First of all, I usually try to keep my blog post titles short & sweet… but I couldn’t come up with a clever way to shorten this one. Anywho, so often when I’m packing my bags for a wedding I’m thinking about all things camera related– camera bodies, lenses, flashes, batteries, memory cards (to see what’s in my bag, click HERE)… But there are a few things that I always have with me that help me be the best wedding photographer I can be that has nothing to do with my camera gear!

1. Snacks  |  I don’t know about you, but if I’m starving I start to unravel. I always keep a little arsenal of snacks in my camera bag & my car to eat between locations or in a rare few minutes of downtime. My go to: a bottle of water, almonds, a chocolate Powerbar, and mini Altoids. Weddings can be a very long day of shooting, and often you are shooting right through your typical mealtimes. Though I get to sit down & eat dinner at the reception, sometimes that’s not until late so getting in a snack here & there can really help keep up your energy throughout the day. I usually eat the Powerbar right before I first arrive to start shooting, then sneak handfuls of almonds & sips of water whenever I get a moment throughout the day. The Altoids obviously come in handy after dinner or any snacks…. I’m not trying to be known as the photographer with bad breath.

2. GPS  |  It’s very common during a wedding day for you to be driving from place to place. Sometimes the place where the bride is getting ready is different from their ceremony venue, and the ceremony may be at a different location than the reception. The LAST thing you want to do is get lost in transit when a wedding day schedule is so tight. With a GPS on hand, you can assure that you’ll get everywhere you need to go, even if you hit traffic or detours. Word to the Wise: I have an iPhone that has navigation but I still feel that it’s important to have a separate GPS system. First of all, I want my phone battery to last all day in case anyone needs to get in touch with me from the wedding party or coordinating team. Using GPS on your phone drains the battery faster than just about any other app. Second, it’s my experience & understanding that your GPS on your phone will continue to work if you don’t have service, but you can’t start a route if you don’t have any cell service. I wouldn’t want to take that risk.

3. Comfortable Shoes  |  While I try to wear a nice looking dress to every wedding I shoot, I never ever wear heels (if you can wear heels & shoot a wedding, more power to you!) I want to be 100% focused on getting all the shots & being where I need to be and the last thing I want to be worried about are blisters & aching feet. So instead of heels, I’ll pair my dress with flats or a pair of sandals that have a strap on the back to make sure I can move around without worrying about my shoes. I also invested in a pair of Hunter rain boots this spring (which I’ve used so much already!) so that if it happens to rain on a wedding day, I can have a pair of shoes that are practical for moving around through puddles but still look cute!

4. Clear Umbrella  |  This will only run you about $20 in Target or Walmart and it’s a must have! We all hope it doesn’t rain on our wedding day, but here in New England, rain is a reality & always a possibility. Armed with a clear umbrella (to match any color scheme!) you can still do some portraits outdoors and save the day when the bride needs an umbrella to walk from place to place. Luckily I haven’t had to use this yet, but it’s always in my car just in case!

5. Nice Clothes Hanger  |  This is a small detail that often gets overlooked by brides (understandably so with a zillion other things to think about!). Taking dress shots is one of my favorite detail shots of the day, but often the dresses are still on the hanger that came with the dress from the boutique or seamstress, which makes sense! Typically you’ll find a gorgeoussss, stunning gown hanging on a 50 cent, clear plastic hanger. Buzz kill. So I buy a pack of wooden hangers at TJ Maxx at the start of the season (which inevitably get forgotten at the venues I use them at) so that gown can have something worthy to hang from!

3 Different Dresses, 1 Wooden Hanger

If you’re a wedding photographer, what other things do you bring to a wedding day that isn’t a part of your camera equipment?? Let me know in the comments below! Happy Hump Day :)