What’s In My Camera Bag?
Every photographer has a unique vision. What they like to keep in their bag helps bring that vision alive. Our goal is to make sure we have the best equipment for our wedding photography clients. The day of each of our bride and groom is probably the most important day of their life and we need to do whatever we can to make it unique and memorable for them. Having said that, here’s what’s in my camera bag:
The Camera Bodies
Canon EOS-1D X Mark II DSLR
Canon EOS 5D Mark IV DSLR Camera Body
Canon EOS 6D Mark II DSLR
Canon EOS 6D DLSR
Sigma DP-1 Merrill Digital Camera with 46 Megapixel, FOVEON X3 Direct Image Sensor, Fixed 19mm f/2.8 Lens
Our main camera body is Canon EOS-1D X Mark II DSLR and Canon EOS-5D Mark IV DSLR. We also have Canon EOS 6D DLSR and Canon EOS 6D Mark II as additional bodies. For some ultra sharpness, we also utilize Sigma DP1 Merrill, which has a 46MP foveon pixel, which produces pictures at an amazing sharp and detailed level. Please visit "fun" section of our website to see some examples.
Our Primary Laptop – Apple MacBook Pro 2019
MacBook Pro
The Apple 16" MacBook Pro features a 16" Retina Display, a Magic Keyboard with a redesigned scissor mechanism, a six-speaker high-fidelity sound system, and an advanced thermal design. This MacBook Pro also features an AMD Radeon Pro 5300M graphics card, a 7nm mobile discrete GPU designed for pro users. With 8GB of GDDR6 VRAM, pro users will be able to tackle GPU-intensive tasks with this MacBook Pro.
The 16" Retina Display has a 3072 x 1920 resolution at 226 ppi as well as 500 nits of brightness. It also supports the P3 wide color gamut which allows for more vibrant colors. This ensures true-to-life pictures with realistically vivid details, which are essential for graphic design, color grading, and editing. With True Tone technology, the white balance automatically adjusts to match the color temperature of the light around you for a more natural viewing experience.
Here are the specs of our customized MacBook Pro:
16-inch MacBook Pro - Space Gray
2.4GHz 8‑core 9th‑generation Intel Core i9 processor, Turbo Boost up to 5.0GHz
AMD Radeon Pro 5500M with 8GB of GDDR6 memory
64GB 2666MHz DDR4 memory
1TB SSD storage
16-inch Retina display with True Tone
Four Thunderbolt 3 ports
Touch Bar and Touch ID
PRO APPS 065-C171 FINAL CUT PRO X PREINSTALLED
SW LOGIC PRO X 065-C172 LOGIC PRO X PREINSTALLED
Backlit Keyboard - US English
Accessory Kit
2.4GHz 8‑core 9th‑generation Intel Core i9 processor, Turbo Boost up to 5.0GHz
AMD Radeon Pro 5500M with 8GB of GDDR6 memory
64GB 2666MHz DDR4 memory
1TB SSD storage
16-inch Retina display with True Tone
Four Thunderbolt 3 ports
Touch Bar and Touch ID
PRO APPS 065-C171 FINAL CUT PRO X PREINSTALLED
SW LOGIC PRO X 065-C172 LOGIC PRO X PREINSTALLED
Backlit Keyboard - US English
Accessory Kit
The DJI Mavic Pro 2 Quadcopter – Drone for Aerial Photography
DJI Mavic 2 Pro Aircraft
Our goal is to take amazing aerial photos and videos with this DJI Mavic 2 Pro aircraft. Equipped with a Hasselblad l1d-20c camera with a 20MP 1” CMOS sensor, The Mavic 2 lets you capture gorgeous aerial shots in stunning color detail. It has up to 31 minutes flight time, 44 mph max speed, 907G takeoff weight, 3-axis gimbal for steady shots, 8GB internal storage, & SD card support up to 128 GB. Other functions include active track 2.0, omnidirectional obstacle sensing, Hyper lapse, low-noise design, adjustable aperture, & HDR photos.
The Lenses
Sigma 50mm F1.4 DG HSM Art Lens for Canon Cameras
B+W BWUVMC77 77mm UV Haze MRC 010M Filter
Canon EF 100mm f/2.8L Macro IS USM Lens
B+W 67mm UV Haze MRC 010M Filter
Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS II USM Telephoto Zoom Lens w/77mm UV Filter
B+W BWUVMC77 77mm UV Haze MRC 010M Filter
Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8L II USM Lens
B+W 82mm UV Haze MRC 010M Filter
Canon EF 16–35mm f/2.8L II USM
B+W 82mm MRC 103M Solid Neutral Density 0.9 Filter
Canon EF 50mm f/1.2L USM Lens
72mm UV Haze MRC 010M Filter
Canon EF 85mm f/1.8 USM Lens
Hoya 58mm UV Haze NXT HMC Filter
Canon EF 50mm f1.8 STM
Canon EF 17-40mm f/4L USM Ultra-Wide Zoom
After doing much research and looking at professional photographers in business for many years, we have gathered lenses that are best in the industry suitable for each of our events. We will also be adding new lenses entering the professional camera market and offering advantages over what we have in our camera bag.
Gimbal for any DSLR
DJI Ronin-S
DJI Osmo Mobile 4
DJI Ronin-S is a gimbal for any professional DSLR camera. It has 3.6kg of payload capacity with a battery life of up to 12 hours. We are using this gimbal with our Canon EOS-1D X Mark II to shoot buttery smooth 120 fps slow motion clips.
Memory Cards
Lexar 64GB Professional 3500x CFast 2.0 Memory Card
Lexar 128GB Professional 1066x CompactFlash Memory Card (UDMA 7)
SanDisk 64GB Extreme PRO SDXC UHS-I Memory Card
SanDisk Extreme PRO 64GB UHS-I Class 10 U3 V30 SDXC Memory Card
XIT 12 Piece Memory Card Hard Plastic Wallet Case For CF/SD/SDHC
We carefully check the maximum writing capabilities of each of our DSLR cameras and get a memory card that goes with it. As per Canon's recommendations, all of our memory cards are able to write at faster speeds than what the body can. Our ultimate goal is not miss a single important shot.
Rechargeable Batteries
Turbo 3 Rechargeable Battery and Cable for Canon Kit
Panasonic BK-3HCCA8BA eneloop pro AA High Capacity Ni-MH Pre-Charged Rechargeable Batteries, 8 Pack
When light is limited and my flash requires extensive usage, my rechargeable batteries come in for help. I can not be without them.
Extra Batteries
Battery Pack LP-E19 - Designed for the EOS-1D X Mark II, the LP-E19 is a high-capacity (2750 mAh) lithium-ion battery
Watson LP-E6N Lithium-Ion Battery Pack (7.2V, 1900mAh)
For days when the photo sessions can run longer than expected, extra batteries are a must. I carry at least a couple of extras in my bag for any expected sessions. A must-have for every photographer.
Flash
Profoto A1X - The world’s smallest studio light
Canon Speedlite 600EX II-RT [Quantity 2]
Neewer NW-561 Flash Speedlite Kit for Canon Nikon and Other DSLR Cameras
Neewer FC-16 Multi-Channel 2.4GHz 3-IN-1 Wireless FlashStudio Flash Trigger with Remote Shutter for Canon
MagMod Starter Flash Kit - The Easiest Flash Diffuser System Ever.
Lumecube Panel GO - On-Camera Lighting Kit
GODOX RG LED Light Stick LC500R
In any dim light conditions, this is a must. We always have them with us in case the weather gets gloomy for any of our shoots.
Ring Flash & White Balance Filter
Polaroid Universal Macro LED Ring Flash
ExpoImaging EXWBF277 ExpoDisc 2.0 77mm White Balance Filter
Lastolite EZYBalance Gray/White Card - 20"
A ring flash helps spread out light very evenly and can be very helpful in certain situations. It can provide even illumination that may be needed to preserve the image.
The Bag
Lowepro Pro Roller x200 AW
Sugar Peach Evermore - Ladies' Camera Bag - The House of Flynn
Urban Factory B-Colors Compact / Bridge And Reflex Camera Bag
Ruggard Journey 34 Shoulder Bag
Lowepro Pro is the perfect bag to carry majority of the time to most of my shoots, however, I do like to carry my ladies' camera bag made by the house of flynn, where I only need to carry some equipment for small shoots. On our engagement shoot photo sessions, we use urban factory b-colors compact camera bag, where I only need to carry one body and one primary lens.
Diffuser
Gary Fong Lightsphere Collapsible with Speed Mount (Generation 5)
Flash Bounce Diffuser Cover For Canon 600EX-RT,Yongnuo YN600EX-RT Speedlite
When there's too much light on the subject at weddings and receptions and it needs to be scattered and diffused, we use a flash diffuser that helps scatter the light.
Tripod
70" Full Size Professional Heavy Duty Tripod fits all Photo / Video Cameras
A must have when you need an image that needs perfect focus and super sharp. Every photographer must have one for certain sessions.
Camera Harness
RL Handcrafts - Dual Camera Harness – Clydesdale Pro-DLX
Handcrafted with top-quality leather, the Clydesdale Dual Camera Harness is designed for photographers needing access to 2-3 cameras with lens attached. The DLX model is stitched and padded in the shoulder region for all-day comfort. The patent pending 6-Point Rotation System conforms to your body and provides all day comfort. This is the perfect camera harness to carry two heavy camera bodies on all-day shoots and being able to use any of the cameras on the fly.
Prism Photography
10 Inch Optical Crystal Glass
Lensball
Some photographers may or may not like to have this in their camera bag. We use it to produce some artistic effect(s) matching the type of photo session.
New computer build for our post-processing work
Future-proofed for editing images and videos
The GeForce RTX™ 3090 is a big ferocious GPU (BFGPU) with TITAN class performance. It’s powered by Ampere—NVIDIA’s 2nd gen RTX architecture—doubling down on ray tracing and AI performance with enhanced Ray Tracing (RT) Cores, Tensor Cores, and new streaming multiprocessors. Plus, it features a staggering 24 GB of G6X memory, all to deliver the ultimate photography-editing and gaming experience.
Intel Core i9-10900K 3.7 GHz Ten-Core LGA 1200 Processor
Corsair Vengeance LPX 64GB DDR4 2666 C16 for DDR4 Systems - White
GIGABYTE Z490 AORUS ULTRA LGA 1200 Intel Z490 ATX Motherboard with Triple M.2, SATA 6Gb/s, USB 3.2 Gen 2, WIFI 6, 2.5 GbE LAN
Samsung 980 PRO 1TB Internal NVMe SSD for Laptops and Desktops
CORSAIR HXi Series, HX1000i, 1000 Watt, 80+ Platinum Certified, Fully Modular - Digital Power Supply
CORSAIR iCUE H150i RGB PRO XT, 360mm Radiator, Triple 120mm PWM Fans, Advanced RGB Lighting and Fan Control with Software, Liquid CPU Cooler
Corsair Obsidian Series 750D CC-9011035-WW Black Brushed Aluminum and Steel ATX Full Tower Computer Case
Our newest cutting-edge computing machine which has been upgraded to meet the toughest of demands
Future-proofed for editing images and videos
The GeForce RTX™ 3090 Ti and 3090 are big ferocious GPUs (BFGPUs) with TITAN class performance. Powered by Ampere—NVIDIA’s 2nd gen RTX architecture—they double down on ray tracing and AI performance with enhanced Ray Tracing Cores, Tensor Cores, and new streaming multiprocessors. Plus, they feature a staggering 24 GB of G6X memory, all to deliver the ultimate experience for gamers and creators.
Intel Core i9-12900K - Core i9 12th Gen Alder Lake 16-Core (8P+8E) 3.2 GHz LGA 1700 125W Intel UHD Graphics 770 Desktop Processor - BX8071512900K
CORSAIR Vengeance 32GB (2 x 16GB) 288-Pin PC RAM DDR5 5600 (PC5 44800) Intel XMP 3.0 Desktop Memory
ASUS ProArt Z690-Creator WiFi 6E LGA 1700 (Intel 12th Gen) ATX Content Creator Motherboard (PCIe 5.0, DDR5, 2x Thunderbolt 4 Type-C Ports, 10G&2.5G LAN, 4x M.2/NVMe SSD)
Samsung - 980 PRO 1TB PCIe Gen 4 x4 NVMe Gaming Internal Solid State Drive
CORSAIR HX Series HX1200 CP-9020140-NA 1200W ATX12V v2.4 / EPS12V 2.92 80 PLUS PLATINUM Certified Full Modular Power Supply
CORSAIR - AIRFLOW 7000D ATX/Mini ITX/Micro ATX/EATX Full-tower Case - Black
EK 360mm AIO Basic, All-in-One Liquid CPU Cooler with EK-Vardar High-Performance PMW Fans, Water Cooling Computer Parts, 120mm Fan, Intel 115X/1200/2066, AMD AM4, (360mm AIO) LGA 1700 Compatible
WD Elements Desktop Hard Drive 14TB
Reflectors
43″ 5-in-1 Photography Studio Collapsable Light Reflector DX
A must have to balance light in unfavorable conditions. These are every photographers' best friends.
Conclusion
“What’s in my camera bag” defines every photographer in a particular way. We have world renowned photographers with photography equipment from Canon, Nikon, Sony, Sigma, Pentax, and many more. DARS Photography decided to go with the Canon lineup after initially trying out few entry-level DSLRs. We have been extremely happy with the results of our photos, but we never stop learning. We are constantly looking for new ways to enhance our photos to achieve the desired look by our clients.
Saving photos after each part of the wedding is saving a couple’s lifetime memories. We make two copies of all of our photos until one copy is delivered to the client. One copy is kept with us if our clients are in need anytime in the future. Long-lasting and rechargeable eneloop batteries by Panasonic and our tripod come in handy at each of our weddings. The Turbo 3 battery by Quantum is a must-have for your flash. Our camera harness, Clydesdale Pro-DLX by RL Handcrafts is such a time-saver when we need to have access to two different lenses in just moments. Both camera bodies can be hanging and ready to use in an instant. For some artistic and creative photography, we keep our prism with us in our camera bag. At times of a pre-wedding shoot with harsh sun in the sky, our reflectors come and play a primary role. A camera bag that allows to switch camera bodies and organizes your lenses is extremely important for any professional photographer. Expodisc in our camera bag gives us the most natural white balance.
Besides all the photography equipment, what helps me the most is my second photographer. We are able to coordinate different angles to make sure everything is covered in the most natural as well as in an artistic way. In a world of photography, one must envision changes and look for inspirations everywhere to make each event unique. With help of our equipment and perception, we try very hard to make every wedding memorable for each of our brides and grooms in a photojournalistic way.
Is there something we’re missing in our camera bag that may be useful? Please leave us a comment. Are you a wedding vendor or photography enthusiast looking to collaborate? Drop us a line. Follow us on Instagram. Like us on Facebook.
Thank you for your kind words Dan! I just checked out your new single “Reason” as well! Fantastic music! You’re super-talented & it’s only a matter of time before the world recognizes it! We wish you all the best.
Cheers,
DARS
What a great set of gear, although it would mean nothing unless in the hands of a talented artist such as Darshana. Her work speaks for itself, as can be easily seen from her superb portfolio and the many happy clients. Keep inspiring us through your wonderful work!
P.S. To those into electronic dance music, my new single “Reason” is now available on iTunes and others – inspiredan.com/music.html