When starting my journey as a wedding photographer, I had to purchase a little kit camera for design school in college that had one parameter. It had to be a full frame camera. Little did I know the simple decision I made as an 18 year old would end up committing me to life to the brand Nikon, and I am so thankful that I did!

Starter Cameras for Wedding Photographers

These days, anything goes really when it comes to documenting weddings. When I started my wedding photography business back in 2019, film was just starting to gain popularity, so really all we carried in our bags were a full frame camera, the lenses we prefer and a backup camera. When I started my business I shot with a Nikon D750 that I purchased with a credit card, desperate to get my business started. While I don’t recommend going into debt to start your business, I admire the grittiness that I had when I began this journey! Along with the Nikon D750 I invested in a 35mm 1.4 Sigma Lens and eventually a Sigma 85mm 1.8 Lens. In general, as long as you have a full frame camera and can shoot in manual with it, you can document a wedding day with images that are high quality enough to be heirloom level.

What’s In My Gear Bag

When it comes to my current gear, these day’s I photograph on two Nikon Z6II’s and two prime lenses. A Nikon 35mm 1.4 and my original Sigma 85mm 1.8. I LOVE these cameras, I love the colors, I love how well they do in low lighting, and overall they do an amazing job for the style of photography that I shoot.

Why I Love Nikon Cameras as A Wedding Photographer

I LOVE my Nikon cameras and would never change things about them. They have this timeless feel with their warmer colors that gives you just a touch of nostalgia. I have photographed weddings on both Nikon and Canon cameras and personally with my style and my love for nostalgia, Nikon will always be the way to go for me. On top of that, I do love shooting in low light settings without flash and Nikon tends to produce clearer images with high ISO than canon does. With Nikon I am easily able to crank the ISO without much fear and document beautiful images true to color images that my clients love.

Nikon Z6II, Sigma 85mm 1.4, Nikkor 35mm 1.4

Though I do LOVE these lenses I do think if I were to start all over again from scratch today I would have invested in a different and more dynamic lens to start! If I had to sell all of my gear and start again, I would still choose Nikon for the low light capabilities and colors, BUT I would definitely start with a Nikon 24-70mm lens. It is about the same price as both of these lenses together, but, it does the job of both of them pretty much and I really do think it would live on my camera. This lens will definitely be the next lens I invest in for my business.

Lens Rentals

One thing I wish I had known earlier in my business is that you can rent gear! I’ve been using Lens Rentals for years now and I love the simplicity of renting from this company. They ship the lens you need to you, you shoot with it and ship it back in the same box it came in. It literally is that easy. With Lens Rentals I’m able to try out gear I’m thinking about purchasing before making the investment. Gear I only use every once in awhile I’m able to rent and it’s so simple!

As a wedding photographer, having great, high quality gear has to be a priority, and though it may seem like a lot of pressure because of the investment, you’ll be alright with whichever route you go. For more posts for wedding photographers and a look at more of my work, check out my blog!