Question for outside portrait photographers or wedding photographers

After I helped my wife out by taking some portrait photos of your office workers, she bought me this photographers vest that has all these pockets all over the place. I guess she got tired of seeing me carry all my gear with me. Or having the vest is permission to buy more gear to fill it up .

Back to my question, how do you carry your gear? I mean this vest is great, but honestly I'm forgetting what pocket I stuck items in. So when you are on a shoot and moving around, how in the world do you lug all your gear around?

I have a nice camera bag, but I found it ties up one hand to carry it. I like to spend a lot of time hiking, so I bought a backpack big enough to hold the camera bag. Problem solved. Both hands are free and I can actually comfortably carry more weight in the backback than in a hand-carried bag.

So does anyone use a photographers vest?

I would think a vest would be a good use for portrait and wedding photography.

John Ledder wrote: So does anyone use a photographers vest?

I don't really shoot portraits, and only photograph one wedding, which was enough for me.
I do have a vest, that I used to shoot nature. I loved using the vest. I used up until I bought my 50-500mm lens. There was no way that lens was going into the vest. So I bought a backpack camera bag.
The vest is comfortable to wear. If you even out the weight of the gear you have in the vest, there is no problem carrying it. Easy access to all equipment.
Out of everything I have, I like the vest because I am always switching lenses. However I have gained too much equipment to use it.

crystal wrote:

John Ledder wrote: So does anyone use a photographers vest?

I don't really shoot portraits, and only photograph one wedding, which was enough for me.
I do have a vest, that I used to shoot nature. I loved using the vest. I used up until I bought my 50-500mm lens. There was no way that lens was going into the vest. So I bought a backpack camera bag.
The vest is comfortable to wear. If you even out the weight of the gear you have in the vest, there is no problem carrying it. Easy access to all equipment.
Out of everything I have, I like the vest because I am always switching lenses. However I have gained too much equipment to use it.

How is the vest loaded up on a hot summer day? Does it just cook you or does it provide some ventilation?

John Ledder wrote:

crystal wrote:

John Ledder wrote: So does anyone use a photographers vest?

I don't really shoot portraits, and only photograph one wedding, which was enough for me.
I do have a vest, that I used to shoot nature. I loved using the vest. I used up until I bought my 50-500mm lens. There was no way that lens was going into the vest. So I bought a backpack camera bag.
The vest is comfortable to wear. If you even out the weight of the gear you have in the vest, there is no problem carrying it. Easy access to all equipment.
Out of everything I have, I like the vest because I am always switching lenses. However I have gained too much equipment to use it.

How is the vest loaded up on a hot summer day? Does it just cook you or does it provide some ventilation?

It has ventilation. On a hot summer day, I'm hot to begin with. When I take it off, I can feel a difference. Just like when you take a shirt off, compare to having one on. But, the one I have has air rented holes. So when there is a breeze, I can feel it.

I shoot sports mainly but use a vest every shoot. It works great to carry my gear/lenses/extras. I have it on in my avatar, the sleeves are removeable for when it gets hot. I also have a photo backpack

Have you looked at the sling bags?