{"id":113,"date":"2008-03-15T02:14:52","date_gmt":"2008-03-15T07:14:52","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/planetneil.com\/tangents\/2008\/03\/15\/and-far-away\/"},"modified":"2021-05-18T03:00:20","modified_gmt":"2021-05-18T07:00:20","slug":"and-far-away","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/neilvn.com\/tangents\/and-far-away\/","title":{"rendered":"gear for destination wedding photography (Canon)"},"content":{"rendered":"

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gear for destination wedding photography (Canon)<\/h1>\n

I enjoy photographing destination weddings<\/strong><\/a>– and I’ve been fortunate to photograph weddings in Aruba<\/a><\/strong>, Bahamas, Miami and Las Vegas.<\/p>\n

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These are weddings are often in exotic locales. \u00a0(Well, nearly everything will seem exotic outside of New Jersey, but I digress.)\u00a0 Even even though it sounds exciting to photograph in faraway places, there is a challenge that comes along with that\u00a0–\u00a0 packing enough of my gear and getting it safely to my destination.\u00a0 It is even more of a challenge with restrictions placed on air travel.<\/p>\n

Since I frequently get asked via emails to show what I have in my camera bag, I thought I’d post some of what my camera bag looks like when I travel.<\/p>\n

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For me\u00a0it was an \u00a0easy choice for a camera bag – the Think Tank Airport Security<\/a><\/strong>. This\u00a0roller case\u00a0is sturdy, protects all my gear inside, and has roller wheels that just glide ever so smoothly.\u00a0 It is also surprisingly roomy inside for a case that can be taken on-board an aircraft as carry-on luggage.<\/p>\n

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\nThere are a few pockets on the outside.\u00a0 These are handy for phones, and an iPod and airline tickets and various bits and pieces and papers.<\/p>\n

But\u00a0let’s have a look at what I keep inside …<\/p>\n

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As you can see, I don’t pack my roller-case super-tight with an overload of gear.\u00a0 I still need to be able to pick this baby up when it is loaded.<\/p>\n

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Firstly, the inside of the roller case ‘lid’ in more detail …<\/p>\n

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Lots of zipped pockets for\u00a0goodies, but mostly I keep this\u00a0to stick various items onto the clear fronts of the pockets.\u00a0\u00a0This is where I\u00a0stick the CTS and 1\/2 CTS filters that I use to balance my flash with Tungsten light.\u00a0 There are also a few strips of gaffer tape. (Very handy stuff!\u00a0 I never go without.)\u00a0 And the white\/grey\/black card you see there is the Qpcard, in case I need it to easily correct the white balance in post-processing, for something I photograph in strange lighting.<\/p>\n

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\nThe main compartment is where it gets more interesting …<\/p>\n

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… and here it is with the top layer of items unpacked outside the case :<\/p>\n

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Looking at the smaller items that I unpacked as the top layer …<\/p>\n

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The rows from left to right, (top to bottom):
\n–\u00a0 Visible Dust – Arctic Butterfly<\/strong>.
\nThis is a handy device to clean my cameras’ sensor if I need to.
\n–\u00a0 two\u00a0Canon\u00a0CP-E4 battery packs<\/strong>, which I already have loaded with rechargeable batteries.<\/p>\n

–\u00a0 two zip-lock bags with 8 rechargeable\u00a0NiMH batteries<\/strong> for the CP-E4 battery packs.
\n–\u00a0 two Tamrac memory card wallets<\/strong>.
\nEach wallet contains four 8Gb SanDisk CF cards<\/strong>, and four 4Gb SanDisk CF cards<\/strong>.
\nEach camera also has an 8Gb SanDisk SD card<\/strong> in them.
\n(I use the SD cards to record medium JPGs on, as a safeguard against any of the CF cards failing.
\nAs an aside, I only shoot in RAW, other than the back-up JPGs.)<\/p>\n

–\u00a0 Canon ST-E2 wireless TTL transmitter<\/strong>
\n–\u00a0 two Stofen<\/strong> diffuser cups
\n–\u00a0 a business card holder.\u00a0 (It is the aluminum case with the red ends.)
\n–\u00a0 one spare battery <\/strong>for the Canon 1D mkIII bodies.
\n– \u00a0two pieces of black foam which I use as my light modifiers<\/a>,
\n–\u00a0 on top of this I have displayed the cord and plug to recharge my iPhone and my iPod.
\n–\u00a0 black hair bands.\u00a0 (I use this to keep\u00a0items in place such as the black foam light modifiers.)<\/p>\n

– \u00a0iPod<\/strong>, loaded with cool tunes.\u00a0 (An essential item for traveling.)
\n–\u00a0 iPhone<\/strong>.\u00a0 This is also essential in that I have my Calendar and Contacts close on hand.<\/p>\n

If you’re interested in any of these items, check out these pages listing\u00a0all my photo gear<\/strong><\/a> – \u00a0all which link to\u00a0B&H’s website <\/a>where these items can be purchased.<\/p>\n

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And now, the larger items at the bottom of my roller case :<\/p>\n

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Firstly, the two cameras are both Canon 1D mkIII bodies.\u00a0 They are currently my camera of choice.
\nThe two flashguns in the front are Canon 580EX II Speedlites.<\/p>\n

The lenses are,\u00a0 in the back row, from left to right:
\n–\u00a0 Canon 16-35mm f\/2.8L II
\n–\u00a0 Canon 24-105mm f\/4L IS
\n–\u00a0 Canon 70-200mm f\/2.8L IS\u00a0 (on the lens hood you can see another piece of filter stuck.)
\nThe two lenses in the front are, from left to right:
\n–\u00a0 Canon 35mm f\/1.4L
\n–\u00a0 Canon 85mm f1.2L II<\/p>\n

As you can see, I favor zooms over prime lenses, but I do hedge my bets by adding two superb primes.<\/p>\n

And again – if you’re interested in any of these items, they can be purchased via these pages listing\u00a0all my photo gear<\/strong><\/a>, which all link to\u00a0B&H’s website<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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Perhaps as interesting, are the lenses I leave behind<\/strong>.
\nTwo lenses which are covered (nearly) by the superb 16-35mm f\/2.8L II, are:
\n–\u00a0 Canon 14mm f\/2.8L
\n–\u00a0 Canon 20mm f\/2.8<\/p>\n

Two other primes that I leave behind, are:
\n–\u00a0 Canon 24mm f\/1.4L
\n–\u00a0 Canon 50mm f\/1.2L
\nThis is a specific choice, in that I feel that the 35mm and 85mm primes make an excellent pair for their focal length and perspective.<\/p>\n

A zoom that I leave behind, is the Canon 24-70mm f\/2.8L – and the reason for this is that the range is already covered by the 24-105mm f\/4 optic.\u00a0 And since most destination weddings tend to be in areas where light abounds, I don’t need the extra stop that the 24-70mm lens offers.\u00a0 Besides, I am covered with the other zooms and primes should I need a faster lens than the 24-105mm f\/4 optic.<\/p>\n

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\nOther items that I take with me, but don’t put inside this roller case, are various bits of minimal lighting gear, and my battery chargers.\u00a0 I place them in my check-in luggage.\u00a0 Should my check-in luggage be mis-routed, I still have my core equipment to photograph the wedding shoot to my complete\u00a0satisfaction.<\/p>\n

As can be seen, I travel with a fair amount of gear, but carefully chosen.\u00a0 There is back-up of everything, and redundancy in case of failure.\u00a0 Since I’ll be far away from home and my usual resources, it is essential that I am self-contained, and can meet any challenge head-on.<\/p>\n

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gelling your flash<\/h2>\n

Since I frequently gel my flashguns to turn the WB of my flash much warmer (usually for \u00a0Incandescent light),\u00a0I use these gels that I cut up and\u00a0<\/span>tape to the top of my speedlight\u2019s head<\/a>. One of these sheets (which aren\u2019t expensive), will give you a lifetime supply of these filters. For me, these gels are an\u00a0invaluable part of flash photography.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Tape the gels down on your lens hood<\/a>\u00a0when not in use.<\/span><\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t\t\tYou can buy gels through these affiliate links:<\/p>\n