Inside My Camera Bag | Kristof Claeys

Hi, I’m Kristof Claeys. I am a wedding photographer located in Belgium, but I have experience with destination weddings in Spain, Italy, the Netherlands, and South Africa.

My style is purely documentary. Nothing is posed or staged. My secret ingredient is letting people just be themselves. My strength is becoming invisible after five minutes, even though I’m right before my subject.

This NINJA style allows me to document every emotion possible, authentic real-life situations, and humour. Everything but Instagram is perfect!

I’ve been a full-time photographer since 2018, and since then, I’ve collected almost three hundred and fifty international awards in wedding and family photography.

How do I work during the day?

I use two body camera straps from Genuine Strap for my  Sony A7 IV  (BODY #1) and the Sony FE 85mm f/1.4 GM, as well as the Sony A7 IV (BODY #2) with the Sony FE 35mm f/1.4 GM.

I use a Sony FE 24mm f/1.4 GM in a small room for a wider angle.

I always use natural light during the day. In the early morning, during the getting-ready stage, I use OCF (off-camera flash) for creative lighting images, often in low-light conditions.

I use a Profoto A10 external flash (with an extra battery) on either the Manfrotto NanoPole or FLEXMI Flash Clamp which is handy for mounting on a curtain, closet door, or whatever is available.

I use the following light modifiers: Profoto Clic Dome, Profoto Clic Grid 20°, Profoto Clic Gel full CTO, and Profoto Clic Gel half CTO.

All the gear above is in a ThinkTank Retrospective 30 V2.0 Bag.

What is extra in my camera bag?

I carry six Sony NPFZ100 Batteries with a HAMA memory card wallet that contains sixteen 128Gb SanDisk Memory Cards, ear protection for loud music during the wedding party, bug spray as it’s not the first time I’ve come home with a tick, parfum and of course my passport for destination weddings.

Full-day wedding documentaries in Belgium usually start around 8 pm, and the photography ends around 1 pm, so I’m used to shooting seventeen-hour weddings.

I use the previously mentioned gear during daylight, and from the moment we go inside for the evening dinner until the first dance, I go in full OCF flash mode.

BODY #1: Sony A7 IV  Sony FE 85mm f/1.4 GM with Profoto Air remote TTL-S trigger. 

BODY #2: Sony A7 IV + Sony FE 35mm f/1.4GM with Profoto Connect Pro Trigger. 

I have two Profoto B10X and two Elinchrom Light Tripods.

As I mentioned above, my Light Modifiers are the Profoto II Grid & Gel Holder, the Profoto OCF II Grid 20°, the Profoto OCF II Gel full CTO, and the Profoto OCF II Gel 1/2 CTO.

After the first dance, I like to get close to the dancing people, so I switch back to my old SLR camera for one hour of party photography.

On my first hand, I have a Canon 5D mark IV with either the Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8 or the Canon EF 35mm f/1.4 plus a Phottix Strato II Multi Flash Transmitter.

I have the Canon Speedlite 600EX II-RT in my second hand,  the Phottix Strato II Multi flash receiver, and the MagGrip plus MagSphere.

I’m also a photo booth owner so clients can book this as an extra.

So this is my combat kit to cover a wedding documentary; hopefully, it can be inspirational!

Feel free to contact me via my website link below.

Have a nice day!

Website | Instagram