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by Jessie Parker
Hopefully if you’re a wedding photographer, either currently or aspiring, you have a good idea what equipment you should bring with you on a job. It goes without saying, but I’ll say it anyway. You should have plenty of memory cards, extra batteries, and at least two of everything essential, including cameras. But what else should you carry? Here are the top ten non-photographic items that I always have in my camera bag.
1. Toiletries
Pack anything necessary for your comfort, even if you don’t feel like you need it right now. Personally, I must have chapstick and tissues on hand at all times. I also carry at least a single dose of a painkiller, allergy and cold medicines, cough drops, and something to settle my stomach, should the need arise. The thing is, you may feel fine when you walk out of your house, but wedding days are long. In some cases, they are unbelievably long. For me, the average day is 12 hours, sometimes stretching as long as 16 or 17, including driving. There are no real breaks in there, so a trip to the drug store is usually out of the question. I find it safer just to have anything I might need with me. I keep my little pharmacy in the clear plastic lined pouches in the inside of the main compartment of my camera bag (yes, the ones that are meant to hold memory cards. I keep those somewhere else).
2. Water
Oh my, I can’t emphasize this enough. Stay hydrated! I never paid enough attention to this until I was working while pregnant and accidentally became badly dehydrated. It was super scary and I don’t recommend it. You lose so much water from sweating on hot wedding days. I always have a bottle in my camera bag and a cooler full in my car.
3. Hand Sanitizer
Fact: brides and grooms, their families, and wedding party will attend the wedding regardless of illness and you’re going to be in close contact with them all day. I can’t tell you how many times someone has coughed right in my face while I was posing them. Hand sanitizer can’t protect you from everything, but I find that if I surreptitiously sanitize whenever I’ve knowingly been in contact with a sick person, each time I get in my car, and before eating, I get sick less frequently.
4. Extra Straight Pins
Occasionally a florist will forget to include pins for the boutonnieres or just give the short ones that aren’t as good. I like to have a few of the nice long ones stuck in the padding of my bag. If that makes you nervous, you can put them in an old Altoids tin. You don’t even have to buy them. Lots florists include extras and if they’re going in the trash anyway, you might as well grab them and save them for another day.
5. A Multitool
A multitool is so useful in so many ways! You never know when you’re going to need pliers, a knife, scissors, a screwdriver, etc…. Whether to make a quick adjustment to something of yours or to save the day for the bride and groom, a multitool (and an Allen key set if any of your equipment needs a hex key) is essential. I’ve made countless repairs to floral arrangements, decorations, clothes, and costume jewelry using my multitool. I never leave home without it.
6. A Small Sewing Kit
Similar to the multitool, a good sewing kit is endlessly useful for repairing wardrobe malfunctions. You can be a hero just for having this on you when someone needs it.
7. A Phone Charging Battery Pack
These things are great. I didn’t want one until my husband gave me one and now I can’t live without it! It’s so great not to have to find an outlet in the reception room.
8. A Spare Car Key
Just tuck an extra car key into your camera bag. Someday it will come in handy. I carried one for years and never used it until two weeks ago when my car key literally fell apart as I walked to my car at the end of a reception (who knew that could even happen?!). If I hadn’t had my spare, I’d have sat there alone in a dark parking lot for an hour or more until someone could pick me up.
9. Cash
It never hurts to have some money on you. I usually have about $20 in ones and fives, just in case I need to pay for parking or something.
10. Mints
It’s a long day and you’re very close to a lot of people. Leave a minty impression.
For more ideas on successful wedding photography, click HERE.
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