Should wedding photographers have two cameras?
Question Asked: 5/02/2019
Wedding Date: 9/08/2018
Most Helpful Response
She Said YES Wedding Film & Photography
(12) · Brisbane, Sunshine Coast and Gold Coast, servicing all of South East Queensland.
Posted: 26/06/2026
<p>Yes, and for a wedding the answer is a firm one. Your day runs to a timeline and none of it can be redone, so the moment a card corrupts or a shutter dies, you need to keep shooting without missing a beat. Every shooter we send out carries two bodies for exactly that reason, plus spare cards, spare batteries and a backup of the backup in the bag.</p>
<p>The part most couples do not think to ask about is dual card slots. Each of our cameras writes to two memory cards at the same time, so your photos exist in two places from the second they are taken, before we even leave the venue. That is the real safety net. A single camera with one card is the genuine risk, not just the lack of a spare body.</p>
<p>There is a creative reason too. Running two bodies means one can have a longer lens for tight, candid emotion and the other a wider lens for the full scene, which matters most during the ceremony when you cannot stop to swap glass. Picture a Queensland garden ceremony at golden hour: I can catch your partner's face as you walk in on one camera and the whole aisle reaction on the other, all in the same few seconds.</p>
<p>So when you are comparing photographers, ask two simple things: do you bring a backup camera, and do your cameras record to two cards at once. Once those are sorted, everything we capture is also edited in-house by our own team here in South East Queensland, never outsourced offshore, so the care carries right through from the day itself to the final gallery.</p>
Answered by: 31 Experts
Sort by:
<p>Absolutely. Like everyone says, in case of backup, in case one camera gets broken. Even if a photographer is just starting out, they shouldn't just take one camera body (or just one lens) to a wedding.</p>
<p></p>
<p>And they should have backups for everything else as well -- memory cards, batteries. Should have more than they need.</p>
<p></p>
<p>To get more technical, I think the majority of photographers shoot with two camera bodies, with a wide-angle lens on one (usually 24-70 or 35mm), and a close-up on the other (usually 70-200 or 85mm). They'll have the cameras either on shoulder straps or on their belt. It's far quicker to put one body down and pick up the other if you need to change lenses, then to try messing around changing the lens on the camera body.</p>
<p></p>
<p>Some photographers do prefer to shoot with just one camera body (but they'll still have a backup body in their bag). One of the main reasons for this style of shooting is simply agility. You're more agile if you only need to contend with the weight of one camera + flash than two cameras + two flashes. And then there's more technical reasons to do with always knowing what camera settings you're on (whereas if you have two cameras, they might be on different settings). Also, it's slightly more convenient for the sorting afterwards to have everything consecutive on just the one camera (although the shooters with two cameras will time-sync the two bodies to match up, which is effectively the same thing).</p>
<p>Photographers choice, as long as you have great photos, this is nothing you need to be concerned with. Good experienced, photographers will look after that stuff. </p>
<p>Absolutely we do a number of things as professional photographers to make sure that your images of kept safe and that if we have a failure of one camera we quickly have another camera on your shoulder ready so we missed none of the action. There is none of this asking the Wedding to stop well we go get another one from the car. We also have multiple memory cards in each camera so your photos are doubly safe each time they are taken they are backed up immediately.</p>
<p>Every camera has a number of lenses in case there is a failure of those as well so we have back up so we are back ups.</p>
Jodie Reardon Photography
(32) · Hunter Valley / Central Coast / Gosford / Port Stephens
Posted: 26/10/2021
<p>Absolutely! No doubt about it. And for that matter, multiple lenses, multiple flash's and camera's that record to 2 cards. Technology as we know can fail and camera's can reach the end of life without warning. I've had lenses fail on me at weddings - however it did not affect me doing the job, because of backups. I even go as far as 3 camera bodies because I like to shoot the wedding with 2 camera's at all times. </p>
<p></p>
<p>YES! As a professional photographer & videographer, I have two camera bodies on me at all times. This allows us to not only use different lenses for a variety of looks, but to have a back up in case (heaven forbid) anything goes wrong with one.</p>
Peter Withiel Photographer
(1) · Melbourne, Yarra Valley, Mornington Peninsula And Surrounds
Posted: 6/02/2020
<p>Absolutely - I have had a few occasions where for some reason or another, my camera failed to operate - this is very annoying and embarassing</p>
<p>I now have two brand new camera bodies</p>
<p>I have multiple batteries, all charged in readiness for the day</p>
<p>Not only that, I have numberous SDcards, I do regular back-ups during the day</p>
<p>In addition, I have duplicate speedlights and strobes</p>
<p></p>
<p>Basically, I have two of everything in case one gives up for whatever reason</p>
<p>No they should have 3 or at least 2 plus a spare one in the car if they do not have an assistant to hold them.</p>
<p>Yes. Not only for reassurance for a camera not functioning but helps with time, not having to change lenses. It also means you can catch off guard moments that can't be planned for.</p>
<p>I use two cameras as it means I can cover a better range of focal length from wide angle to quite tight. But a single camera and lens can be just as effective so it depends a lot on the shooting style of the photographer.</p>
<p></p>
<p>A similar question would be "should a photographer always have a backup camera?" The answer is yes! Cameras and lenses can fail and you can never know when, so back up gear is essential.</p>
Didn't find what you were looking for? Ask your own question and we'll have our experts answer it.
Ask a question