As a photographer of any genere, be it Weddings, portraits, events landscapes, it is essential to have the right gear. The contents in your camera bag are the tools of the trade. Keep in mind, as an aspiring photographer; it is not all about the equipment. If you have an eye for composition and you’re comfortable working with light, you can begin with the basic equipment and add to your collection as you go. But whether you are a professional, or an amateur, here are 4 must have accessories every photographer needs in their camera bag.
- Memory Cards! This is probably a no-brainer, but you can never have enough memory cards. The faster the writing speed, the better. It is important to have the right memory card that is compatible with your camera. Having plenty of memory cards will ensure that you never run out of space during that beach portrait session, or worse, a Wedding!
- The Right Lens. A good lens means everything. Lenses dictate what type of shots you can take such as close ups, landscape, and portrait shots. Did you know that lenses typically last longer than your camera body itself? Of course a good camera is vital, but in the end your lenses are some of the most important things in your camera bag. At Pacific Dream Photography, we use a wide variety of lenses to ensure that we get the shot.
- Lens Hood. A lens hood serves many different purposes. The main purpose is to block out light. It is always a good idea to have a lens hood in your camera bag. The hood will block out the flare from the light source, while protecting the reflected light. This is a great way to keep your family portraits from getting too much light over peoples faces and losing the detais in the photo. More than anything, the lens hood will protect the lens against the elements.
- External Flash. An off camera flash is one of the best steps you can take to better photography. Not only will an external flash enhance your photos, it will make a big difference when it comes too professional shooting. Say you are photographing a wedding couple with a sunset behind them, and you want to caputre the sunset and the couple. A flash helps to light up your couple so that you can see both them and the background.
Looking for more photography tips. Check out this blog here!
Written by Michael Wheeler (Pacific Dream Photography at the Grand Hyatt Kauai)