10 Things You Should Have In Your Photography Kit
Have you ever wondered what equipment you need to help you be successful as a photographer? Well, I’ve put together 10 Things You Should Have In Your Photography Kit.
If you’re just beginning in photography, or even if you are a more seasoned photographer, you may be wondering what you really need in your “kit.” Things that are necessary, or things you shouldn’t waste your money on. Should you buy the whole “camera bundle” or just the camera? Let me stop here and just say…avoid buying the camera bundles!
And worry no more about money wasted on unnecessary kit, read on for my list of 10 things you should have in your photography kit!
Camera
Number one may seem obvious…A camera. You don’t want just any camera in your bag; you want a professional DSLR or mirrorless camera body. I am a loyal Canon user. That’s all I’ve ever owned and all I will ever own, and there are a couple that I regularly recommend. First is the Canon 6D Mark II. It is a full-frame camera with incredible image quality, fast focus, and many focus points. I also often tell people to look at is the Canon Rebel T7. It’s a great starter DSLR. It’s affordable, easy to use, and has excellent image quality.
If Nikon is the way you want to go, the Nikon D5600 is a great choice. This Nikon offers exceptional quality for the price!
Strap
Number 2, a good strap. The strap that comes with your camera is usually uncomfortable. If you find that as well, there are many options out there for you. On my list of must-haves are these super fun camera straps…Fotostrap has the most fantastic camera straps. A lot of which are on sale right now. From the Limited Edition straps, which are my favorite, to the Designer straps, they have a huge selection and something for everyone. And a cool thing about this company is not only do they make some rockin’ camera straps, but 10% of every purchase goes to Fotolanthropy, a charity using photography to document people’s journeys through adversity.
Lens
Number 3 on the 10 things you should have in your photography kit is a lens. I don’t want you to run out and start buying a ton of lenses, but if you’re going to get serious about photography, you will want to move away from your kit lens fairly quickly. Kit lenses aren’t the best lenses to have, so if you can spend a bit more money and get a good quality lens, it will make all the difference in your photography.
My go-to lens is the Canon 50mm f1.8. I love this lens for portraits because it allows me to shoot wide open and achieve that gorgeous blurry background that I love. I also love that it’s so affordable. It’s the cheapest lens in my bag, but the one you will find on my camera most of the time! I have a whole blog on lenses. Click here to check that out and learn more about what lens may be right for you.
Battery
Number 4, an additional battery. If you spend long days shooting sessions, an additional battery is necessary. When it comes to batteries, I suggest that you stick with brands specific to your camera and not an off-market battery.
SD Card
The number 5 item on my list 10 Things You Should Have In Your Photography Kit, is additional SD cards. I have quite a few SD cards. I usually have 5 with me. I shoot a lot of sessions and don’t always upload the photos to my computer right away, so having a lot of cards is essential. There’s nothing worse than running out of space on your card, so either buy a large one or a few to have handy.
SD Card Case
Number 6, and SD card case. Make sure that you have an SD card case to put all of your cards in. This was a mistake that I made too many times. I would put my card in the zipper part of the bag and waste too much time trying to find it. I know always keep mine in this little case for convenience at I have to say, it has been one of my best purchases.
External Hard Drive
Number 7, an external hard drive. Even though this doesn’t go in your actual “kit”, this actually may be the second most important thing on my list of 10 things you should have in your photography kit. Backing up your photos is so important! I am neurotic with this step, as losing my photos is a massive fear of mine. As a photographer, you are creating memories. Whether they are your own or someone else’s, you want to ensure they are backed up. I have my photos organized on my computer, external hard drive, and a cloud service.
Bag
Number 8 on 10 Things You Should Have In Your Photography Kit list is a camera bag. You’ve found the perfect camera, you’ve purchased the correct lens, you have all of the essential kit…now where do you put it all? Your camera bag!
Camera bags are made specifically to hold and protect your camera equipment, so make sure that you don’t spend all of the money on great equipment to toss in your handbag or backpack. Invest in a specifically designed camera bag.
I have the Think Tank Lily Deanne Mezzo bag, and I love it! It’s sleek, full of pockets and big enough for all of my equipment. There are plenty of camera bags out there to choose from. Backpacks, bags, you name it, you can find it.
Reflector
Number 9 is a reflector. Reflectors are great. They are an inexpensive way to manipulate light. Reflectors are small, portable and you can easily use them to bounce light to create catchlights and use in a situation that you want to lower your ISO.
Cleaning Kit
And lastly on the 10 Things You Should Have In Your Photography Kit is a cleaning kit. Maintaining your camera, lenses, and other equipment is essential, and a cleaning kit is a great addition to your camera bag. This Altura Photo Professional Cleaning Kit has everything you need. A microfiber cloth, cleaner bottle, lens brush and pen, air blower and cleaning sheets and cloths.
When you’re getting your bag together, remember, just because you have more, better equipment doesn’t mean that your photos will turn out how you want them. Focus on the few must-have photography gear items and understand how they work. It doesn’t matter how great the equipment is or how much of it you have if you don’t know how to use it, so make sure to check out The Beginners Photography Essentials Class to help you reach your photography goals even faster!
