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I highly recommend buying your gear secondhand. It gets the job done and is a lot more affordable. Facebook Groups for locals selling gear/Facebook marketplace are great places to start. If you can, meet up with the buyer and test out the gear before you hand over your money. But most of my gear is second hand and I couldn’t be happier.

I have a blog about what gear I recommend to brand new photography. And I firmly believe that if you’re not trying to do photography professionally, then you don’t need to upgrade your gear from that point. The Canon Rebels are truly amazing and a good photo is made by a good photographer, not expensive gear. But if you’re trying to take your work to the next level, upgrading your gear can make everything sharper, more colorful, and easier to use in difficult situations.

BAGS

Jo Totes Missy Mint Bag: This is amazing and it’s super cute. I’m a firm believer that bags should have lots of pockets and this delivers. It fits 2 bodies, 3 lenses, my laptop, and all the other little things I bring to every shoot. For wedding days, I have another bag with more things, but I like keeping all my photo session stuff together.

CAMERA BODIES

Canon 5D Mark III: I use this body almost all the time. I bought the 6D first, but I upgraded to this camera mainly for the dual-card slot option.

Canon 6D: Even though I rarely use it, I take this camera with me for all professional work. It gives me peace of mind to know I can still perform even if something happens to my Mark III. It’s full-frame and takes gorgeous images but I don’t prefer it, especially since it doesn’t have a dual-card slot option. Occasionally during ceremonies, I’ll have both camera bodies out with different lenses so I can get a variety of shots quickly.

LENSES THAT ALWAYS COME WITH

Sigma Art 35mm 1.4: I use this lens primarily. This lens is really sharp, and the perfect focal length to be incredibly versatile and convenient. I use it lay flats, getting portraits, large group photos, and the reception. I used to use a 50 for my all-purpose lens but I discovered the 35 better fits how I like to interact with people.

Canon 100mm 2.8L Macro: I bought this lens just for ring shots, but it is a gorgeous portrait lens and has become my second most used lens! It’s super sharp and the longer focal length has the prettiest compression. I used to bring my 70-200 to all engagement and senior shoots, but this is a lot lighter and accomplishes the same thing.

Sigma Art 24mm 1.4: The Sigma Arts are beautiful. I use this for open-dance floor photos because it allows me to really get in there and capture the fun. I also use this because I believe you should have a few really wide shots during portraits and during the ceremony to tell the story more comprehensively.

LENSES THAT COME TO WEDDINGS

Canon 70-200 2.8L: I couldn’t imagine shooting weddings without this. I don’t want to be invasive during the ceremony and the reception. I want to capture the day in a photojournalistic way and allow the couple to really just enjoy their day. I feel I can do this better when I’m not right up in their faces. This is perfect for candids. I also use this for proposals.

FLASH

3 Yongnuo 600 Speedlight: This powerful flash is dirt cheap. This is hands down an amazing option.