Photographic Accessories

Photographic Accessories

by William Lulow

Most photographers carry a camera bag of some sort in which to store their various cameras, lenses and other gear we call “accessories.” What are they and why do we need them? Well, I’ll give you a list and description of what I carry with me and what purposes they serve.

First of all, there is the camera, which every photographer must have. (Can’t take pictures without it). But probably the most important accessory for today’s digital camera is a battery. You certainly don’t want to be out on a shoot, be it a paid one or just for yourself and have your camera experience a battery failure. So, I have an entire battery grip for my Canon camera that consists of a holder that becomes an integral part of the camera. When these batteries are fully charged (and maybe even if they are only half charged), they will support an entire day’s worth of shots. If I’m out on a corporate shoot, I can often make four to six hundred exposures, maybe more. These batteries are good for thousands. So, I never have to worry about not having enough camera power. This Canon battery grip was one of my first purchases after I got the camera. I have shot literally thousands of frames without ever having to worry about running out of battery power. It’s an accessory well worth the investment.

Below are some of the contents of my backpack. I don’t always carry it with me every time I go out to shoot something, but I always have it available in the car and on any commercial job I do.

The items in my back pack are two camera bodies, four lenses and a host of other items I have described below. My lenses include the following:

20mm f/2.8 wide angle

60mm f/2.8 macro lens for close ups and product shots

85mm f/1.8 for portraits

135mm f/2 for telephoto shots and also for portraits outdoors.

As far as regular batteries go, I used to have a set of rechargeables to power my portable strobes as well as my radios. But I decided to give them up because I never knew exactly how much power they had left, even after they were fully charged. Also, rechargeables have a certain life to them. They reach a point after a while, when the capacitors just won’t hold a charge and they need to be replaced. So I always have a number of fresh ones on hand in my backpack. It’s one of the items you just need to pay for, like printer inks and paper.

The next items I usually carry are filters. I am a great believer in filters and their ability to enhance a scene just enough to make it look extraordinary instead of just a record of a place. I have one for nighttime exposures that creates a kind of star effect (this one you don’t want to overuse but it comes in handy sometimes). A red filter for monochrome exposures that darkens the sky and makes it really dramatic. Several neutral density filters which I can combine for long exposures. And a gradient neutral density filter to darken a blue sky while leaving the horizon clear. This is a very handy filter that I use just about all the time. There are also several filter rings for the filter sizes of the various lenses I carry. I use a Cokin Series P system.

A tripod is very important. If you are looking to make great pictures of scenic spots, a tripod becomes a necessity. It may be a pain to carry at times, but you will find, if you are serious about coming away with images a bit out of the ordinary, it is well worth it. For that reason I have used a fairly light-weight, but sturdy carbon-fiber tripod which will support the weight of my camera easily. Better not to bring a flimsy tripod that won’t really do the job. If you’re going to carry one, it should be a sturdy one.

Since I began shooting digitally, I have always wanted to be able to edit my images while still on the road. With the advent of really great smart phones, I can now download images directly from my cameras to my cell phone and edit them almost like I’m doing it on my computer. It also is helpful to view my camera’s images on a larger screen when I don’t carry a laptop. I do it with an accessory cord that’s let me plug my camera directly into my smart phone. I also have several Adobe programs made especially for smartphone use. So I can download, crop, view, to a certain extent, retouch and add my watermark to any and all images right there on location. This comes in very handy since I don’t like to shoot tethered to a laptop. Although a laptop for viewing images on the go is sometimes also handy.

I also carry an electronic shutter release cord for making long exposures. I used to carry a shutter release cord for my view cameras. Today you need an electronic one.

Besides extra regular batteries, usually AA’s, I carry a small, Canon portable flash unit that I sometimes use with my other, off-camera portables in case I need to add light to something I am shooting. A white bounce card for my small flash unit to spread out the light a bit. By the way, all my portable strobes are carried in a second case which is on wheels so that I can also put the back pack on top of it and roll them together.

Here is what my other camera bag looks like:

It has two additional, portable strobes with rechargeable batteries for each, all the cords to go with them and radios to sync them all. Here is my radio pack:

Then, the only other things I have to carry for my portable strobes are two light stands on which to place them.

Also, I always carry couple of extra SD flash memory cards.

That’s pretty much it for accessories except for the additional lenses and extra filters. I also carry a couple of lens cloths, just in case. All these items I usually have with me, but I don’t carry all of them on my person. When shooting someone or something, mostly one just needs a camera and maybe one light. That should do it.