6 Essential Camera Accessories You Should Consider
Whether you’re an amateur who just got his first DSLR or you’re trying to develop your photography skills into a real business, making breathtaking images can’t always be accomplished without having the necessary gear. Even though photography is a process which involves a lot more than just having an expensive camera and fancy gear, sometimes the situation requires that you have just the right accessory in order to make that perfect shot. With that being said, here are the 6 camera accessories which have proven themselves to be an essential part of the photography business.
1. Camera bag
Most people tend to avoid carrying their camera around in a dedicated bag. What they fail to consider is that the bag doesn’t only help with the transport, but also protects both the camera and the equipment. However, finding the right camera bag isn’t always easy, as there a lot of different models, sizes and price ranges to choose from. Make sure to get a bag which suits your individual needs the best. Don’t get the biggest and the boldest model if you only have a single camera and a lens. On the other hand, you never know what you might end up needing during a shoot, so try to avoid buying the smallest available model.
2. A Sturdy Tripod
Tripods are extremely useful in low-light situations, night photography and shooting landscapes. Not only that but they’re irreplaceable when it comes to shooting video, as they allow for a perfectly steady shot, which is useful when you’re trying to get a perfect pan of the subject. Try not to get the cheapest, plastic model, because they break fairly often. Make sure you get a tripod which has a good balance and can withstand at least double the camera weight, so you don’t have to worry about the camera tipping over and breaking.
3. Strap
Just like with the camera bags, people really don’t like wearing a strap. And that’s how the stories you hear of someone accidentally dropping their expensive camera to the ground get made. And you’d be surprised how often people simply drop what they’re holding in their hands. Wearing a strap prevents this sort of situations from happening. Besides safety, straps are also used by professional photographers who use more than one camera at the time. This allows them to capture that perfect moment, without having to worry about picking up the wrong camera.
4. Cleaning kit
Having a single speck of dust on your lens can literally ruin an entire shot with cloudy images. Besides that, dirt is abrasive enough to scratch the lens, rendering it unusable. To avoid this from happening, you need to use cleaning kits to make sure your lenses are dirt and dust free. These range from simple cleaning cloths to specialized liquids designed for a more thorough cleaning experience. Whatever you do, just don’t use your clothes are a make-shift cleaning cloth. Our clothes soak in all the sweat and dirt, and using them for cleaning can only damage your equipment.
5. Additional lenses
Almost all DSLRs come equipped with a standard zoom lens used to cover a focal length of 18-55mm. These lenses are an excellent starting point in your photography journey, but eventually, you may start feeling a bit limited by their performance. If for example, you’d like to shoot interiors and landscapes, then you might want to get yourself a good telephoto lens which allows you to frame your subject more accurately. Shooting smalls objects requires a macro lens, while portrait photography is best done by using a dedicated portrait lens. If you don’t want to spend an insane amount of money on Canon and Nikon lenses, then you should give sigma lenses a try, as they produce the similar picture quality for just a fraction of the price.
6. Extra batteries and memory cards
Believe it or not, carrying around spare batteries and memory cards is one of the most important aspects of professional photography. Batteries tend to leak charge even when you’re not using your camera and to have your camera shut down in a middle of a photo shoot without having additional batteries packed with you can leave you looking like an amateur. The same can be said about memory cards, as they get the most use during a shoot. Always make sure you’ve packed extra memory and batteries, you may never know when you’re going to need them the most.
Photography is more than just getting an expensive camera and adding “photographer” in front of your name. it requires practical knowledge and firsthand experience and in some cases, use of specific gear. Some of the most iconic photos wouldn’t have been possible to shoot without having proper accessories. Whether you’re carrying your gear around in a camera backpack or you’re using a tripod to get that perfect shot, accessories are used to elevate your photography game and to help you make professional-looking images every time.
