When you are a photographer, you have to be ready for just about anything. You can try to plan ahead but something unexpected will always come up. As a photographer, it is your job to be prepared and expect the unexpected.
When you are on a shoot, you only have the gear with you to turn that difficult situation into some great photos. You can’t run back home or to the office to grab a piece of gear that you forgot.
The following is a list of items I always have in my camera bag when on a shoot.
1. Spare Memory Cards – Having extra memory cards is a must. When you are on a shoot, you can be snapping away for hours and easily shoot upwards of 1000 photos. If you do not have extra memory cards, you can quickly fill up your only memory card and be forced to sacrifice the earlier shots to make room for photos later in the evening. There is also a chance you forget to put your memory card back into your camera after uploading the photos from a previous shoot. If you get to a location and then realize you have no memory cards, you are up a creek without a paddle. Memory cards are so inexpensive these days that you should have many extra memory cards. I suggest at least 2 to 3 extra memory cards 16GB in capacity or larger.
2. Spare Batteries – Extra batteries are also a must. It doesn’t matter how much expensive camera gear you have, once your out of power you are dead in the water. Nothing is worse than being far away from electricity and seeing your camera’s battery icon blink. Have at least one extra battery charged up and ready to go with you at all times, two is better.
3. Microfiber Lens Cloth – The front elements of a camera gets dirty fast. If you are at the beach, the salt air will leave a residue on your lens. The mist from a waterfall will leave water droplets on your lens. You can try to use your t-shirt to wipe the glass clean but that can smear and leave oils on the lens. Its best to have a few microfiber cloth’s in your camera bag or a pocket to quickly wipe the lens clean. Microfiber cloths are pretty cheap and your images will look much butter without all that grime on your lenses.
4. Rocket Blower – No matter how well you take care of your camera, it always seems to get dirty. Dust settles on the front element and gets inside the camera when changing lenses. The dust will settle on the mirror and the sensor causing little specks to show up in your final image or when looking through the view finder. A Rocket Blower is a small rubber bulb that blows air when you squeeze it. This tool is vital at getting dust off the sensor. I always have the Rocket Blower in my bag and I use it constantly.
5. Leatherman/Multitool – With all the the camera gear were lugging around, tripod, filter mounts, sliders, brackets, etc. There is always something coming loose, or getting stuck. Having a small multitool is essential to fix these things on the go.
6. Remote Shutter Release – I always have a remote shutter release with me. whether I am shooting a timelapse, macro photos, long exposure photography, or just want to sit down and not have to have my hand on the camera, I will use my remote shutter. Not touching the camera eliminates camera shake so I get a sharper shot, especially at slower shutter speeds.
7. LED Flashlight – As a photographer, I am often out taking pictures before sunrise, and after dark. The locations I am at can have some tricky terrain and you have to watch where you are going. Having an LED Flashlight and Headlamp is absolutely necessary. I keep one in my camera bag always. If you get a headlamp, i suggest one that has a “RED” light setting in addition to the standard blue/white light. A red light allows you to preserve your night vision so can still see in the dark and you are not lost in the darkness after you switch your flashlight off.
8. Filters – Filters are a great way to modify the light before it enters the camera. A polarizing filter will remove the glare from the surface of water, as well as from leaves. With the glare removed from leaves, the colors are more saturated and seem to “Pop.”
9. Rain Cover – I live in the pacific northwest of the United States and we get a LOT of precipitation around here. When I am out on a shoot in the rain, I will be wearing a rain jacket, my camera bag will have a rain cover, and I will have a rain cover on my camera.
10. Business Cards – If I am shooting an event or just out taking pictures around town, people often come up to me and start up a conversation. I always make sure I have some of my business cards with me so I can hand them out to these people. You never know who you are talking to and they may need to hire a photographer for all sorts of reason in the future. I never let a potential customer walk away without at least giving them my card.