What’s in my Photography Gear Bag?

 

I’ve spent years building up my gear so that in any scenario I feel completely confident that I can get the best images possible. In this post I want to go through one by one what’s in my bag and why it’s essential in my everyday photography use!

Camera Bodies

Nikon D810

I started my photography career shooting Nikon and have built my gear with that brand through today! Starting with my Nikon D3100, I slowly upgraded from camera to camera through the years to my Nikon D810 that I currently own and primarily shoot with. I love this camera because it shoots photo and video, has dual memory card slots, and I can push my settings to extremes while still getting awesome results :)

Nikon D700

This camera was my primary for years and I love it dearly. I upgraded to the D810 from this mainly because of the lack of dual memory slots but this camera is still very reliable and I have it as a backup in case I ever need it.

Nikon F100

This baby is my 35mm film camera. I use it in all my sessions and also during portrait time at weddings! It’s super affordable for anyone wanting to try film and the best part is it uses all my Nikon lenses that I shoot with on my digital camera.

 

Lenses

Camera bodies are like software, you eventually have to upgrade. Lenses are not that way! You can use them for years and as long as you get them calibrated regularly, they last for a long time. With that being said, you should always invest in the best lenses right out the gate and slowly build up your collection. By purchasing professional grade prime lenses that have an aperture of 1.8 or wider you get sharper and crisper images which look super professional on any camera body.

50mm 1.4 G

This was the first lens I ever bought and should be the first lens any photographer should own. It’s a lens that creates the least amount of distortion with your subject and can be used with any type of photography including weddings, families, landscapes, etc. I use this lens most of the time when shooting. I love that it’s so versatile!

85mm 1.8 G

I use this lens when I want to be more zoomed in (without using an actual zoom lens), but I mainly love using this lens for portraits!! That creaminess you get in the background is just too lovely to pass up!

35mm 1.4 G

This is my second most used lens! I got it because I wanted the 1.4 aperture and the wideness without too much distortion. I shoot wider details, reception dancing, families, and 95% of my birth stories with this lens. If I don’t have the space to back up or I want to be in the action while still getting the whole picture, this lens does the job!

105mm macro

I’ve had this lens for a little over a year now and I don’t know how I lived without it! I shoot most of my “getting ready” details with it and its killer for newborns when shooting their teeny tiny features.

Lighting

Having lighting equipment as a wedding photographer is a must. You never know what lighting situation you are going to be put into when the sun goes down. You just can’t be reliant on whatever reception lighting is available. As professionals we are expected to produce the best quality photographs and need to be ready for whatever is thrown our way. For this reason I have an on-camera flash that I use at 99% of my wedding receptions as well as a video light.

Nikon SB-910

The is a great flash for you Nikon users out there. I use this flash on-camera at a 45 degree angle to bounce light at receptions and it’s very user friendly. I also use rechargeable batteries with it so that I can use and charge them over and over.

Fotodiox Pro Video Light

I’ve worked with many photographers who use lots of different lighting equipment and honestly you can get great results with anything if you know how to use it. Me personally, I have found that I love using a video light (with a generic light stand that I found on Amazon). I love having my subjects backlit on the dance floor as well as directly lit if it is just too dark for my camera to focus. I also prefer the stagnant light rather then using off-camera flash (OCF) because it makes it easier to get the exposure in camera correct right away rather then trying to test your setting with a light you can’t see until a shutter is pressed. I also think video lights are more user friendly and all the people shooting with you can utilize one light rather then having an OCF that only one photographer can hook up to. But feel free to try out other lighting sources and find something that works best for you :)

Film

I already talked about the 35mm Nikon F100 above but I also wanted to throw in that I also use a light meter, the Sekonic L 308-S, and my favorite film is Fuji 400h and Portra 400.

Other gear I use…

Most of my gear I have bought on Amazon or B&H photo. But below are links to some more specific equipment that I have!

Bags:

• Lowepro Pro Roller x200 AW Rolling Bag
• Shootsac
• Kelly Boy Bag 

Straps:

• Ona Camera Strap
• Holdfast Money Maker Strap

That’s it! Hope that helps!

Have a more specific question about my gear or anything photography related? Feel free to shoot me an email at hello@hillarymuelleck.com and I’d be happy to answer your questions :)