Posts Tagged ‘Photography gear’

Let's be honest, the only 'essential' for your camera bag is a camera with lens attached. Everything else is just an extra, something that makes your life as a photographer that bit easier, or gives you more creative options.

In this article we'll look at a range of accessories that can be very useful to have in your camera bag. You're unlikely to want to carry all of them with you all the time. Some of the accessories are more suited to some styles of photography than others. But you might want to consider them when packing your bag for a specific shoot.

Just remember that while taking more accessories with you gives you added flexibility, it also adds more weight to your bag. While many of the accessories discussed here are small and light, you should still think carefully about the actual likelihood that you'll need an accessory before packing it.

If you own an interchangeable lens camera, then you may be faced with a dilemma if you decide to upgrade your kit. Should you prioritize upgrading the camera body, or purchasing a new lens?

To answer this question you need to look carefully at what your current gear doesn't do satisfactorily. By looking at the main problems you have with your current gear, you can better understand whether it is a new camera or new lens that will best resolve those problems for you.

It happens to everyone. Sometimes you just don't have the motivation to pick up your camera and go out and shoot. Or maybe the motivation is partly there, but you just can't seem to get a good photo. All your shots are looking staid, boring, and lacking that creative oomph.

Don't worry, creative block is something that everyone experiences. It's perfectly normal. What matters is how you deal with it - do you give up or work through the difficult period? In this article I'll share some tips that will hopefully help you work through your block and get your creative juices flowing again.

In this article we'll look at six small pieces of equipment that most photographers don't think about bringing with them when going out shooting. The fact is that most of time these pieces of gear aren't needed. But when you do need them, you'll be really wishing you had packed them.

None of these items take up much space, so they're worth just adding to your photography bag and leaving there on a permanent basis. Then on the odd occasion when you do need them, you won't be kicking yourself that you left them at home.

In recent years there has been a move towards smaller, lighter cameras. Some photographers have moved to using these cameras from much larger and heavier DSLR cameras, and so termed this use of smaller / less equipment as Nimble Photography or Minimalist (as in terms of gear) Photography.

It's not just about a reduction in the amount of photography gear they use though, it's also about a change in workflow. Spending less time behind the computer, more time shooting, and getting pictures out much faster is part of the movement.

A tripod can be a great help in getting sharp photos and making you think more carefully about your composition. Many landscape, architecture, and product photographers would rate the tripod as being an essential bit of kit.

But if you're looking at purchasing a tripod, you may be a bit bewildered by all the different options available. In this article we'll look at the various features and specifications of tripods, and how they relate to real life use.

Most of us try to take good care of our camera, but there are plenty of ways people accidentally damage their photographic equipment. Many of these sound obvious, perhaps it is because they are obvious that they can be easily forgotten or overlooked, and end up in an expensive accident for your camera.

Horror! Camera Carcass by Orin Zebest on flickr (licensed CC-BY)

Many cameras allow you to screw a filter onto the end of the lens to achieve a certain effect. For example, one of the most popular filters is the polarizing filter, used to reduce reflections and glare, and to enhance colors and contrast in landscape photography.

When you purchase a filter, you need to make sure that it comes with the correct size threads to screw onto your camera's lens. Different cameras and lenses have different filter thread sizes, and filters are also available in a wide range of different sizes.

The problem comes when you have a filter in one size, but your lens has a filter thread of a different size. This can easily happen when you upgrade from one camera to another, or if you buy more than one lens. To solve this, you can use stepping rings.

Pile of step up and step down rings

Sometimes when we take our camera out with us, we have in mind quite specifically what we want to capture, and so can plan the kit we take accordingly. But other times we might just go out on a walk with the intent to take photos of anything we find interesting.

Similarly, when packing for a holiday, we need to take the equipment that will be most useful in the majority of situations. There is no point in carrying heavy gear around with you if it's not going to get much use.

So, here is my suggestion for the 5 piece "ready for anything" camera kit. With this kit you should be able to get pretty good photos of almost anything you come across, and be ready for the large majority of photographic situations. Other than the tripod, it won't take up too much room or weigh you down too much as well.

You can come across photography gear for sale in a range of ways. Regardless of whether you prefer to shop at a retail store, or look for bargains online, finding photography gear doesn't need to be difficult. Sit back and watch for legitimate offers, and high quality sellers by sticking to these tips for finding photography equipment.