Chad Winstead

Wedding | Last Updated: May 14, 2021

Hello! I am a full-time wedding photographer from Eastern North Carolina and a profound gear nerd. I teamed up with my future wife Beth back in 2013 and we have been photographing weddings together ever since. We travel all over and photograph 30-40 weddings a year all while Beth is a full-time teacher as well!

We have a passion for creating beautiful, timeless images for our couples and delivering an all-around experience that surpasses their expectations. With every image we take, we are trying to craft vibrant and unique images that tell the story of the couple’s day and the love they have for each other. We love to deliver a portfolio to each couple that has variety, flair, and personal touches through beautiful moments, details, and portraits.

Beth and I switched to Sony in June of 2017 shortly after the a9 was released. We have loved everything about the switch! We wanted to be lighter, faster, and have something that made our jobs easier on fast-paced wedding days. We feel that these cameras have helped us evolve even more as photographers! Check out what’s in our gear bag:

Sony a9 (x2)
Silent, Fast, and Light. My documentary camera.

Sony a7R III
When I want detail and resolution with a responsive mechanical shutter for flash, I break out the a7R III.

Sony a7 III
I mainly picked this up as a video camera and find it nearly identical to the A9 in terms of autofocus speed and use.

Sony 16-35mm f/2.8 GM
My favorite lens for the reception and wide portraits. It’s extremely sharp and has that contrast I love!

Sony 35mm f/1.4
When I need a fast lens or more bokeh on the short end, I turn to this beauty.

Sony 55mm f/1.8
Excellent lightweight lens. It’s probably the sharpest lens I’ve ever used next to the 90mm macro.

Zeiss Batis 85mm f/1.8
My go-to portrait lens.

Sony 70-200mm f/2.8 GM
Fast focusing, beautiful rendering, & excellent sharpness in a zoom. I use this during the ceremony.

Sony 90mm f/2.8 Macro
Extremely sharp for both macro work and portraits. We mainly use this for the rings and details, but Beth will sometimes use it during makeup prep as well.

DJI Mavic Pro
I love to use the drone when I can for that unique, overhead look! The Mavic has great image quality in such a tiny package.

Godox AD200 (x2)
My favorite, versatile light. Excellent power and portability with amazing recycling time.

Godox v860ii (x2)
Love these portable speed lights when I need something smaller or less powerful than the AD200

MagMod Lighting Modifiers
I use all MagMod modifiers on the wedding day depending on the situations. I will use a MagBeam when I need a lot of light from far away. I use the MagSphere for a nice diffused light. MagGrids are probably my most used for tight lighting. The MagBounce is perfect for soft light for group shots and portraits. I also love to use gels to enhance the color of my light.

Tether Tools Flash Mounts
I use these all the time for prep and reception where I don’t have room for a lightstand.

Manfrotto NanoClamp + Novoflex Speedlite Ballhead
When I need to clamp my flash in an inconspicuous spot.

Not Pictured:

Think Tank Airport Security V2.0
Think Tank Airport Take Off V2.0
Think Tank Retrospective 30
SpiderLight Mirrorless Holster System
Cheetah Stand C10’s
Sandisk 128gb SD cards

www.ChadWinstead.com