Today we are going to look at what's in your bag. Or more precisely, what's in my bag. Or maybe even more precisely, what should be in my bag. Of course, I'm talking about my camera bag. I know what should be in my bag. It's that one thing that I really need, or at least have convinced myself that I need and is not there. Just last night I set up my photo booth at an arts market and forgot to bring the mounts for my speedlights. I ended up using wire and tying them to the uprights of the booth and I guarantee that nobody but me noticed. So would I list speedlight mounts as one of the essential pieces of equipment that should be in everybody's camera bag? No, but I sure felt like a dope when I didn't have them. On to more actual essential pieces of gear. The things that you may be able to live without but will make things a lot easier if you have them. I'm not going to list a camera body, lenses, filters, or speedlights. While some of these are, of course, essential, it is also a very specialized thing, depending on what you are shooting. Sometimes I leave the house with 3 bodies and 9 lenses, and four speedlights and use them all, so lets assume you know what camera/lens combos you will be carrying with you.
These 9 items are kind of the cool little gear things that can make shooting easier. So... Without further ado, I give you:
The top 9 things you really really need in your camera bag:
A Camera Bag. Duh. you need a camera bag. I know plenty of women that carry a DSLR in their purse and I guess it works fine, but... really? You need a real camera bag. one with pockets and padding and a very comfortable shoulder strap and lots of room but not too much room. I love the bags with the customizable innards. The partitions that stay put with velcro that you can configure any way your heart desires. I find myself changing the config almost every time I go out depending on what body/lens combo I am taking.
Look for a good bag from Tamrac, Lowepro, Caselogic, Tenbra, Thinktank and many many more including all the major camera manufacturers. Remember, don't go too cheap or too small. You may live to regret it.
2. Cleaning cloths, or disposable wipes, cleaning solution, and one of those puffer things. Even if you never leave your home your camera will need to be wiped off every once in a while. Get a good quality lens cleaner in a spray or squirt bottle. Spray a little on the cloth (not directly on the lens) and wipe the glass lightly to remove smudges, dust etc. Now give the outside of the camera and lens a good wipe down as well.
The little bulb blower thing is great for blowing dust out of crevices on the outside and if you are in a calm, not too bright preferably indoor environment, learn how to take the lens off of the body of your camera and raise the mirror to use the bulb blower to dislodge any specks of dust inside your camera. Your camera and your pictures will thank you.
3. A good strap. Whether you use the one that came with your camera or not is your call, but I wouldn't recommend it for extended shooting. See my blog post on the subject
Camera Straps, the good the bad and the ugly
4. Extra batteries for everything. Camera, speedlights, remote controls, you name it. If it takes batteries, take a spare.
5. A tripod. If you can't manage to take a tripod, at least consider a monopod. I always take a tripod with me and it can make a huge difference in your finished products. I own a monopod but don't use it much. I need to learn more about it. That will be one of my Autumn resolutions. I will learn how to use a monopod and will write a blog post about it.
6. Index cards and rubber bands. A few index cards, some left whole and some cut into smaller triangles and squares make fantastic reflectors and diffusers for your built in flash or speedlight. Use the rubber bands to hold them in place. Experiment with them sometime, you may be amazed at the results.
7. Extra memory. This one should have have been higher on the list but I am writing these as they come to me and I just thought of this but you need to carry way more memory than you think you need. Keep in mind that shooting in RAW +JPEG fine you can only fit 156 shots on an 8gb card. For a several hour outing an extra card or two may be fine, but for a big overnight shoot or major vacation, take a dozen 32 gig cards or consider a transportable hard drive or even a laptop. In the "old days" this would have been extra film but now that film is about a common as buggy whips, pack all the SD cards you can afford.
8. A flashlight. I carry this small flashlight with a cord that I can hang around my neck and I can't tell how how many times it has saved me.
The obvious use would be outside after dark, but think about being in a dark back corner of a church or in a cabin with no power, or a warehouse and you can probably see many uses. I use mine when I need to change camera settings, or find something in my bag, or just to find the car keys that I dropped on the ground near my car after a shoot at 11:00 at night.
9. A pad and pen. You will need to take notes, or write something down, or jot down directions, or take a lunch order. A pad of paper and a pen can often mean the difference between being able to find that great waterfall again and zipping right past on I-77.
A smartphone is fine, but sometimes a scribbled note stuffed in your camera bag is all you need.
So is this everything you will need or want? Not by a long shot, but it is a pretty good start E-Mail me with any tips, comments, or to yell at me about a crucial piece of equipment that I forgot to include. keith@keithlewisphoto.com
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