Will Khoury | Intimate Wedding & Elopement Photographer | Northern California & Destinations

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Elopement Photography gear - What’s in my bag (2023 Update)

Will Khoury

Elopement Photography Gear - What’s in my bag (2023)

Oh, Gear!! Photography gear is one of those topics that will never go out of style. No matter how long you’ve been shooting for, or if you’re just starting out, photography gear talk is something that’s constantly revisited!! Not every photography business needs the same gear, and when it comes to elopement photography gear, the list tends to be a little different than other types of photography.

Every year, many camera brands release so many different types of cameras and gear to serve all areas of photography. New technology is always implemented to make photos sharper, bigger, in focus, and make cameras WAY easier to use. But what all this amazing technology does is overwhelm us with thinking we always need the newest gear to be better photographers. And to be honest, I’m just like you and I think about photography gear more than I need to. At times, it’s so overwhelming and can cost a fortune when you decide to get a new lens or a camera body that you’ve been eyeing for a while. 

The Artist vs. The Technical

When it comes to photography gear, there are two types of photographers; those who care about the art side and those who care about the technical side. There is no right or wrong side to be on, it’s just the way that you approach your work and find the right tools to capture stories. For photographers who care about the art side, gear doesn’t matter much to them as long as it can capture what they’re after, and for the photographers who care about the technical aspect and what it can do, they care about the experience of using the gear and the outcome of the work (photo sharpness, clarity, dynamic range, etc.). As for me personally, I am a photographer that goes back and forth between the technical and artistic side, but definitely lean more toward the artistic side because I care about how a story is told way more than I care about what it was shot on. If an image is captivating, makes you feel something, made you stop, and think about it, then it’s done its’ job.

Things to ask yourself before buying new photography gear.

Some of the important things to consider when you’re looking into buying new photography gear or upgrading what you already have:

The technical side:

  • Should I invest in camera bodies or in lenses?

  • When I upgrade, will I need more memory cards & storage?

  • Does the camera have dual card slots?

  • Is it weather sealed?

  • How much more quality/megapixels will I capture?

  • Is it compatible with what I already have?

The creative side:

  • How will this new gear benefit my work?

  • Is the upgrade going to change the quality of my work?

  • Can new gear weigh me down from capturing the right moment?

  • Will I tell better stories with a different camera?

  • What feeling am I trying to provoke out of the gear?

  • Will I enjoy the new experience of this gear?

Before diving into the list of “what’s in my bag,” you must know that I’m a gearhead. I love cameras because I think they are mechanically interesting. I love collecting them as unique art pieces, and if they properly work, then that’s even better!! I have more gear than I’d like to admit, and not because I want the top-of-the-line gear, but because each camera, lens, bag, strap, etc. has a purpose for my work. You definitely don’t need all of it to tell stories.

Photography Gear - Cameras

Digital Cameras

  • Canon R6 (Main Body)

  • Canon R5 (Secondary Body)

  • Canon 5d4 (Backup1)

  • Canon 5d3 (Backup 2)

  • Fuji X100v (Travel/Daily Camera)

  • iPhone 11 Pro (Travel/Daily Camera/BTS Videos)

Film Cameras

Why too many cameras?

Is there such a thing as “too many cameras”?? Just kidding. To be honest, each camera serves a purpose for me. I LOVE gear, but I also know it can weigh you down when you travel, hike or photograph an adventure elopement. Of course, all these cameras don’t go with me everywhere - that would be crazy. The gear that goes with me will be selected depending on the occasion or what I’m photographing. Before I was an elopement photographer, photography was a hobby, and sometimes, I don’t want to pick up my Canon and make a personal vacation or fun trip out of town feel like work. So I resort to using the Fuji x100v and Leica M7. Both of those cameras are small, fun to use, and can do everything that I need them to do to document a day or an overseas trip. As a matter of fact, our whole honeymoon to Morocco was captured on a Fuji x100f (that I don’t have anymore), and not once did I regret, or think to myself that having my other gear was necessary - in fact, in this case, having a small and not-too-obvious camera was the best! I’ve also photographed full impromptu couples sessions using my Fuji, Leica, or Contax cameras and they work just as well as my Canon gear. This is exactly what I mean about why the story always beats gear.

Full session shot on film using Leica M7 & Ilford HP5 (B&W film)

Photography Gear - Lenses, Drone & Lighting

Lenses:

Drone/Areal Photography:

  • DJI Mini 3 pro

Flash

Is all this photography gear needed?

This is where the technical photography side in me kicks in. Honestly, no. If I was starting out in becoming an elopement photographer, all I would go with is one main camera body (similar to the Canon R5), and two pro-level lenses (35mm & 80mm). With this setup, you’ll be okay to capture beautiful photos with two different perspectives and ranges (wide angle for candid/landscapes and telephoto/zoom for portraits). But at the same time, this is NOT a safe setup for a professional photographer, and I definitely would NOT advise you to go into capturing someone’s wedding day or special moments with only this setup. Remember that you ALWAYS need backup gear incase when something happens.

Photography Gear - Support

Camera Bags 

Misc. gear that I love 

Accessories & Staps

What gear advice do you have for someone who’s starting out?

Photography gear is important, but it’s definitely not everything. High-end gear for someone who’s starting out can be overrated. You really don’t need a million megapixels, or 30 frames per second burst mode to tell stories. Think about it this way: Billboards existed way back before cameras were even 10 megapixels, and incredible photographs have been captured for hundreds of years. So unless you are wanting to go into printing your work on a large scale, then that would be something you’d need to consider, otherwise, get yourself something that will work for you and your work. Always remember that clients don’t really care about what camera brand you have, as long as you can deliver what you promise (and know you can), then you should be set!

Practicing and understanding photography is way more important than buying the camera or the gear that the industry tells you you need. ALL cameras have the same basic fundamentals on how they work. Even if you pick up a mid-range camera that can capture RAW photos, it’ll help you understand the basic photography rules, learn the settings, practice using and understanding light, find your own shooting process, dig deeper into what you enjoy photographing, find a purpose, and go create art.

A new camera won’t make you a better photographer but knowing how to use one will.

As I mentioned above, 1 body and 2 lenses are all you need to get solid natural light photos, but if you’re considering this as a career path, then I would advise you to have backup gear for anything that you’re hired to shoot (paid gigs). If you can’t afford gear right away then rent some. Many local camera stores have a rental department, or you can simply rent photography gear online at places like BorrowLenses.com. Renting gear is a great way to test gear before investing in buying anything.

For more, check out the top 10 photography business tools that help me run an efficient photography business.

If you have any questions about the photography gear list, or would like to discuss a specific topic. Please ask me in the comments below