Reliability

Having shot over a hundred weddings so far, which means I've been through many challenging situations.

When I was only hired for takings photos or videos on a wedding, I have the opportunity to watch how other photographers / videographers do their job and I would assess the situation and think about how I would handle it. Quite often I felt how lucky I was cuz I've got the gears capable of handling the challenges.

Nailing the shot when everything goes against you is what I mean by reliability. This is backed up by years of experience, learning from my own mistakes and of others, investing on the right gears, always be prepared and always be willing to help other photographers.

"Engagement Shoot"

You may already have heard about the "magic hours". However, when the sky is filled with the last bit of sunlight there is no light to light up the subjects.

Even shooting during a sunny day without cloud can be challenging - harsh shadows on faces, blueish hue is the enemy of skin tone. 

My solution is a battery powered studio strobe with a 135cm Octa softbox as key light for even head to toe lighting. It's capable of overpowering the sun, so time of the day doesn't limit my and my client's schedule. I've also got 3 other smallers lights for fill and hair light if needed.

In my opinion, this is a must-have for photographers.

What about the reflectors? They are difficult to use and the result is inconsistent. However, it's quite good to be used as a sunshade for my assistant and the couple.

"Getting Ready"

Nowhere to hang the wedding dress? I've got the 3M Command series hooks with removable tabs, which can be removed easily after the dress is photographed. I got a box of it from Costco.

Depending on the material, men suites can be a lint attractor. I always bring a 3M lint roller, still got from Costco. I also bring a small precision scissors to cut fly-out threads. The last thing I want about men's suite is that I have to remove a spot on every single picture I take of them.

Gears

Backup Cameras: I bring at least 3 cameras for a photo shoot and 3 video cameras for a video shoot. If you count my hand-held gimbal and drone as a camera, then I may have up to 8 cameras on a shoot. For bigger weddings, my 2nd, 3rd or even 4th cameraman would bring their own cameras. 

Batteries: Got a ton of batteries and chargers of all kinds. All fully charged the day before. I use rechargable batteries whenever I can, but I also keep some disposables just in case (other people may need it and I'm not expecting them to return it)

Cards: Plenty of 64GB and 128GB cards. Other photographers or videographers may borrow mine if they need it.

Post-processing: backed up on two independent hard drives.

Lens wipe, alcohol spraying bottles, even baby wipes. I don't remember how many time they've saved my day. 

TO BE CONTINUED ...