Citlalli Rico

I wanted to update you as I changed a few things from my gear in the last 4 years.

My sister and I have been working together for 11 years and have shot over 700 weddings. We like to carry very little so we can admin our energy better during the day. Most of our weddings are on the beach. Carrying a lot of equipment around is not an option for us.

I mostly shoot with two cameras, a Nikon D750 and still hold on to my beloved D700 for certain situations, like some portraits with very specific light or reception pictures (for smaller files). I always have an off-camera strobe (SB900).

The main change, besides the main camera, is that I started to shoot more with a Nikon 24-70mm f/2.8 lens. It is so versatile and so much fun! I use it mostly as a 35mm but sometimes shooting at 24mm or 70mm comes in handy – 24mm to show places and 70mm for the ceremony.

The downside is that it is a heavy lens, so I only use one camera when I have it on to reduce the weight. After first dances and speeches, I go back to my Nikon 35mm f/2.0 for party pictures. I still use my Nikon 105mm Macro for details and some portraits. Around 3 to 5% of the images are taken with this lens.

I carry everything on my ThinkTank Retrospective Shoulder Bag. Since I started using ThinkTank bags, I’m happier as it is easier to move around with everything in one place.

My personal “Green leaves – Good Karma” project decided to show up during the shoot for Shotkit’s update. My beloved nephew, Eli, was also the best assistant I could have asked for.

www.citlallirico.com

2014

I’m from Cancun, Riviera Maya, Mexico. I’ve been shooting weddings for 8 years and I like to keep my gear very light and simple so I can move around easily. I bought, tried, rented and borrowed tons of equipment during my first 2 years as a photographer. I finally decided to minimize all the weight and focus on making the best pictures possible with basic tools instead of worrying about technical or heavy stuff. My sister Tamara shoots with me. She carries one camera body, one lens and 2 flashes (not in the picture)

My bag only has my two camera bodies (Nikon D700) and two lenses (One Nikon 35mm f/2 and one Nikon 105mm f/2.8 micro). I like to keep it simple so I only use those two lenses. I feel like anything that delays me from capturing a moment is not good for my photography, so I don’t waste time switching lenses, removing lens caps or setting up tons of flashes and transmitters.

A 35mm f/2 is my main lens. I shoot 80% of the pictures with it. It’s a wonderful and affordable wide lens and it’s very small and light. As I normally shoot with medium apertures the Nikon 35mm f/2 is perfect for me. Very little distortion. I simply love it.

The Nikon 105mm f/2.8 micro lens is mainly for portraits and details. I love how sharp it is and being macro it helps make a great detail of shots. Great for daylight conditions. My flash (Nikon SB800) is only to trigger off camera flashes. I’m not a fan of radios or transmitters and I’m also not a fan of on/camera flash either so I always have external flashes on tripods or monopods.

I carry a bunch of 16gb sandisk cards as I shoot in raw. I also have batteries and my Wonderwoman business card holder. The Mexican Giraffe just came by looking for some food.