gets HOT!!!)
Crumpler 7MDH

and most important, business cards for future events! ;)

[SDavis Photo]

1x40D, 1x30D
17-55 F2.8 IS, 17-55 f2.8 IS (back-up) 70-200 F4 L , 50mm 1:1.4
580EX II, two 430Ex's
4x4GB Sandisk Extreme II
4 BP-511 cells, AAs in each flash, spare AAs for each flash, Two light stands, umbrellas, umbrella brackets,
Ladder
list posing ideas
Business cards

[Ken Cravillion]

I'll play:

2 5D's, 40D, 14L, 24L, 35L, TS-E 45, 50L, 85L, 100 Macro, 135L, 300 2.8IS, 24-70L, 70-200 2.8IS, 2 580's, Pocket Wizards, 40GB of CF.

All fits in a Thinktank...

I have to add a 5D2 and an Alienbees AB-800 and related equip... End of the year purchases...

[FlikChick]

holy jesus. that's alot of equipment! Man....i have a ways to go....=(