Featured Image Caption: Surrey Wedding Photographer Shoots a Couple Photo
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To be ready to deal with all eventualities on a wedding day a professional wedding photographer will have an equipment bag packed with all sorts of camera kit. They know that there will only be one chance to capture the day as it unfolds and so not having something ready to hand is simply not an option. Richard, a professional Surrey wedding photographer runs through the essential bits of kit that all photographers should have.
A High Performance Professional Camera
This usually means a full frame DSLR or the increasingly popular Mirrorless camera. Complete with a full size sensor, they will offer greater performance in terms of ISO range, shutter speed and focussing and usually come with dual memory card slots to ensure backing up of images in case of card failure. These memory cards are usually SD or Compact cards and will have a high storage capability and fast write speed.
A photographer will always have a second camera body, essential as a backup in case the main camera fails and also as a way of extending the scope of the photography with the use of a second lens.
At Least Two Fast Lenses
The most popular lens for a wedding photographer is a 28-70mm zoom which offers the most useful range of focal length for one camera. In addition a 70-200 zoom lens is a popular option allowing more discrete photographic work as well as excellent portraiture opportunities. Further lenses that are popular are a fast 50mm prime lens which allows greater scope in low light conditions as well as a wide angle zoom lens for those times when you need to expand the width and height of your subject matter for example in a small room or where there’s a lot of people.
A Camera Battery Grip
A camera battery grip is a simple bit of kit that is attached to the bottom of your camera and holds a spare battery. When your main battery runs out of power, which it will do during a whole day’s wedding shoot, then the second one kicks in without you having to change it which makes a photographer’s life so much easier and less stressful.
A Camera Harness
These come essentially in two formats, one that fits around your waist and the second which fits over your shoulders. Regardless of which one you use, they allow you to carry two cameras at once and they employ quick release and lock mechanisms so you can safely grab a camera at will and likewise put it away. It’s only when you use one that you appreciate just how useful they are. Also when you want to use your hands for something else you can just holster both cameras.
A Speedlight Flashgun
Always an important back up if you can’t use existing natural light, especially for dark interiors, at night time or in the winter months. Once again you would always have a spare just in case one fails or the batteries run out.
These are the essentials to get through a wedding and it goes without saying that you will have back up camera batteries, flash batteries and memory cards just in case.
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