How to be a serene wedding photographer

Photographing weddings is hard work and lots of fun. There’s a healthy—if it’s controlled—amount of stress and physical exercise involved too: all that leaping, ducking, diving, crouching, climbing on the furniture to get The Shots.

Here’s a good way of avoiding that just-set-off-for-the-wedding-in-the-car “I did put my backup camera in the bag, didn’t I?” moment. It’s my non-singing, non-dancing wedding photography check list. It may help with photographers’ pre-wedding nerves.

• camera body Nikon D700
• camera body Nikon D700
• Blackrapid DR-1 Double Strap
• camera batteries and spares
• cable release—Nikon MC30
• Lexar and San-disk memory cards x 6
• Nikon 14 – 24mm f2.8 lens
• Nikon 24 – 70mm f2.8 lens
• Nikon 70 – 200m f2.8 lens
• 70 – 200 lens collar  foot/tripod point
• Nikon 50 mm f1.4 lens
• Nikon SB800 flash
• Nikon SB800 flash
• SB800 base x 2
• four sets of fully charged AA batteries.
• flash gels x 2 (half straw CTO)
• spare flash gel
• flash flags (black foam) x 2
• flash clamps x 2
• light stands x 2
• shoot-thru umbrellas x 2
• Whibal grey card
• white reference card
• rubber bands to hold above
• monopod
• tripod
• tripod quick release plate
• lens pen
• lens cleaning cloths
• microfiber travel towel to dry camera
• rocket blower
• walk stool
• rain umbrella
• rain coat
• rug for sitting on (for the couple to sit on!)
• white sheet (to place under the dress to keep it clean)
• Lastolite Tri-grip reflector
• Lastolite Tri-grip diffuser
• Laptop
• laptop power brick and cable
• card reader
• Mobile phone—charged
• photography schedule 2 copies
• phone numbers of key people on above
• signature mount
• gaffer tape
• business cards
• water
• paracetamol
• tissues
• energy bars
• Change of clothes—fresh shirt and trousers
• hand towel
• notebook and pen
• step-ladder
• watch (set)
• kneeling mat
• order of service
• reading glasses
• glasses cleaning cloth
• shower cap as rain cover
• AA battery charger
• and other stuff I’ve forgotten …