Wedding photography gear checklist

This is the gear that goes to a wedding, and the checks that happen the night before so the gear works when it gets there. It is written for a two-body mirrorless setup with speedlights, which is what most working wedding photographers carry. Swap the focal lengths for your own. Do not swap the duplicates.

Copy it, pack the same way every time, and run the night-before list in order.

Bodies

1. 2 camera bodies, both with 2 card slots, both set to write to both cards
2. A third body if you own one. Otherwise the second shooter’s spare is your spare.
3. A dual harness or 2 straps, anchor points checked
4. A body cap for each body and a rear cap for each lens

Lenses

5. 35mm or 24-70mm: getting ready, the ceremony wide, the reception
6. 85mm or 70-200mm: the ceremony from the back, portraits, toasts
7. 50mm: the walk-around lens
8. A macro lens or an extension tube: rings and details
9. Something wider than 24mm: the reception room, the dance floor, the venue wide
10. A hood on every lens. A filter is optional. The hood is not.

Lighting

11. 2 speedlights, plus a third as the spare
12. Triggers and receivers, tested, channels set, plus a spare trigger
13. 2 light stands, 1 sandbag
14. One small softbox or shoot-through umbrella, one grid, one dome diffuser
15. A small LED video light for the dance floor and night portraits
16. CTO gels for tungsten rooms
17. AA batteries: 24 rechargeable, charged, and 1 pack of alkaline as the backup

Cards

18. Twice as many cards as your longest wedding used
19. Cards numbered with a marker
20. A card wallet on your body, full cards flipped face down
21. A card reader in the bag, and a second one at home
22. No formatting and no deleting on the day

Batteries and power

23. 4 batteries per body, charged
24. The chargers, in the bag, for the dinner break
25. A phone battery pack and cable
26. A power strip, for the corner near the DJ

Support and small things

27. A small tripod, for blue hour and night portraits
28. A folding step stool, for the full group and for over the dance floor
29. Lens cloths, a blower, 2 rain covers
30. Gaffer tape and zip ties
31. A 5-in-1 reflector
32. A spare lens cap and a spare hot-shoe cover
33. A headlamp

The night before

34. Every battery charged and back in the body or the bag. Chargers packed.
35. Last wedding confirmed on 2 drives before any card is touched. Then every card formatted in the camera it will be used in.
36. Both bodies set to the same date and time, to the second. Two shooters cull together only if the clocks agree.
37. Both bodies checked: dual-slot write on, ISO auto range, file numbering, custom modes where you left them.
38. Sensors checked at f/16 against a white wall. Cleaned if there are spots.
39. Each flash fired from each trigger on your channel. Spare trigger tested.
40. Autofocus tested on every lens. Front elements cleaned. Hoods on.
41. Timeline, family photo list and addresses printed and in the bag.
42. Second shooter texted: call time, address, what they carry, whose cards are whose.
43. Weather and sunset checked. Rain covers moved to the top pocket if needed.
44. Car fueled. Route to the first location checked.
45. Alarm set. Second alarm set on a different device.

The rules

• Two of everything that can fail. Bodies, flashes, triggers, straps, readers. Assume one of each fails this year, and assume it fails during the vows.
• Both cards, always, in both bodies. RAW to both, or RAW to one and JPEG to the other. The cards cost less than one lost ceremony. The backup strategy guide covers what happens to the cards after the day.
• Never format on the day. Not even a card you are sure is empty. Carry enough cards that you never need to.
• Carry a small bag, leave a big one. The bag that goes to the ceremony is 2 bodies, 3 lenses, 1 flash, cards and batteries. Everything else stays in the car or a rolling case at the reception. Unless the car is a 20-minute walk away; then it all comes.
• Pack the same way every time. Same pocket for batteries, same pocket for cards. You will find them in a dark reception without looking.
• Rent the exotic lens, own the workhorses. A 135mm f/1.8 for one wedding is a rental. The 35mm and 85mm you use every Saturday are not.
• The kit for the couple and for yourself is a different list. Pins, tissues, water and food are in the wedding day emergency kit checklist.
• Write the second shooter’s list down. What they bring, what you bring, and whose cards are whose. The second shooter brief template has the form.

Questions to ask before the day

1. Does the venue require a certificate of insurance? Send it a week ahead.
2. Does the ceremony site allow flash, and does the officiant?
3. How dark is the reception room, and what color is the ceiling? Bounce works on white. Off-camera is the answer for everything else.
4. Is there a night portrait or a sparkler exit? That decides the tripod and the video light.
5. Is there power near the DJ for chargers?
6. How far is the car from the ceremony site? That decides what you carry.