Jesse LaPlante
Wedding | Last Updated: April 4, 2024
Greetings from Colorado! I’ve been shooting weddings for ten years now. Before that, I was a newspaper photographer (I have a Bachelor’s Degree in photojournalism).
My wife/business partner, whom I met on college spring break in the Bahamas, handles all of the things that I suck at, which is literally everything but the photography itself. We shoot 25 weddings annually because that’s what we can manage without going categorically batsh*t insane.
During the off-season, I ski a bunch, travel as much as possible (I’ve been to 16 foreign countries and all 50 United States), visit new breweries and distilleries, and generally spend time recovering from the rigors of wedding season.
As for photography style, I’m always trying to think outside the box and do things just a little bit differently.
I’m big on OCF and love shooting at night because it allows for more creativity lighting-wise as compared to shooting during daylight hours. I’ve significantly pared down my equipment over the years to allow for greater portability and ease-of-use. Here’s what’s in my bag:
Bodies:
Nikon D800
(recently upgraded to the D850
) [Ed – see Jesse’s Nikon D850 review]
Nikon D750
(not pictured; used to take photo of gear)
Nikon D610
(for my second shooter)
Lenses:
Nikon 14-24mm f/2.8
Nikon 24-70mm f/2.8
Nikon 70-200mm f/2.8
Nikon 60mm f/2.8 macro
Sigma 50mm f/1.4 Art
(not pictured; used to take photo of gear)
Lights & Stands:
(2) Godox AD200
(Cheetah-branded – reviewed here)
Godox V860II
(Cheetah-branded)
(2) CheetahStand C8
(not pictured)
(2) Cheetahstand C12
(not pictured)
Triggers & Mods:
(2) Godox X1T
(Cheetah-branded)
(3) MagMod MagGrips
(3) MagMod MagGrids
(3) MagMod MagGels
Magmod Standard gel set
Magmod Creative gel set
MagMod MagSphere
MagMod MagBeam
(reviewed here)
Misc:
(18) SanDisk 32GB SD cards
(4) SanDisk 32GB CF cards
Colorspace UDMA2 320 GB portable HD
(reviewed here)
Hold Fast Money Maker
duel camera strap (reviewed here)
(2) Think Tank Airport Commuter backpacks
(not pictured)
CheetahStand 30″ roller case (not pictured)
The D750
is my go-to body, mainly because of its tilting LCD, which is super helpful when shooting low and high. I use the 24-70
around 90% of the time and switch to the 14-24
and 70-200
only in special situations. I use the macro for detail shots and the 50mm f/1.4
in low ambient light shooting conditions.
The Godox AD200
was a godsend for me when it was released this year (Editor: check out Jesse’s review of the Godox AD200).
It’s approximately three times more powerful than a speedlight and has a built-in radio receiver and rechargeable Lithium-ion battery pack, all in a compact package the size of a speedlight. It’s really made my life easier and overall more enjoyable.
Speaking of easier and more enjoyable, I’m not sure how I managed in the old days without MagMod gear. I have a variety of their super quick and easy-to-use light-shaping mods that has really opened me up creatively over the past couple of years. Knowing what I know now, I could never go back to DIY and velcro.
Well, that’s it! Thanks for reading and cheers to all!
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