What to Pack in Your Wedding Photography Bag

As a wedding photographer, it can be easy to overpack your kit for each event. Since you will be on your feet for long periods of time, traveling to various locations it’s important to avoid this. You don’t want your bag distracting you when you are capturing photos! With over 6 years of experience as a professional wedding photographer, I have fine-tuned my kit to the essentials.

Remember that you don’t need to have every lens or the newest camera. It’s about the way that you use your gear and maximize what you have daily. So, pack light and be strategic with what you do bring with you! Especially for new wedding photographers, this advice can save you money from the beginning. Instead of continually purchasing new items, take the time to master your skills with the tools you have. 

Are you starting from scratch or do you need help minimalizing your kit? I’m sharing what to pack in your wedding photography bag in this post. Keep reading to find out my go-to tools that are worth the space and investment.

Photography Bags and Harness

You need a bag to pack everything in! I use the Neweer Rolling Bag, Holdfast Harness, and a Megagear side bag to hold everything. You will be able to move easily throughout the day and all of your items will feel secure. 

Cameras

2 Sony A9’s

This is a classic compact camera created for professional use. I keep two in my bag. Click here to learn more about the Sony A9. 

Lenses

Sigma 50mm 1.4

Say hello to the first lens on this list. The Sigma 50mm 1.4 is a super sharp, quick-to-focus lens that makes shooting weddings a breeze.  Click here for more details about this lens.

Sigma 85mm 1.4

This is a wonderful lens for portraits! Focus on faces and different poses with ease. Check out more details about the Sigma 85mm 1.4 here.

Sony 35mm 1.4

The Sony 35mm 1.4 is a wide-angle lens that is extremely lightweight! It is easy to manually control this focus on the spot. Here is more information about this lens.

Sony Gmaster 24-70mm 2.8

This might be the last lens on the list but it is just as essential! I always bring this standard lens along with me to weddings. Click here to learn all about the Sony Gmaster 24-70mm 2.8. 

Flashes

Of course, you need some flashes in your photography bag! 

3 Godox V860III Flashes

I keep 3 flashes in my bag and these are my absolute favorite. Click here to learn about the Godox V860III flash. 

Neewer 2-Pack Stainless Steel Light Stands

These light stands already come in a 2-pack so you don’t have to purchase multiple at a time! I like to keep these light stands in my trunk in case I need off-camera flash for a particularly dark venue or place where I can’t bounce light with on-camera flash. While off-camera flash may not be your style, it’s helpful to have a basic understanding of off-camera flash because you never know when the venue you are at will need it. Keep these handy unless you are one hundred percent sure they are not necessary! Here is all of the information about the light stands I use. 

Batteries & Memory Cards

Always be prepared. Extra batteries for your camera and flashes are essential. I like to have four extra camera batteries and two extra flash batteries. Additionally, you always need to have extra memory cards. It’s a good rule of thumb to get new memory cards every year or so, depending on how much they’re used. These are the memory cards I always use. 

While you should always check your photography bag at least once before the wedding day, triple-check for these items. 

Additional Items

As a fun and useful bonus to your kit, I suggest investing in some flatlay tools. In addition to those special, ‘onsite-only available at this particular wedding’ items, add these small pieces to elevate and style your flatlay photos. These tools will make the process so much easier. Here are some flat lay items to consider:

• Flat lay styling mat (Etsy or JRD Artshop– get on the JRD email list to get notified of release dates!)
• Acrylic cubes (to add dimension to your flatlays) 
• Ring box (The Mrs. Box is cute but any ring box from Amazon will do)
• Ribbon
• Ring dish (I actually gift these to my clients with their initials and wedding date from The PaintedPress on Etsy when they book with me. So, you can always remind your clients to bring them along to their wedding day if they want to as well)

Where to Find Your Photography Bag Items

I recommend purchasing your memory cards and external hard drives from Best Buy. Keep an eye out for their Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales! For the other items on this list, Facebook Groups are a wonderful way to get solid second-hand gear for a much lower price than listed. Search for “Sony Buy/Sell” groups on Facebook before making any large purchases on a lens or camera. While scammers are rare in these groups, make sure you use a secure money transfer like PayPal to protect yourself. 

Now you are ready to pack your wedding photography bag!

If you found this post helpful, check out how to increase your productivity as a photographer next.