“What’s in your camera bag?” It is one of the most common questions I get from people on wedding days, lifestyle sessions or through DM’s and messages. I wanted to do a blog post to let you all know what’s in my camera bag! And I want to go into each lens and let you know when I use it during weddings or lifestyle sessions and why.

The gear I own allows me to quickly shoot images with the flexibility to shoot through any scenario to achieve my bright and colorful style.

Camera Body:

(Note: this was in 2020.) The camera body you decide on should be ones which you feel comfortable and matches the level you are at as a photographer. Don’t break the bank if you are just starting out.

Canon EOS 6D Camera body times 2. ($1,599.00 x 2) This is an advanced camera body, but there is entry level cameras from Canon in the Rebel series that are great starter cameras! When I first bought a “big girl camera” I bought a Canon Rebel. I can’t remember what the numbers were but I do remember it was a Rebel.

Since originally writing this blog, I have invested in the Canon 5D Mark IV camera body. And I LOVE IT!!! It is a great professional camera that is worth every penny if you are in business!! Canon Mark IV ($3,299.99) or another one similar to that in the professional camera bodies.

New to 2023: Since this blog I have switched to a Canon Mirrorless R6. Mirrorless cameras are the way of the future! The beautiful of these camera bodies are you can see the settings change IN camera BEFORE you take the photo! It’s amazing! And you can also pick to focus ANYWHERE on the touch screen where as before you only had certain points you could pick from. These camera body only are $3499 each and now I have two and sold my other camera bodies.

Why did I go with Canon? When I was younger I had Canon Point and Shoot cameras so I just stuck with the brand. I have really liked the Canon brand and will continue to use them for years to come. I have heard a lot of great things about other brands too, but I just stuck with what I knew. 🙂

And yes, you will see above I wrote “x 2”. As a photographer, it is super important to have two camera bodies. I would feel sooo awful if one camera stopped working during a session. So if you are getting into photography, having two camera bodies (and them being the same make and model for consistency) is super important!

Here is the link to the entry level cameras. Here is a link to the advanced camera bodies. And here is the link to the professional camera bodies.

Lenses:

There is a huge difference between the kit lens (the ones that you get with a camera) and the more advance lens. A big difference is with the Apture and how wide the lens will go to. And in easy terms, that means how bright the photo can be in low light situations, and how cream the background will be. There is tons more information about that on the Internet and I can get in to later but today is about the lens I have and why I would use them. So here we go.

RF 28–70mm F2 L USM

RF 28–70mm F2 L USM (A great lens) ($3,899.99). This lens is a beast (heavy) but is sooo worth it. Lately I have been loving prime lens (no zoom) but when this one came out, I knew it was what I was missing. It was so very versatile, with the 2.0 f stop (better in lower light) and the zoom was very handy especially for chasing after my kids or at a family photos of clients. You can get a wide shot or zoomed in shot with this lens.

Canon Macro – 100mm 2.8 L IS USM

Canon Macro – 100mm 2.8 L IS USM ($1,199.99) This lens was I believe the 2nd one I got because with weddings, my close up shots were lacking in, well, closeness. 🙂 This is a great lens for taking photos of small details at weddings like rings, flower details, dress details, etc. But I also find myself using it a lot at newborn sessions to take photos of those cute little features like the eye lashes, toes and fingers. While this lens is great for close up details, I have also use this lens for portraits of people by themselves. It makes the background super creamy and soft while keeping the subject in focus. Super pretty! I do also use this one for my lifestyle branding portrait photos.

Canon 70-200mm 2.8 L IS II USM

Canon 70-200mm 2.8 L IS II USM ($1,799.99) The next lens I bough was this big beast. It’s super heavy but I love being able to stand far away to take photos at a ceremony or reception without standing in front of people. I do also love this lens for couples photos. I love how creamy it makes the background making the couple pop off the image. But yes, it’s a beast and it is heavy, but it’s a great lens and one I totally recommend for weddings. I don’t use this one to much at family sessions because kids are usually moving way to much and it’s not a “fast” lens like the 50mm or the 35mm.

Sigma 50mm F1.4 DG HSM | A

Sigma 50mm F1.4 DG HSM | A ($949.00) After a few years of using these three lens for all of my sessions, I started hearing about Prime Lens and how amazing they were for sharpness and in low light. Low light situations, especially at weddings, I was finding challenging so I started to look into a prime lens and people recommended a 50mm 1.4. (50mm 1.2 was the dream but way more expensive.). This lens was amazing! It was so sharp and so good in low light situations! Getting used to being a zoom with my feet verses the lens was a change, but the quality was totally worth it! Why did I go with the Sigma verses Canon? Honestly at the time, it was price. I use this lens mostly for families and couples photos.

Canon EF 35mm 1.4 L II USM

Canon EF 35mm 1.4 L II USM ($2,399.99) This is the latest lens that I got and has been my fav since I got it. I bought it because I started to notice that in big group families or wedding parties that my 24-70mm lens was getting soft around the edges (even after calibrating). So it’s great for big groups, but I have also been loving the look the photos with this lens and how sharp it is. This has been on my camera 80% of my 2019/2020 sessions. It’s a great wider lens to get lots of background and great in tight spaces like at a bridal getting ready room. I use it for every single type of session!

Canon EF 85mm f/1.4L IS USM

Canon EF 85mm f/1.4L IS USM ($2,099.99) This one has become my FAV!!!! It’s the cats meow!! It’s crisp, clear and subjects always “pop” off of the background of the image! This lens has higher compression and so the background is dramatically different than the subject. This would compare it to the look of the 70-200 but not as heavy and a higher quality lens. I would use this for couples and bridal getting ready or lifestyle family sessions.

Other gear:

When taking photos, you will usually come into conflicting light, so you may want to include an external flash. These are way better than the pop up flashes because you can direct the light make it more flattering and avoid flash burning the eyes.

Canon Speedlight (Flash) 600 EX II-RT ($599.99 x 2: another one is on my wish list) I use mine 2 during a reception without a transmitter because the transmitter is built into these flashes… which makes syncing a BREEZE! Which is super handy at a wedding! But if you are looking for a cheaper option, the Canon Speedlite EL-100 is a good starter external flash.

Kelly Moore Camera Bag – The Libby 2.0 ($245 US) This is my favourite camera bag so far! It is not only super pretty looking, but is very durable and can hold A LOT of my gear! Plus I can take out the insert and it is a great over night bag.

So that is my gear! I hope you had fun reading about what I have in my bag! If you have any questions about the lens, send them to hello@krystalmoorephotography.com