Typical event photography set-up.

NAE AGM photo shoot, originally uploaded by UrBen Images.

I decided to include a informative illustration of my typical photography set-up when capturing events.

Canon 100mm f2.8 for portraits and interesting macro photography.
This is my favourite lens in terms of image quality and it I like how it often encourages me to look for the small details. I often capture something a little different with this personal favourite and when used with the MR-14EX it produces excellent results.

Canon 50mm f1.8 for natural light photography, I find this prime lens is a lot easier to work with when capturing an event as with the 100mm I can miss a lot of the moments/action. It is so light and small, it is perfect as a second camera round my neck so I can choose between the Canon 100mm and 50mm as quickly as possible.

So to clarify, I have the Canon 100mm on the 30D and the Canon 50mm on the 400D. Both with me at all times.

I also use the Nikon D90 with a Sigma 10-20mm for dramatic wide-angle photography. This can be the most fun lens to use however the distortion around the edges can be a bit weird for photos such as group shots. I think lots of straight lines tend to work well in these photos. I also have the option to film some interesting video snippets which can be useful when producing a highlights/promotional video type production.

I have decided to also carry a few light stands and a shoot through umbrella in case I decide to use numerous flashes. There may not be time or it simply isn’t practical and I might decide to simply use the Canon 30D with the MR-14EX ring flash and 100mm f2.8 and the 50mm f1.8 with natural light. I like to have the options though.