Essential Gear for Wedding Photography Pros with Jason Vinson
Before I jump into this list of essential gear, I’d love to address the phrase “gear doesn’t matter.” It’s a phrase I have said myself over and over and I truly believe it. Photographers of the past have created work I could only ever dream of aspiring to—and they achieved this with much less gear than amateur photographers currently have access to. Because of this fact, there is a comparison that goes, “A professional photographer with beginner gear will create better work than a beginner photographer with professional gear.” I feel this statement is completely accurate. It’s meant to encourage beginners to become better at their craft before they get consumed with lust for the latest and greatest gear.
But this article is not meant for beginner photographers. Gear doesn’t matter until it does actually matter. And while a beginner photographer with professional gear may lose to a professional photographer with beginner gear, a professional photographer with beginner gear will lose to a professional photographer with professional gear. And as a professional wedding photographer, that is who you are against. But the good thing here is that not all pro-grade gear comes at the steep price you may be accustomed to seeing.
Cameras
This one is pretty easy because I feel like any of the higher-end models from any manufacturer would serve a professional wedding photographer well. As long as it’s not a prosumer camera you can pick up at Walmart or Sam’s Club, you should be fine. That said, I have used a ton of different types of cameras from crop sensor to medium format and from Nikon to Leica, and I have found what works best for me in regards to weddings. So from here I’ll walk through two features I never want to have to shoot without for the rest of my career (unless something new and unimaginable comes along). Sneak peek: one of these features can only be found from one camera brand.
