Best Wedding Photography Gear, Business Software, & Education

Everything I Use to Run My Wedding Photography Business

Here’s a list of what camera gear, software, accessories and other resources I use as a wedding & elopement photographer. Everything on this list is the result of 10 years of trial & error and figuring out what my preferences are. Most resource lists I see out there only have equipment and maybe some software so I thought including my education recommendations would be a good idea. Near the bottom of the page I’ve also linked to my favorite photography educators on YouTube as well as content retreats & workshop hosts. Gear is important but more than that, photographers should continually educate themselves and grow in their business. Additionally, one of the most critical things when running a photography business is to make sure you are legal, are insured, and have good financial practices. Some of the links below are affiliate links.

I’ll keep this list updated as I continue to upgrade and grow my business over the years. Let’s dive in!

Best Wedding & Elopement Photography Gear

BEST CAMERA BODIES & LENSES

Sony a7iv

Sigma 35mm f/1.4 Art DG DN E-Mount – This lens almost never leaves my camera

Sony 85mm f/1.8 SEL85F18

Sigma 24-70mm f/2.8 Art E-Mount

Tamron 70-180mm f/2.8 E-Mount – Amazing alternative to expensive 70-200mm lenses

DJI Mini 4 Pro

BEST CAMERA ACCESSORIES

Godox V860III-S Flash

MagMod Starter Flash Kit 2

MagMod MagShoe V2 Cold Shoe Flash Mount

Amazon Light Stand with Case

SpiderPro Mirrorless Dual Camera System v2

Pelican Memory Card Case

Battery Case

Glass Fractal Filters

Vintage Battery Operated Lanterns

Tiles – I drop these in my camera bags to track them

Camera Hot Shoe Phone Holder – To record behind the scenes footage

BEST CAMERA BAGS & SLINGS

WANDRD PRVKE Camera Bag 41L – Great carry-on camera bag when traveling and hiking adventure elopements

WANDRD PRVKE Camera Bag Lite – Stylish camera bag for weddings & small elopements closer to home

WANDRD Detour Hip Pack – Can be used to carry extra lens on you during a wedding day

Small Crossbody Bag – Cute little bag to hold memory cards & batteries

BEST PHOTO EDITING LAPTOP & BACKUP EQUIPMENT

HP Spectre x360 Laptop – 2-in-1 touch screen laptop and editing pen

Samsung t7 Shield Portable SSD – Reliable SSD for backing up photos & editing

Sentry Fireproof Safe – After backing up photos, I store all SSDs and memory cards in this case

Memory Card Organizer

PHOTOGRAPHY FLAT-LAY ACCESSORIES

Liv Style Mats – High-quality, hand-painted, textured styling mats for detail photos

Pearl Hanger – I bring cute hangers to every wedding for dress photos

Ring Box

Styling Ribbon

FAVORITE WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHER OUTFIT

Black Jumpsuit

Cole Hann Zerogrand Sandals

Best Photography Business Software

Showit (Get a Free Month) – Website & blogging platform

Honeybook (Get 25% Off Your First Year) – Client Management System

Pic-Time (Use Code HLTAAL for Free Month) – The best gallery hosting platform out there hands down

QuickBooks – Make sure you’re tracking income, expenses, taxes, and mileage

Narrative – Photo culling software

Adobe Lightroom & Photoshop

Canva

Best Photography Education Resources

BEST PHOTOGRAPHY YOUTUBE CHANNELS

John Branch IV – Full behind the scenes wedding day photography videos & much more

Taylor Jackson – Great advice for photographers on gear, traveling, & advertising

KaiManWong – Camera gear reviews & great humor

Jared Polin – Camera gear reviews & industry news commentary

BEST PHOTOGRAPHY & BUSINESS PODCASTS

Good Boss Podcast

The Six Figure Photography Podcast

SEO for Photographers by Fuel Your Photos

The 505 Podcast

BEST PHOTOGRAPHY WORKSHOPS & CONTENT RETREATS

Fearless the Workshop – An education focused photography workshop. “a place where we cultivate growth, connection, community & creativity”

Aglow Retreat – “An Inclusivity-Focused Retreat for Photographers and Videographers”

Cactus & Pine – “shootouts that focus on cultural diversity + connection”

BUSINESS RESOURCES – CONTRACTS, INSURANCE, CREDIT CARD

The Legal Paige – Amazing resource for wedding, elopement & portrait session contracts

Cincinnati Insurance – Who I personally use for business insurance

Chase Ink Business Credit Card (Earn 100,000 bonus points) – I use a business credit card to get points and make sure I pay it off every month

Stamps.com (Use Code C-447Z3D-F2X) – For mailing client gifts from my doorstep

LensRentals.com (Use link for $25 off your first rental)

KEH.com – Buy quality used camera gear