*Disclaimer, this blog is old. New Updated Blog coming 2022.
I’m a gear “minimalist” while still making sure I have all the photography equipment and tools I might need in my gear bag for any situation that I might run across as a ranch wedding and cowboy lifestyle photographer.
While this is not ALLL the equipment I have…this is everything in my bag.
The Bag
This gear bag and everything in it is everything I use for photographing everything from ranch weddings to branding calves. I just said everything too much.
I bought it a few years ago when my photography really started requiring me to travel/fly. It’s rattled around in the back Kubotas, been strapped to 4 wheelers, slid around in the back of pickups, had dogs hike their legs in it, had a wedding guest spill beer into it and so forth. I’ve drug it through cow pies, through beaches, and over marble floors…
And to look at it, you’d never believe me that it’s been through all that and more.
It holds EVERYTHING I need except the tripods/stands for lighting a wedding reception. It does have straps on the side where I could put a tripod, but I don’t bother with it.
Cameras
Canon 6D Mii x2
In my blog, Top 3 Camera’s for Ranch Life Photography I share why I choose this make/model, and its pros/cons. But it boils down to I love the speed.
I still own two of these but I only put one of these in my bag as a third-body backup, and it’s semi-retired. But these puppies were workhorses for me for years.
Lenses
In the last eight years, I’ve rented, borrowed or bought/returned MANY MANY MANY different lenses of all shapes, sizes, and brands. And yet this is what I am more than confident within my bag.
I still currently have/love the older version of the Sigma 70-200, and they just came out with a newer version I will upgrade too sometime. (Ps “Newer Versions” mean older versions are usually a fraction of the price! Great if you are on a budget!)
If I could only have one lens, I wouldn’t even hesitate to grab the Sigma 35mm Art. It’s hands down my favorite lens ever. But I shoot duel bodied (two cameras), and at the end of the day, my images are pretty 50/50 split between the 35mm and 70-200mm.
The newest addition is pretty handy. Purchased for my husband and favorite second shooter Nelson because it’s so versatile. I’ve ended up using and loving it myself when shooting solo shoots more than I thought I would.
Rarely/Never Use, just backup.
The Canon 85mm in my bag is the first prime lens I bought 100 years ago when it was all I could afford. It got me started and served its purpose but once I got my 70-200 it really just collects dust. I keep it because it’s a good backup, but I’m not even sure I put it on my camera once in the last year.
Someday I’ll write a blog down the lines of “why Sigma” but not today. If I get off on that tangent, I’ll never get dinner made.
Artificial Lighting
Speedlite Flashes x3 & a variety of the handiest diffusers ever!
See my blog How To Take Better Wedding Photos With Flash for my full write on my flashes, what I use and how I use it.
Other
Memory Cards
I have a large assortment of sizes/brands, but all my cards will have a speed of 150MB/s or 300MB/s. I also replace my cards yearly as a precaution against them wearing out/corrupting. Knock on wood and praise Jesus, in over a decade of shooting I’ve never had a card go bad, but I have had friends who have.
External Harddrive(s)
All necessary batteries and chargers.
This duel body camera harness was built custom for me by the one and only Western Skies that I’ve used and loved for a year now. I owned a similar, popular brand harness for 5 years that was uglier/heavier. Harnesses aren’t for everyone, but I swear by them for my back and shooting style.
This is an old strap I’ve used for ages just for more “touristy” type shooting where I’m not slinging both camera/lens. I don’t often use it, but I keep it in my bag, so I have it when I need it. I’ve tried other cuter straps, but I always come back to this one.
Camera/Flash Manuals
Just-In-Case Kit
Bug Spray
Tide Pen
Clear Tape & Sticky Puddy (mostly for ring shots)
Bobby Pins
Safety Pins
Ibuprofen
Fashion Tape
And there we have it. All my photography equipment and tools in my gear bag as of February 2019!
Photography Equipment & Tools in my Gear Bag // Copyright Lyndsey Garber
*Disclosure: Keeping it real around here. Sometimes (not always) the links in my posts are affiliate links and if you go through them to make a purchase a few cents get added to my coffee fund. You will never get charged extra through affiliate links…and sometimes you’ll even get a discount! BUT you can always trust that I link these products or companies only because I BOUGHT them with real money and USE them in real life…and not because of any commission I may or may not receive from your purchases. Whether or not you decide to buy something is completely up to you.
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