Always Be Prepared

Going into a photo session, you typically know what to expect for the equipment you need. However, changes or hiccups happen, so you always need to be prepared for anything. The four main items I make sure I have with me for every shoot are my Nikon D5600 camera, my two lenses (an 18-55mm and a 70-300mm), at least two fully charged camera batteries, and multiple empty SD cards. As long as I have these four things, I am good to go in normal scenarios. My 18-55mm lens is the one I typically use for full body shots, landscape nature photos, or when I don't have much room to spread out. My 70-300mm lens though is my favorite one because it's suited very nicely for detailed and closer up portraits such as headshots. I also always make sure to have multiple batteries and SD cards to ensure my camera doesn't die or run out of storage for photos.

In addition to those four things though, there are other items in my camera bag that I bring even though they aren't used very frequently. First, I have clear rain bags. These c over the entirety of my camera so when it rains I can keep the water off of my camera and lens. Second, I have different types of filters and small lenses. My favorite of these is my lens for micro photography. This allows me to take very close-up detailed photos of subjects such as insects. Another item in my camera bag is my intervalometer. This device connects to my camera and I can set a time interval and number of photos. I've used this for projects such as time lapses. As an example, I set it to take 100 photos every five seconds and then set that again every time it finished for an hour. This gives me the photos to create a timelapse for subjects such as sunrises or clouds passing by.

Something else I keep in my camera bag but only use for some of my college classes, is a wireless flash trigger. I slide this on top of my camera, set it to the same number as whatever professional lighting equipment I'm using in the photo studio, and it connects my camera to the lights. This makes sure that the lights go off whenever I take a photo. Even though I charge my batteries before I go to photo shoots, I also keep my battery chargers in my bag just in case. I have one that plugs into wall outlets, and another that plugs into my car. I'll use the one in my car if I have a break between sessions on the same day so I can charge the battery I just used in the case I need to use it again on the same day. Or I'll charge a battery on my way to a photoshoot just to ease my mind that it's charged. The last set of items I keep in my bag are cleaning supplies for my camera. These include items such as a cloth to clean my screen and lenses, q-tips for smaller areas like around buttons, and an air blower to clear away dust or debris.

Even though some of the previously mentioned items don't get used every time I take photos, I still carry them in my camera backpack just in the off chance I'll need them. I would much rather be prepared and overpacked, then not bring them when it happens to be the one time I need them.