Best Wedding Photography Gear, Business Software, & Education

Everything I Use to Run My Wedding Photography Business

Here’s a full 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.

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

BEST CAMERA ACCESSORIES

Godox V860III-S Flash

MagMod Starter Flash Kit 2

MagMod MagShoe V2 Cold Shoe Flash Mount

Amazon Light Stand with Case

Rose Anvil Bandit Pro – A leather dual camera harness that doesn’t pull your hair out!

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

State Auto Business 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