Photography Gear Spotlight: The Gear that will help make you a better elopement photographer

okay okay… photography gear isn’t the only thing that makes you a good elopement photographer, but it sure does help! This is just the gear I use and in no way the “best.” I am just writing this for you to hopefully help you find some lenses or photography gear that you may want to add to your own gear kit!

Here is the exact gear I use + bring with me to every single wedding

Here is all the camera gear I use to photograph destination elopements and weddings. I figured it may be easier to put everything all in one place for you all to be able to see exactly what it is I use if you want it for yourself! If you want to see it all in one place, rather than individual items listed below, feel free to click here to see my full photography gear kit.

My favorite lenses for elopement and wedding photography

My favorite all time lense is the Sony G master 1.4 35mm lens for close up portraits and even further away landscape shots. The 70-200 2.4 Sony lens is my next used lens. The compression it provides between your subject and the backdrop are just unmatched. I bring these two with me to not just elopements and weddings, but every single shoot I do! The 70-200 mm lens can be a heavy one, but I promise it’s worth it to bring. You can be super far away and get crisp clear zoomed in shots of facial reactions, emotion or even just playful touches, which really add to a gallery for your couple. I highly recommend getting two camera bodies and putting one lens on each camera, so that you can offer lots of variety throughout the gallery you deliver. Having two lenses will do this for you! We have many other lenses but these two are our favorite to use year round and are very versatile lenses.

Here is the gear I bring with me to help me style flat lay wedding photos

I find that bringing extra items to weddings to help style flat lay photos makes it fun for the couple and easier to style when the couple doesn’t have as many styling elements. Just a silk ribbon can go a long way underneath some stationery. I’ve also noticed many people don’t know what the acrylic clear squares are linked below + I use these to create dimension and depth in the photos for flat lays! Feel free to try them out here! There are also a few other things I like to use + you can find them here!

Photography accessories I can’t live without

A lot of you have asked about the atmosphere spray I use to create epic sun rays in the windows and the atmosphere spray is linked below! The fractals I use to create a little more artistic imagery, ususally during the reception. I never use these during “big” moments like the first kiss or walking back down the aisle, just because they can be a little risky to use for those moments, since they take a minute to get just right. Instead, I choose the reception when everyone is having fun + forgetting about the camera. Then, we can create fun party shots with the fractals hitting the reception lights. This is a great way to test your skills and get out of your comfort zone throughout the night!

I bring my JBL clip speaker to every single session and wedding! You never know when a bride or groom will forget their speaker and you can just clip it right onto your bag and be a walking hype team for your couple! I can’t tell you how many times people have complimented me on this and it’s such a simple easy purchase (and lightweight to bring to weddings). If i’m photographing an elopement, I tend to use this more so in the getting ready space than the outdoor elopement itself, to abide by leave no trace principles.