In addition to your cameras and lenses, here are some other accessories that you may find handy from time to time. I don’t carry all of these items all of the time, but will choose some of them depending on what, where and when I’m shooting.
Bags and Cases For years I’ve been a charter member of the bag-of-the-month club. I have never found that one perfect bag that works all the time in any situation. For storage at home and travel by car, I have found Pelican hard cases to be the best in secure storage. They have holes for a lock and with a cable you can chain them to something in your car or at home making your gear harder to steal. One of my Pelican cases is even sized for an airline carry on, but only on the larger planes.
If you are frequently changing lenses or accessories, you may prefer a shoulder bag. For travel, and any situation where I’ll be walking distances I prefer backpacks. It is good to have one large bag or backpack that will hold a couple of bodies, several lenses, flashes and accessories. Unless you’re working close to your vehicle like at a wedding or portrait session, this bag will be too heavy to carry for long hours or long distances. So it’s good to have a smaller bag for travel and hiking. It should hold a camera body and a couple of lenses and some basic accessories. It should be light enough to carry comfortably all day, and small enough to fit in the overhead bin of even a small regional carrier plane. When I went to Montana for a wildlife workshop, I had a very large Lowepro backpack loaded with almost 50 lbs of heavy, expensive cameras and long lenses. The problem is it was too large for the overhead bin in 3 of my 4 flights and I had to gate check it after boarding. And to make matters worse, rather than find it waiting at the door of the plane after landing, it got thrown in with checked luggage and $12,000 worth of gear came out on the carrousel where anyone could grab it. I now use a Think Tank backpack that will fit in the overhead.
Carabiners Have a few carabiners in your bag. They can be used to attach gear to your bag and small ones can attach the zippers together to keep them from coming open.
Business Cards and Model releases I always keep a supply of business cards in my bag. If I get a good shot of someone or someplace, I’ll give them a card and tell them to contact me if they would like a copy. This is much less threatening than asking someone for their contact information. If you make this offer, be prepared to follow up. I actually get responses about half the time. I also carry a pack of 3×5 model release cards in case I get a shot of a person that may have commercial use in the future.
CF or SD Cards, and extra batteries If you’re traveling this is a no brainer. Even if you are just out for a day trip, batteries can and do fail (it’s happened to me more than once.) Also you may shoot more than you plan or a card could fail, so they are so compact it only makes sense to carry backups.
Filters For landscape photography, there are two filters you will probably want, a circular polarizing filter and a neutral density filter. The polarizer reduces glare on water and foliage, reduces reflections in windows, and darkens foliage. The ND filter reduces the amount of light that reaches the sensor so you can use longer shutter speeds. They are often used for blurring water in streams and waterfalls and for showing the movement of clouds. Good choices are both a 3 stop ND and a 10 stop ND.
Straps The strap that came with your camera is rarely the best option. If you prefer the standard design, the Optech neoprene straps seem to lighten the weight of the camera. I prefer a cross body strap like one of the Black Rapid models.
Cable release Even with a sturdy tripod, you can still cause vibrations pressing the shutter button. You can prevent that with a cable release, or if you have money to burn, use a wireless remote.
Gray Cards A gray card is handy to have in your bag for tricky light balance situations. Take picture of your subject with the gray card in it, and you can later use that to set your white balance. I use either a small collapsible model or a set of small cards on a neck lanyard.
Right angle finder If your camera doesn’t have an articulated LCD screen, it can be difficult to see your viewfinder or screen to set up very low angle shots. A right angle view finder will save your back and knees.
Loupe A loupe for viewing the LCD is invaluable in bright sunlight because it covers and shield the screen and blocks glare. Get one large enough to cover your LCD, and preferably one that magnifies the screen a bit. This the best way to check sharpness in the field. Be sure to focus the loupe before checking sharpness.
Compass I usually carry an old school lensatic compass. Sure you can get a compass app for your phone, but the old fashioned compass doesn’t depend on batteries. Trail maps or road maps of your area are good to have, if you know how to read them. (Don’t laugh, it’s amazing how many people can’t read a map)
First aid kit and meds I always have a small first aid kit either in my bag, or clipped to it with a carabiner. Incude a container of hand sanitizer, and if you’re going to be outside bring sunscreen. If you’re traveling, you may it useful to carry Imodium for diarrhea, and Pepto Bismol tablets for upset stomach (Most of us made good use of these on our Cuba trip). Put a few pain relievers in your kit. And if your trip involves hiking any distance carry some Moleskin for preventing blisters. If you are travelling out of town or out of the country you should carry at least a day or two supply of any prescription meds, just in case you checked bag gets lost. I’m prone to hangnails and tearing fingernails, so I always carry fingernail clippers.
Small flashlight/headlamp These are useful for hiking in and out when shooting sunrise and sunsets, and organizing your gear in the dark. I’ve even used mine for light painting aircraft. I usually prefer a headlamp so mu hands are free. Be considerate and don’t shine it in the face of your fellow photographers.
Small Tools I usually travel with a set of small screwdrivers, and a Swiss army knife (that obviously goes in checked baggage when I fly.) I also carry the Allen wrench (hex key) that fits my L-Bracket and tightens the legs of my tripod. I’ve seen other photographers carry a Leatherman tool or some similar variation. Filter wrenches can be handy if you over tighten a filter.
Lens and camera cleaning supplies I always have a blower bulb, a retracting lens cleaning brush, lens cleaning wipes, a micro fiber cloth and a small paint brush to clean the camera body. I carry a retractable eraser that can be used to clean camera and lens contacts, and also a washcloth or microfiber towel to remove mist and water if I’m out in rain or heavy fog.
Sensor cleaning supplies For longer trips, I usually carry a sensor loupe, cleaning fluids, sensor wipes and a special sensor brush. I usually carry them in my checked luggage and use the loupe to check my sensor each evening. Cleaning a sensor isn’t that difficult, but read up and watch some videos before doing it yourself.
Gaffer’s tape Gaffer tape looks like black duct tape, but it is much different. It is designed to adhere very strongly, yet remove with leaving adhesive residue. It’s also lightproof, so it can be used to seal light leaks, and cover the eyepiece during long exposures. Rather than carry a roll, I use old gift cards and wrap about 18 inches of gaffer tape around them These cards are then small enough to fit between padding and out case, or between dividers. Gaffer’s tape has saved me on a couple of occasions.
Lens Caps You should carry an extra body and rear lens cap, as they seem to get lost regularly. Carry them attached to each other so they don’t get dirt and dust in them. Even though they won’t help your photography, I like custom lens and body caps by Lenz Buddy that have the lens or body name on them, so I can see at a glance which lens I’m grabbing.
Rain Protection Sooner or later you’ll get caught shooting in the rain. Camera covers can be as simple and cheap as the Optech clear plastic sleeves, ($7 for two), or more expensive like waterproof nylon adjustable covers which can range from $25 to over $100. And to cover the photographer I carry a nylon poncho that packs into a case about 4×5 inches and 2 inches thick.
Gloves I have yet to find any gloves that will keep my hands completely warm and yet let me work my camera controls. Each of my bags has a cheap pair of knit gloves (Less than $1.00/pair on close out at Wal-Mart) so I won’t be caught by surprise. When I know I’m headed into very cold conditions, I either take a pair of Freehands (several styles available at Hunts or B&H) gloves made for photographers that feature index finger and thumb tips that fold back to let you work your controls. Or I carry a pair of mittens which fold back over fingerless gloves. These are usually in the hunting/camping section of Wal-Mart. I also carry chemical hand warmer packets that I activate and place in my pockets to warm my hands when I’m not shooting.
In Closing If you carry every possible camera, all of your lenses, flashes, and all of these accessories, there is one more thing you’ll be needing – a large muscular assistant. Learn to anticipate your needs and pick and choose your gear depending on where you’re traveling and the type of photography you plan to do. Carry only what you need (or can comfortably carry) and leave the rest behind.
