We have had good intentions to blog about this for the past year or so but every time we sit down to make it happen… well life pulls us away from the computer. So today we knuckled down and got her done. I have to warn you, it will be a somewhat long post as we carry a lot of gear, but what better to capture your amazing wedding with my dear;) Let’s get started.

Canon 7DMII
Canon has a long list of amazing cameras, but I am just smitten with the Canon 7DMII. Why? Speed, we are journalistic lifestyle wedding photographers, meaning we capture the day as it unfolds. I need a camera that is as quick as my eye and this one takes the cake. Plus I don’t use a camera strap, I prefer to have my camera in my hands all day long to ensure I am always ready for whatever life throws out there.  Because I this I prefer a camera that fits perfectly in my grip. The Canon 1DMII is a great camera but way to large for my hands.  And the Canon 5DII is also a gorgeous camera but the full frame sensor slows it down to much for my personal taste.

Canon 7D
Brandon holsters two cameras at once, two Canon 7D’s (the older -but still amazing- version of mine). One of his Canon 7D’s is always set up with a wide angle lens and on the other he will swap out lenses as needed. (Not featured in this post, we also have two 40D’s as backup in case anything horrible was to happen.)

Canon 50mm, 1.2
This is my precious, I literally become like smeagol when it comes to this lens.  I would say this lens is on my camera about 70-80% of the time. If had to choose one lens this would be the ONE. With a wide aperture of (f/1.2), I can use this lens in any lighting situation from getting ready photos (wedding dress, shoes, wedding invitation, etc) to romantic portraits, reception details (cake, floral design, drink details, etc). I will switch out lenses every now and then as needed for the perfect shot, but this is my baby.

Canon 100mm, 1.2
Which brings us to Brandon’s inner smeagol. The lens is perfect for keeping his arms buff as it weighs close to two pounds and is a hunky piece of glass, but produces ring photos like nobodies business! When you think ring bling you think of this lens.  It also captures some of the most gorgeous portraits from a distance. Brandon typically shoots behind me to give our couples more space to breathe.  This way they don’t feel as though two photographers are all over them. During this time I’m  in closer with our couples, shooting with the 50mm, giving direction, sweet compliments, my big smile and and comforting affirmation. Brandon is able to use this lens to get a up close feel without encroaching or crowding.

Canon 70-200mm, 2.8 IS
This is the lens I feel every wedding photographer should have in their arsenal. We believe wedding photographers should be unseen as much as possible during the ceremony, the day is about our couple and all the focus should be on them.  (We have heard horror stories about a weddings being stopped mid-ceremony because the photographer was too distracting! CRINGE). This zoom lens allows us to capture up close moments yet stay well out of the way. I use this lens for the majority of the ceremony.

Canon 24-70mm, 2.8
These were the lenses we both started the business with and still use today. If the bridal suite is tight  I will pull out this lens for some additional shots to give a large feel to the room. It also lets me shoot from just about anywhere as this lens allows for quick adjusting focal range. Brandon will use this lens during ceremony when he is sitting in with the guests (typically done when the ceremony is in the church). He grabs a seat right upfront close to the aisle  so he can capture  the moment the groom first looks at his bride, the bride walking down the aisle towards her groom and the moment dad gives her away. He also uses this lens for family portraits as it allows for him to capture a range from small groups (4+) to large groups (20+) in a short amount of time.

Sigma 10-20mm
This is the first wide angle lens we bought and have stuck with it ever since. Brandon has this lens on his side at all times to grab nice wide shots of the day that tell the story from a full perspective. We don’t take tons of shots with this lens but it is nice to have to add in a variation of images.

32″ Flat Screen TV
Yep we pack her up and bring her along. During each wedding while everyone is eating Brandon and I sneak off to grab a bit to eat (so we don’t pass out on y’all) and edit wedding photos from the day. We learned that no one likes us to  take photos while they are eating so this is the ideal time to get photos ready to share. By the time dinner is over and the party is jumping we have about 30 wedding images from your day edited and on the Flatscreen for all to see. Friends + family LOVE it!

Pocketwizard PlusII
These little darlings allow our cameras and external flashes to communicate during the reception. They have a long range and great speed. Perfect for the first dance so our couples has a soft gorgeous glow around them and also for the dance party shortly there after when Uncle Tom is breaking it down.

Canon 580EXII
Yes we have 4 of them. We each have one on our main shooting camera’s and we also set up two in for the reception with soft boxes …amazing lighting. And once the party gets going we take off the soft boxes so we can have the starburst effect in some of the photos.

Naneu Urban Gear U120 SLR/Laptop Backpack, Medium
This is our work horse and Brandon carries it… love him for that. It gets heavy! This bag carries most of our essentials for the wedding day and is always on us. It also carries our laptop which we use to do onsite “day of wedding” edits to share during the reception.  We carry our one shoot sacks, which I will do a separate post on, but this bad boy is our main stay.