We are all the time getting asked what gear we use (we’re looking at you random uncles at weddings!), so we wanted to make a post showing what we use and a talk a little about why!

Photography Gear

Our approach to weddings is to capture all the days moments as they naturally unfold, so to do that we try to keep our gear as minimal and efficient as possible. This also makes it easier for us if we have to get o We also know that gear can fail on a wedding day so we always bring backups of all our gear with us just in case!

• Nikon D750 (x3) – The D750 is one of the most popular wedding photography cameras of all time, and thats for a reason. It takes awesome photos, has dual card slots for backup photos, is fairly light, has great battery life and is super dependable. While it doesn’t have wifi connectivity, tracking autofocus, or some of the other fancy features of newer cameras, it has all the essentials you need to take great shots and not miss a moment on a wedding day. And since its a few years old now, you can get them for a seriously great price. Some models did hav a shutter issue which Nikon issued a recall for, but outside of that we have never had an issue with any of our D750’s in the 4+ years we’ve been using them.
• Sony a7III – While we do love our D750’s for photo, they honestly aren’t great as a primary video camera. So we ended up getting an a7iii to use for video, and Taylor loved it so much that he now uses it as his main photo camera as well (Allie is still repping the Nikons though!) Although none of this is necessary for taking awesome wedding photos, and this camera is double the price of a D750, we love all of the awesome autofocus features (face detection, object tracking, touch screen focus points!) the extremely customizable button setups, and how lightweight this camera is!
• Sigma ART Lenses – We think these are absolutely the best lenses for wedding photography + videography! They are super sharp, focus perfectly, and are half the price of their Nikon/Canon/Sony equivalents. We’ve compared them side by the side with the Canon L series and couldn’t tell a difference. We primarily use the 35mm and have both the Nikon and Sony mount versions (along with a few old partially broken ones that we still use!), and also have the 50mm and 24mm.
• Nikon Nikkor 85mm 1:1.8 G – We don’t use this lens a lot, but Allie will often throw it on her secondary camera during ceremonies in case we need to get in really close for something!
• Nikon Flashes – For the most part we don’t love the artificial look that flash creates, so we try to rely on natural light as much as possible. but will normally bust out these on Camera flashes if its dark during the reception! We recommend grabbing some rechargeable batteries for these, as they go through them pretty quickly!
• Camera Rain Ponchos – The weather in Hawaii can be super unpredictable so we always bring these camera rain covers along with us just in case it starts raining! Are Cameras are all weather sealed, but Sigma lenses are not, so these make sure everything stays safe and dry!
• SanDisk Extreme Pro 64GB SD Cards – Since we’re taking photos of extremely important moments that can’t be recreated, we make sure we have the best SD cards to keep everything safe. We always shoot on 2 cards in case one fails, but in the 4+ years we’ve been using these cards we have never had one go out on us!
• Card Cases – We keep 2 of these, one for used cards and for empty cards, that way we don’t get things mixed up on a wedding day.
• Fujifilm Instax Mini + Film – We bring this little instant film camera along so that couples can walk away from their wedding day with a physical memory of their wedding day!
• Holdfast Money Maker – Allie uses this to carry 2 cameras at once! That way she isn’t having to change lenses or grab another camera and risk missing an important moment!
• Plenty of Extra Batteries (A7iii) (D750) – Wedding days can be long and taking so many photos can easily drain even the best camera batteries, so we bring a ton of extra batteries along with us just in case! And this way we’re not having to worry about charging batteries during wedding days.
• Lens Cloths – Our lenses can get dirty quickly if we are shooting by the ocean or on a hike, so we make sure we have plenty of these to keep everything super sharp! These often come free as extras with lenses or other camera stuff
• WD Passport Hard Drives 4Tb – These are super dependable and a great price for the amount of storage! We have a ton of these!

Video Gear For Weddings

There’s some overlap between our Wedding photography and videography gear, we use the same lenses, cards, and some of the same cameras, but here are some things we use just for videography!

• Sony a6500 – This camera is an awesome little 4k video machine. We set it up on tripod and use it as a B Cam for the Ceremony and Reception! Make sure you get plenty of extra batteries as the battery life on this camera is not great!
• DJI Mavic Air Drone – You definitely don’t have to have a drone to make great wedding videos, but it definitely helps sets the scene and is great for a place like Hawaii, where we have stunning views no matter where you look! The Mavic Air is small, light and easy to setup, but still has great battery life and captures amazing 4k footage! We got the Fly More combo that includes the Remote and a few extra batteries, and also the Poler Pro ND Filters for when its bright!
• GoPro Hero – We don’t use this much, but when we have a couple wants to cliff jump into the ocean we’ll give it to them to capture their reaction! We have this float attachment on the back so we don’t lose it in the water!
• Tascam DR-10L – These little recorders are and great for capturing ceremony audio. They are easy to setup, have great battery life, and are small enough to be pretty inconspicuous when pinned to the officiant or groom! We also have extra lapel clips in case one falls off, and mini fuzzy wind socks in case its extra windy out!
• Tiffen Variable ND Filters – These ND Filters are great quality and help when we’re shooting in super bright conditions. We’ve tried some of the cheaper options and could absolutely tell the difference, so would definitely recommend getting these! We also have some step up rings to make sure these fit on all of our lenses!
• Nikon to Sony Lens Adapter – This allows us to use all of our Nikon Lenses on our Sony cameras, that way we don’t have to carry around 2 versions of every lens + backup. Its a little weird looking with the ridged aperture control, but does a great job! You can’t use autofocus with this adapter, but we’ve tried the more expensive ones that are supposed to allow autofocus, but found they weren’t reliable enough for a wedding day!
• Takstar Shotgun Mic – We don’t normally rely on the on Camera Audio, but we’ll throw this mic on as a backup for our recorders during the ceremony or speeches! Its not the most expensive, but has been tested against the Rode Shotgun mics and performs just as well! We also have a fuzzy wind sock for it just in case its especially windy!
• Manfrotto Monopod – This monopod is super high quality, and allows us to get smooth stable footage while staying fairly mobile!
• Manfrotto befree Live Tripod – This tripod is super lightweight, but still sturdy, making it perfect for elopements that require some hiking or adventuring around or weddings we have to fly for!
• Manfrotto Quick Release Plates – We keep these on the bottom of our video cameras, and they allow us to quickly get cameras on and off of tripods and monopods!

What bags do we use?

It seems like a lot of gear, but we are able to easily fit it all into 2 bags and still have a little extra space. Here’s the 2 bags and everything all tucked in! them!

• Pelican 1510 with Padded Dividers and Lid Insert – This case is super tough, waterproof and possibly indestructible (that last one isn’t proven!). It stores a ton of gear and fits the carry-on requirements for pretty much every airline. Flight attendants might tell you have to check it, but we always just tell them that it carrying a lot of expensive gear and ask if we can at least try to carry it on. We’ve always been able to fit it under the seat or overhead , even on some some seriously tiny planes! We got the version with the padded dividers so we could be flexible with what we carry, and the lid organizer to fit extra odds and ends!
• Lowepro Flipside 400aw – We’ll bring this bag along if we are hiking for a shoot and need to carry extra gear, or if we are just shooting photo and don’t want to lug the Pelican around! It fits multiple bodies and lenses and is comfortable!

Extra Stuff!

• Portable Battery Pack – We always keep a portable battery pack with us to make sure our phones are charged in case we need to communicate with each other or someone else on the wedding day! We also sometimes use it to charge our Sony Cameras when we’re not shooting!
• Snacks + Water! – Wedding days can be long, and its always important to stay hydrated and energized! We make sure we have a full water bottle and a few protein or fruit bars to keep us going!

Let us know your favorite gear in the comments, and head to the BLOG to see more tips for photographers, wedding planning and more !