My Wedding Photography Gear

I am often asked about the wedding photography gear and equipment that I take with me to shoot wedding or engagement. This is some gear that I have in my bag for every wedding that I photograph and the reason why I chose it.

Why I use Fujifilm Mirrorless Camera

When I first started my photography journey I was using a DSLR camera. In 2014 I bought the Fujifilm X-E2 for my travel gear the purpose was to travel light as I will walk a lot. Turns out the result was amazing and have a similar quality with my DSLR, but lighter and smaller.

These various reasons made me decided to use it professionally on my wedding photography business by migrating all my gear to Fujifilm X-Series Mirrorless Camera. (Many of my wedding photographer friends think I’m crazy but I believe photography is not about the specification of the gear, but the joy of using it).

Cameras

Currently, I use Fujifilm X-T4 for my main cameras. I use it for wedding, engagement, or honeymoon sessions. It’s pack with so many features from the high-resolution sensor, fast autofocus & hi ISO capability, which perfectly needed in the wedding situation where spontaneous moment and the unexpected light situation usually occurs. It offers In Body Images Stabilisation (IBIS), which is really helpful for low light photography. With this feature, I can shoot as slow as 1/5s without any shaky effect on the photos. It’s the flagship camera series that Fujifilm currently offers.

My backup cameras are Fujifilm X-T3, which I bought in 2019. It’s has similar feature as X-T4, just without the fancy In Body Images Stabilisation (IBIS) . During a wedding day, this camera is operated by my second shooter.

My travel camera is a limited edition Durablack Titanium Fujifilm X-Pro 3. It’s unique old-school rangefinder-style really suit my personality. It is small, light, and fun to use the camera for street and travel photography.

Talking about the analog camera, I use Contax 645 with a Zeiss 80mm f2.0 lens, combined with Fujifilm Pro400H & Kodak Portra400 films. This is one of the best medium format analog camera use by World’s Best Film Wedding Photographers such as Jose Villa, Erich McVey, Sally Pinera, Caroline Tran, Elizabeth Messina, KT Merry, and many others. This camera is difficult to get in the market, as it’s discontinued.

Lenses

I’m a big fan of fixed FL lenses, I use a combination of wide & portrait lenses on each of my photo session. Let start with the Fujifilm XF-16mm f1.4 WR an ultra-wide-angle lens with weather-sealed capabilities, perfectly useful for shooting in tight rooms or a big group of peoples. It’s one of the sharpest Fujifilm XF lenses in the market.

The Fujifilm XF-23mm f1.4R LM WR, a versatile medium-wide lens. I use these lenses the most, both in wedding or engagement sessions. I’ve three units of this lens, one for me, one for my second shooter, and the last one for backup. Just in case.

The Fujifilm XF-33mm f1.4R LM WR, My favorite lens among all others. I use this lens almost anywhere. From wedding preparation, sunset session, engagement, family photos, all the way to accompany me on my travel. If I can only choose one lens, I will definitely choose this one.

The Fujifilm XF-50mm f1.0R WR, a bokeh monster lens. It produces the most pleasing out of focus background for portraits. I use this lens mostly on a wedding ceremony as its focal length is perfect to capture the couple’s expression without interfering with the ceremony.

The other lenses I occasionally use during the sessions are the Mitakon 35mm f 0.95 & Nikkor 50mm f1.2. This manual focus lens is really unique and produces a smooth and buttery bokeh effect that resembles a classic film look. I also use a Fujifilm Macro Extender MCEX-11 & MCEX-16 when I need to shoot closeup objects like jewelry and wedding rings. It’s more practical to use rather than to buy a separate lens just for macro shots.

Photography Bags & Accessories

I have three bags that I use for a separate purpose. A small ONA Bowery bag accompanies me anywhere I go, for travels, engagement, honeymoon as well as family sessions, which perfectly fits my two cameras & two lenses combo.

Jump to the bigger brother Billingham Hadley Pro. Despite the medium form factor of a messenger bag, it can fit four camera bodies, four lenses, two flashes and bunch of camera batteries. I use this bag mainly for small weddings that don’t need more space for an extra lens.

The biggest bag in my collection is the Lowepro Pro Roller X100 AW. This hybrid backpack and roller bag is really comfortable and functional for destination photoshoot when you need to carry more gear and doesn’t want to carry it on your shoulder every time. The bag can fit most of the gear I have on the image above.

Few other accessories that I always use during the shot are Holdfastgear Money Maker Dual Camera Strap, PeakDesign Capture Camera Clip, Xiaomi Mijia Digital Walkie Talky, Godox TT350F Flash, and Seconic L-358 Lightmeter for accurately metering my film camera.