Hey friends! Over the years we have narrowed down our favorite gear to use…and we want to share what we’ve found! In this post we will cover some of the best photography gear and why we love it so much! I wanted to make a post sharing what is in our bag on a typical wedding day because I believe our setup is pretty great and it has never let us down! We are Canon shooters, so if you’re looking for tips on Nikon (or other brands), this post may not be helpful. We’ve added links to Amazon listings of some of our favorite products so you can access the latest pricing and availability! It’s also one of the best ways to support our page!

After using a few different camera bodies, we’ve settled on a favorite (for now):

• Canon 5D Mark III
  We use two of these on a wedding day, and always shoot fully backing up duplicate RAWs on the second card! This camera is great in low light, is extremely easy to use, and creates the beautiful glowing images that we love so much! See it on Amazon –> https://amzn.to/3L8SssD
  
  Our lens setup is a lot more than you NEED to shoot a wedding, but we believe in facilitating our full creative potential so we go to our weddings well-equipped. It’s worth it to serve our clients best! 
  
• 2 Canon 85mm f1.4s
  (one for each of us…yes we love it that much!) This lens has great compression, incredible clarity and lightening-fast focusing, easily placing it in the best photography gear we’ve ever used! See it on Amazon! –> https://amzn.to/3Kt1PSf
  
• Canon 50mm f1.2  
  (this one usually stays with Ashley! HOWEVER we may be switching to Sigma ART f1.4s because the Canon DOES have a lot of trouble focusing). See it on Amazon! –> https://amzn.to/3A87yZd
  
• 2 Canon 35mm f1.4s
  (again, one for each! This lens is critical for  getting the big picture but also super helpful for the getting ready areas as they are often tight spaces! We also use this lens during the recessional because it focuses very quickly!) See it on Amazon –> https://amzn.to/3LdJOJv
  
• Canon 100mm f2.8 MACRO
  (this lens is the absolute best for detail shots and is also great for portraits although we defer to our 85s far more often). See it on Amazon –> https://amzn.to/43HpM13

• Canon 70-200mm f2.8 IS II
  (this one generally stays with me [Shayne] and I typically use it during the ceremony and sometimes during the reception. This lens is great for getting interactive shots without having to physically get too involved! This lens has beautiful compression, particularly at the longer end of the focal range and is ALWAYS tack sharp!) See it on Amazon –> https://amzn.to/3UP7nLH

• Canon 135mm f2.0
  (this is the lens Ashley uses during a lot of the ceremony. This lens is great for indoor weddings as well because that 2.0 aperture helps with low lighting). See it on Amazon –> https://amzn.to/3Aa4WK9
  
  Why do we shoot with prime lenses? See our post about this here! https://ashleyandshayne.com/why-shoot-with-prime-lenses/
  
  For our lighting we both share the same lighting setup and designate one of us as the primary shooter. We use:
  
• 4 Canon Speedlight 600EX II-RTs
  (one for on each camera as a slave or to use as a bounce flash, and two on 12′ stands. We use a 36″ white shoot-through umbrella on the stand that will be lighting the portion of our subjects closest to us. We use a bare bulb at a lower setting on the one positioned more behind our subjects. Sometimes we use a large octabox (softbox) if we are using the lights during a ceremony where one is on either side) See it on Amazon –> https://amzn.to/43In8rM
  
  This is what we consider to be not only essential but some of the best photography gear available. (Now you can see why we’re usually struggling with cramping shoulders from carrying those bags around for 10+ hours!!).

We hope you found this helpful!! Let us know if you have any questions that we can answer! 🙂

For more articles that you might find helpful, click here! https://ashleyandshayne.com/category/forphotographers/