I hope you’ve enjoyed this vendor spotlight series as much as I have. This is our last week of the series and it’s time to talk about… PHOTOS (as if the title of this blog didn’t give it away already).

You know we couldn’t end the series without talking about our favorite thing in the world. Thanks to the beauty of technology, Amative Writer Katie (that’s me) and Amative Goddess Andrea were able to connect and talk about everything that goes into prepping Andrea’s kit for a wedding. First, we’ll talk about the photography kit, and then the videography kit.

Before getting into Andrea’s answers, here are the questions I asked her.

• What are your must-have items in your kit on a wedding day?
• What’s your favorite item in your kit?
• Is there anything you carry with you that you’ve never needed but you just can’t take out of your bag?
• What’s the weirdest thing you carry?
• Do you have any funny stories to share about how you’ve used what you had in your kit to McGuyver your way out of an emergency on a wedding day?
• How long does it take you to prep and pack for a wedding?
• How can couples get in touch with you? (Social media, website, phone, email, etc.)

Photo – Amative Creative

What are your must-have items in your kit on a wedding day?

“Cameras, flash, lenses. Tons and tons of backup batters and SD cards. You never know when a battery or SD card might fail so it never hurts to have extra. Dual harness strap for cameras. Pads and tampons. Light modifiers (copper pipe and crystal ring) to add effects to portraits and photos. Business cards. Phone charger and phone. Top of the camera cell phone holder to attach my cell phone to my camera and add a behind-the-scenes element to my shoots and posts. A pair of high-fidelity earplugs (so important for receptions). Day of family photo shot list for the couple and a pen. I also bring a bag full of extra items to add to detail shots like ring trays, jewelry boxes, ribbon, fabric, dental wax, fishing line.”

What’s your favorite item in your kit?

“Well, obviously my camera. Ha. But aside from that, the favorite item in my kit isn’t even in my kit. It’s a tie between my dual camera harness because it allows me to carry two cameras without having to carry anything with my hands. The other tie is the light modifiers because they can add a fun element to a photo.”

Is there anything you carry with you that you’ve never needed but you can’t take out of your bag?

“Not really. My bag is pretty streamlined. There is a random USB flash drive in my bag for no reason. I think I used it one time to transfer images from a second shooter, but never used it again and just haven’t taken it out. I do go through my bag periodically to weed things out so I’m not carrying around extra items.”

What’s the weirdest thing you carry?

“Tampons and pads. It’s not actually weird, but just not something you’d think a photographer needs. But it is helpful. Sometimes I’m the only vendor around so I carry what I can to help in an emergency. The dental wax may also seem odd, but I use it to get great shots of the rings standing up so I can capture the details.”

Do you have any funny stories to share about how you’ve used what you had in your kit to McGuyver your way out of an emergency on a wedding day?

“One of my brides had a bouquet that needed extra ribbon and couldn’t find her ribbon anywhere. I happened to have in my detail shot kit ribbon that matched her colors and so I gave it to her. I also had a bride one time whose dress strap ripped when she was getting dressed and thankfully the wedding planner had supplies to fix it because I did not.”

How long does it take you to prep and pack for a wedding?

“It doesn’t take me long to pack the bag, but it does take several hours to get the bag ready. Several days before I go through all of my batteries and charge everything. I also inventory my bag and make sure I’m not missing anything and have enough backup items.

Video – Amative Creative

What are your must-have items in your kit on a wedding day?

“In addition to what I carry when just shooting photos, I also carry three other bags for videos. I carry at least three cameras, a gimble, several tripods, lav mics, a recorder, xlr cable, lighting, lens cleaners, neutral density filters (to lower the filtration of light to have creamy backdrops with video), even more batteries, battery chargers, drone and accessories, monopod, camera mounted light, a strap to hold mics together in case I need two, lens shields, rain shields, shotgun mics, cart to carry all of the gear.”

What’s your favorite item in your kit?

“A quarter. I know, it’s weird, but it’s essential. On tripods, there is a plate that screws the tripod to the camera, and a quarter is a perfect item to use as a screwdriver and it’s easier to keep in our pockets than an actual screwdriver.”

What’s the weirdest thing you carry?

“A leg strap for brides to clip the recorder to under the dress and tape to stick the microphone to her chest inside the dress.”

 

How can couples get in touch with you?

Instagram: @amativecreative

Facebook: Amative Creative

Website: www.amativecreative.com

 

If you can’t tell, Andrea LOVES videography. I think she got more excited when we talked about that aspect of her job than most kids get at Christmas.

If you want a little more information about what Andrea does on a daily basis, be sure to check out her hilarious “a day in the life” Facebook post.