THE FILMMAKER
MATT PYKE
PS VISUALS
BIRMINGHAM, ENGLAND
I got into weddings 11 years ago when I was getting married myself, and I’ve shot roughly 700 weddings since. My shooting style is editorial polish meets documentary madness.
When it comes to kit, I was initially inspired by Philip White’s minimalist approach to gear.
I was previously a self-confessed gear addict, watching YouTube videos week in and week out, constantly upgrading and looking for the next thing. It was really refreshing to find someone who was established and doing so well by taking the complete opposite approach, stripping everything back and focusing on the fundamentals.
I really believe that simple things done perfectly always have the best outcome. When you nail the basics, you can’t go wrong.
I like to stay light. I get booked onto a lot of destination weddings, and this approach really helps. Everything you see here fits into one 50-litre camera bag. Don’t get me wrong, it’s a HEAVY bag, but it means no extra gimbals and no extra tripod bags.
Although I love having second shooters and a team around me, 90% of what I do is solo. So this kit really helps me cover everything and move quickly.
I’ve been quite lucky taking my bag through airports, and after 35 destination weddings I’ve only had a few complaints. One standout moment was at Alicante Airport, where they demanded I empty my whole bag, every single item into a separate tray. That was fun 🙂
A-CAM + B-CAM
SONY FX3
QTY: 2
I love the Sony FX3. It’s an absolute workhorse and honestly a bit of miracle tech. I think it’s quite a unicorn in the sense that it does pretty much everything you ask of it, and there’s not much I could improve.
I do miss my viewfinder from the Sony A7S III, but that might just be the old man in me talking. There’s something about the viewfinder and being able to frame shots using it. I look forward to having it back when the FX5 finally arrives.
C-CAM
SONY A7S III
SOON TO BE UPGRADED TO A SONY FX3
The Sony A7S III is pretty much an FX3 without the bells and whistles. It’s the same sensor in a different body, missing a few upgrades. All in all, it’s an amazing camera, and I think it has a slightly more analogue feel than the FX3, which I do miss sometimes.
However, I just found the Sony A7S III a lot more buggy. The Sony FX3 feels like a superior build with the built-in fan. It also feels sturdier, and I’ve had so many fewer random bugs and issues shooting with it.
The Sony FX3 just feels more reliable, and in the end that wins out overall.
LENSES
TAMRON 28-75MM F2.8 G2
PRIMARY ZOOM
I honestly love these lenses. They’re not perfect, but they have so much character. There’s a slight vignette that I actually really like, and a bit more contrast and colour than some of the more stereotypically perfect lenses from Sony.
Not to say those aren’t great lenses. I just feel like the Tamrons have a certain look to them.
TOKINA 85MM F1.8
85MM PRIME
It’s quite a rare lens and difficult to find sometimes. It’s essentially the same build as the Viltrox 85mm, but Tokina has superior glass.
I learnt all this from my friend Tom, who is a YouTube enthusiast and has made hundreds of lens reviews. When I asked him which 85mm Sony-mount lens came out best in all of his tests, this is what he pointed me to.
Honestly, it’s a bit of a hidden gem. If you can get your hands on one, definitely do.
AUDIO
SONY TX660
PRIMARY WEDDING AUDIO RECORDER
The GOAT. The Sony TX660 is my go-to for audio recording at weddings.
I’ve been testing a few new systems, and I really like the microphones that feed directly into the camera for baked-in, high-quality audio.
But I always find myself coming back to the Sony TX660. In a pinch, or any situation where time is running out, it’s still what I reach for.
TASCAM DR-10L PRO
GROOM LAVALIER RECORDER
I use this lavalier on the groom because the audio quality is absolutely unreal.
SONY ECM-B1M
ON-CAMERA MICROPHONE
Camera-top mic.
Direct plug-and-play audio without wires. It’s pretty cool. It came as a recommendation from Ryan Edwards, and it’s a very clean, nice mic for natural audio and sound bites.
LIGHTING
AMBITFUL VIDEO LIGHT
DANCE-FLOOR & EDITORIAL LIGHTING
I mostly work with natural light, but I keep this in my bag. It’s a large light with a great spread, and it’s very powerful.
Sometimes it’s a bit too powerful, and I find myself dimming it on the dance floor so I don’t blind anybody. But it’s great to have for recreating the photographer’s editorial flash look on video.
DRONE
DJI MINI 5 PRO
COMPACT DRONE
My only gripe is that the sensor isn’t larger. It lacks cinematic depth sometimes and can look too sharp and too digital.
I often find myself looking at the Mavic with the Four Thirds sensor. I’m impressed by the depth and cinematic look of the footage.
The only thing that stops me from switching is the form factor. It’s just so large and doesn’t fit my minimalist approach. That’s a shame.
One day I might give in and just get it, but for now I’m making the Mini work.
ACCESSORIES
NEEWER 50L CAMERA BAG
ONE-BAG SETUP
Everything fits in here. Heavy, but one bag.
BATTERIES, CARDS & CHARGER
12 BATTERIES • 25 SD CARDS • 4-BAY FAST CHARGER
I run with 12 batteries and 25 SD cards, just to be sure. I also carry a four-bay fast battery charger.
I never need it on shoots, but again, better safe than sorry.
TRIPODS
JOBY TRIPODS
QTY: 3
Funny story with these: I bought them by mistake. I used to use big, expensive, heavy broadcast tripods with three supports per leg because they were “professional”. Unfortunately, they were shite for weddings.
After doing some commercial work for a friend, I completely forgot to put my tripods back in my car and got halfway down the country before thinking, “Oh shit!” I didn’t have time to double back, but there was a Currys/PC World on the route.
I ran in and bought three £70 tripods that looked the best. They were called Joby, which I think means poop in Scotland.
I was planning to return them after shooting, but as soon as I used them I was hooked. Super light, super compact, one mechanism to move the whole head and lock it again, zero faff!
I ended up completely abandoning my big, heavy, professional tripods and moved straight to these. They’ve been an absolute godsend for destination work.
The moral of my story: minimal is better!
