Inside My Camera Bag | Bows & Lavender

Photography gear is something my husband I have gushed about since we first starting dating in our Grade 11 photography class. It was the one thing we bonded over and that hasn’t changed in the thirteen years we’ve been together.

With time, our objectives in photography have shifted, however the love of light has remained the same. We started Bows & Lavender in 2016, with the goal in mind to capture unique weddings like our own (we eloped at City Hall; at the time we thought it was unique, haha!). I (Jessy) shoot fully digital, whereas my husband (Brandon) compliments the work with his artistic film photography. We love the directional light of the golden hour that hits off the urban landscape where we live, and those tones have provided a heavy influence into my digital post processing and overall feel of the images we create.

Brandon inherited his first film cameras from his grandfather, who was a photographer as well. He shoots with the same Yashica Mat today, and brings it to all the weddings we photograph. Partly because the images are incredible and the sharpness can’t be beat, but more importantly the nostalgia of carrying a tradition forward. Brandon’s love of stillness and capturing the essence of what he sees is a gift that was definitely handed down by his grandfather.

Although we have flash/lighting equipment, we usually leave that at home and focus solely on the ambient light of weddings. We get excited when we find a splash of candlelight against the gesture of a special moment; those are the moments that we’re after.

We shoot with all primes lens. The 50mm is my go-to lens, however I love the unique opportunities that can be captured with the 135mm. We recently added the 24mm to our gear, and couldn’t be happier with it. There is so much life added to a photograph when you add a bit more width & slight distortion. On the day of a wedding, we’re often swapping prime lenses and don’t have time to run to the bag, so my Herschel fanny pack is a must (since I keep all my cards/batteries on me while shooting).

Programs/Presets that I couldn’t live without:
Lightroom CC – tutorial
VSCO Presets
Alien Skin Exposure
Blogstomp
Photomechanics
Later.com

PHOTO GEAR:
Canon 5D Mark III’s (2)
Canon 580 EX II Flash
64 gb Sandisk Memory Cards
Thinktank
PeeWee Card holder
Canon 135mm f/2
Canon 24mm f/1.4
Canon 50mm f/1.2
Two Alien Bee 800’s; 72” reflective umbrella (plus a couple small ones)
G-Drive‘s

FILM Photography:
Yashica Mat
Leica M2; Pentax K1000
Epson v600 Scanner
Fave film stocks – Colour (Ektar 100) & B&W (T-Max 400)

Additional accessories:
Herschel Fanny Pack
Jolie Lade Leather Camera Straps
Trusted camo Jacket
Station Cold Brew (serious life saver)
Hot Tamales

www.bowsandlavender.com