What I pack to photograph an adventure elopement
From hiking in Yosemite, kayaking in Bend Oregon, or exploring the cliffs of Big Sur I always carry a few key essentials. I generally use a Wandrd bag for in and out car trips on the coast of Big Sur, if I’m doing any extensive hiking I use my osprey hiking bag with a camera harness below the pack. There is just no camera backpack I have found that is as supportive as a backpack made for hiking. From the waist straps, back structure, and pockets I can hike much longer much more comfortably with the osprey. I generally bring along my gorilla pod tripod. It’s light and compact, it’s not perfect and doesn’t go as high as I would like but it’s great from some astrophotography ( which I hope to practice more!).
My amazon storefront with a link to all my gear is available here
I always carry my mini osprey travel kit. It has a mini mirror, a pen (to sign a marriage license), blister packs, a granola bar, band-aids, hand warmers, and oil blotting papers to take off that just hiked glow. As far as lenses go, It depends on where I am shooting.
Lenses:
Generally, I shoot with my 28, 35, 58, and 85 but have recently been packing my 14-24 for that extra wide reach.
UPDATE: via the Wandrd bag below, I no longer use or like this bag, it really wasn’t supportive and didn’t hold champagne well! The Camera Cube was cumbersome, and not padded well. I currently use an F-Stop Anja and a small Atlas pack bag.
I have some travel coffee bags from a local coffee shop Captain and Stoker. They are basically bags of ground coffee perfect for travel. I like to travel with an electric kettle I can plug into the back of my Toyota 4- Runner so we can drive to the mountain at 4 am and have some coffee while we finish getting ready! I keep travel mugs in my car!
I always carry some headlamps and usually some lanterns depending on the location. I like to play with light and have backup options while hiking. In order to capture that beautiful sunset we often start hiking when it’s still dark so I want to make sure everyone can see where we are going!
The champagne !!! I always pack champagne for sunset elopements and I have collapsable wine glasses perfect for hiking. I often find giant swings of the bottle are the preferred method but it’s nice to sit down and enjoy a glass sometimes.
I use a shoot sac inside my hiking backpack to protect extra lenses! My favorite shooting harness is the Rose Anvil one. It distributes the weight to the shoulders, is customizable in size, and has clips to distribute the weight on your bag or jeans. I also always carry a JBL mini speaker, I love playing music during a session but also giving time to enjoy the quietness around us.
For Clients!
I always suggest bringing some makeup to touch up once we are at our destination; some brides choose to do their makeup once we are done hiking. Some couples choose to wait to write their vows until they are at the top of a mountain. There is no right or wrong way, it’s YOUR day to do whatever the heck you want! I do get asked a lot if couples should hike in their formal wear. I generally suggest whatever feels good to you! I have couples hike in leggings and pack their dresses in backpacks to change at the top and then hike out in their dress and some couples opt to hike the whole way in formal wear! If it’s a cold location I recommend nude leggings and warm gloves!!! Puffy jackets work just as well over dresses!! Bring a backpack so you have options!
Hi, I’m Flora!
I’m a California adventure elopement photographer and guide! From Big Sur, Yosemite, and San Francisco I love to travel, meet new friends, and photograph them in rad locations.