Maine & NH Wedding Photographer | Why Backup Gear Isn’t Optional (A Love Letter to My Second Camera Body)

Let’s talk about something that somehow still needs to be said — backup gear is not optional.

I’ve met plenty of photographers who roll their eyes when they see me unpacking what looks like a small traveling camera store. You know the type — “Seasoned photographers don’t need all that gear. Newbies bring the whole B&H catalog.”
Yeah, no. Hard disagree.

In my experience, it’s the seasoned photographers who know better. The ones who’ve watched their camera die a slow, painful death mid-ceremony, or had a flash mount snap off during family formals. The ones who’ve stood there internally screaming while their camera refuses to focus right before the bride walks down the aisle. Those of us who’ve been through it don’t gamble anymore — we prepare.

Here’s my personal highlight reel of camera heartbreak:

• A circuit board fried mid-reception. Just... gone.

• A hot shoe broke clean off mid-family formals. (Nothing like trying to keep your flash upright with my hand and hope.)

• Flashes misfiring during the first dance, rendering them useless.

• A camera refused to focus minutes before the ceremony. Pure panic.

• A lens motor died mid-ceremony. Like, thanks for your service, soldier.

So yeah, call me over-prepared, but when you’ve had that many “WTF” moments, you learn.

Honestly, it’s not the rookies who show up overpacked — it’s the vets who’ve seen things. I’d rather haul extra bags, look slightly ridiculous, and know that if one thing fails, I’ve got another ready to go. My gear list is less “minimalist artist” and more “doomsday prepper with a camera.” That’s why my car looks like I’m running a small Best Buy out of the trunk. Extra cameras, lenses, flashes, batteries, memory cards — if it can fail, I’ve got a replacement for it.Because the truth is: your clients don’t care if your gear dies. They just expect you to still capture their once-in-a-lifetime moments — no excuses.

So yeah, maybe I show up looking like I’m moving in. But I’ll be the one still shooting when someone else’s “one camera and a prayer” setup takes its final breath.