Newport Wedding Photography

I was shooting an ‘out of area’ wedding a few weeks ago (to me that is a wedding more than 20 miles from my home), went to pick up my camera bag and nearly had a hernia. It weighs so much that it reminded me of being back in the Army with your life on your back. And that is just what my camera bag is – everything I need to shoot a wedding, or portrait or just people when I am away.  A portable studio in fact ready for every eventuality.

Main wedding photography camera bag:

• Canon EOS 5D Mark II with 24-70mm L f2.8 (with UV filter)
• Canon EOS 5D Mark II with 70-200mm L f2.8 IS (with UV filter)
• Canon EOS 40D with 17-40mm L F4 (with UV filter)
• Two Canon 580EXII speedlights, with Stofen diffusers and mounts
• Four spare 5D Mark II batteries
• Four spare 40D batteries
• Eight sets of rechargeable batteries for the speedlights
• Two battery power packs for the flash units
• One set of graduated filters for those (less and less used) creative moments
• 4 large waterproof plastic see though bags – just in case it rains
• Gary Fong light sphere attached to the outside of the bag
• Strobies flash diffuser in a case attached to the outside of the bag
• Manfrotto monopod strapped to the outside of the bag
• One small bag containing ‘hair scrunch’ with sparkly bits and champagne cork for adding to the ring shots.  (Makes them a bit more interesting!)
• Manuals for both camera and flash units – well you never know!
• Leatherman tool in a case on the shoulder strap
• Several climbing carabiners on the bag – come in handy when you need to secure stuff to tables / chairs
• One blower
• Two cleaning cloths
• Bottle of cleaning fluid
• 3 sensor swabs
• 320Gb external HD
• 100-business cards
• 25 marketing brochures (for those guerrilla marketing moments!)
• 100Gb in Compact Flash Cards
• 2 x 5Gb DVD-RW
• DVD marker pen
• Hi-Vis vest
• Roll of gaffer tape on the outside
• Lightweight tripod strapped to outside of the bag
• Manfrotto tripod and joystick ball head on the outside of the bag