Bryan Surgener
Wedding | Last Updated: April 4, 2024
Hey everyone! My name is Bryan Surgener and I’m a wedding photographer based out of Columbus, Ohio. I’ve been photographing weddings for about 5 years and I started my own business a little over 3 years ago. I’m a sucker for good stories and that’s what led me to photography as a career to begin with.
My gear choices are based around being as lightweight as possible because I travel for about 75% of the weddings I work. All of the gear here is what I bring to every wedding.
2x Nikon D750
— The D750
is what made me change from shooting with the Canon 5D Mark III
. I prefer the light weight of the D750
and the dynamic range of the sensor fits my style very well. The amount of information I can bring out of the shadows is still unbelievable to me even years after the release of this camera. I always have 2 of these on me during weddings.
Leica Q
— The Leica Q
is my everyday camera of choice. I love that it’s a full-frame mirrorless with an insanely sharp 28mm fixed lens. From time to time I’ll use it during weddings, particularly the getting ready portion of the day or sometimes during ceremonies when I want to be as quiet as possible (the shutter is essentially noiseless but I like that I can still ‘feel’ it click).
Nikon 28mm f/1.8
— The 28mm is my widest lens and I primarily use it for wide creative portraits or intimate dance photos during the reception. Sometimes I’ll use the 35mm on the dance floor, but only if there’s not as many people out dancing and I have more room to work.
Nikon 35mm f/1.8
— The 35mm and 85mm are my most used lenses (bread and butter). I have these on my cameras for 95% of a wedding day in most cases. The 35 forces me to get close, and that concept has forever changed (for the better, I think) my photography.
Nikon 85mm f/1.8
— The 85 gives me an alternate ‘pretty’ look to my wedding work. I enjoy layering with this lens.
Tamron 90mm f/2.8 Macro
— I use the Tamron Macro almost exclusively for ring shots. Obviously, it doesn’t get a ton of use but it gets the job done when I need it.
Lowell GL-1 Gunlight
— The GL-1
is my video light and I absolutely love it. Whenever the light is low enough to use it over flash, I will. It’s strong and the beam can be used from a good distance away. This is the one piece of gear I own where I make an exception to the weight—it’s heavy!
2x Nikon Speedlight SB-910
— I use the SB-910
’s as my on-camera flashes (usually bouncing off the walls or ceiling). If there are no walls or ceiling to bounce the flash off of I’ll just use the little white card on the flash.
Cheetahstand V850 Speedlight — The Cheetahstand V850 and Neweer TT850 are exactly the same flash. These are my off-camera flashes with the respective transmitter and receiver system. I’ve found that these flashes work really well compared to (many) other off-camera flash systems I’ve tried.
Neewer TT850 Speedlight
Cheetahstand V850 Wireless Transmitter and Receiver
Neewer TT850 Wireless Transmitter and Receiver
Manfrotto 386B-1 Nano Clamp
with Manfrotto 492 Micro Ball Head
— This combination of clamp and ball head is very small and lightweight. I use it to clamp a flash onto any surface possible (tables, shower rods, etc).
Holdfast Moneymaker Strap
— I use this strap to hold two cameras on me at all times, which gives me the flexibility to always have a 35mm and 85mm ready to go. It’s also a lifesaver for weight distribution on my body.
www.bryansurgener.com
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