5 Accessories every Photographer needs (under $50)
Whether you practice photography as a hobby or a career, there are a few obstacles that all photographers face. One that immediately comes to mind is the extremely high costs associated with photography. Your new, fancy mirrorless camera will cost you a couple thousand dollars, add on a nice lens for a few thousand more and you’ve probably already spent $5,000. Oh but let’s not forget that you love taking portraits, so you need a nice strobe light, and lets not forget a softbox. Anyways, you get the idea. The cost of equipment needed for photography is a huge challenge. Handling all of this expensive equipment can be stressful. Where should you store it when you’re not using it? How can I better take care of it in the field? There are many valid concerns when considering taking care of your photography gear. After much trial and error, and broken pieces of equipment, I’ve found some accessories that I believe make everything easier. They make storing your equipment more efficient, they make it safer to handle your gear in the field, and they just make the entire photographic experience more enjoyable. The best part about these accessories is that they are all under $50. You’ve already spent all your money on equipment, I recommend using what change you have left to invest in these 5 accessories (item titles will link to Amazon).
1. Think Tank Red Whip
This product is an absolute lifesaver. Love these things. Think Tank Red Whips are so versatile and useful. You can get a package of 10 of them on Amazon for $12.99. The red whips are basically a small little bungee type cord with a pull to tighten. I mainly use them to organize cables in my studio, but I also make sure to always have some with me on location and I’ll use them to attach random things together. Just so versatile, product is a lifesaver. Highly recommend to keep your gear more organized and improve your efficiency when preparing for shoots and during shoots.
2. Rocket Blower
Absolutely necessary piece of gear for every photographer, no matter what level you are or what subject you like to shoot. During a shoot I will always have a rocket blower in my backpack or my pocket, so that I can quickly blow off the dust, pollen, bug, or anything that may have made its way onto the front of my lens. It’s also useful for blowing dust off your camera sensor, or getting little bits of sand out of the crevices in your lens. Anytime I can clean my camera and lens without touching it, I do. A rocket blower is the cleanest, easiest, and most effective way to quickly take care of your gear. Obviously there are lot of different options, but I think this one looks cool, and you can pick it up on Amazon for $8.99.
3. L Bracket
Ah, an L Bracket. This little piece of gear changed my landscape photography. For those of you that don’t know, an L Bracket is basically a tripod plate that covers the bottom of your camera and one side of your camera. It allows you to quickly flip your camera from landscape to portrait, without having to fiddle with moving the head of your tripod. This will save you so much time. No more recomposing with the tripod head, just flip the camera orientation. I also feel much better about the safety of my gear when using an L Bracket. I don’t like the idea of hanging my camera off the side of the tripod on the rotated ball head, feels more secure with the L Bracket. I haven’t linked a product here because what type of L Bracket you need will depend on what type of camera you have. However, I use an L Bracket from SmallRig and it is awesome. SmallRig makes a lot of great stuff, and most L Brackets will run you somewhere around $50.
4. Pelican Memory Card Case
Memory cards are one of those pieces of gear that tends to float around and get lost or even damaged. That’s unfortunate because they are absolutely 100% critical to photography. You can’t do anything without one. I use this memory card case by Pelican to keep all of my cards safe. It’ll hold SD Cards for my cameras and micro SDs for my drone. It’s water resistant, dustproof, and drop proof. Your memory cards will be completely safe, and organized in this case. For me, this memory card storage solution is invaluable. There are times when you will have hours of work on a card after a shoot, and you are just praying you can make it back to the office safely to offload everything and back it up. I really don’t worry about that with this case. I throw my cards in there, put in my bag, and I’m all good to go. You can grab one of these on Amazon for $19.99.
5. Peak Design Camera strap
Peak Design, an absolutely genius company. If you haven’t checked out their stuff, you are missing out. They make all sorts of clever camera gear from backpacks to straps. Their camera strap is an absolute game changer. The strap works with a small attachment that you can put on all of your cameras. Once you have these attachments on your cameras, you can switch the strap around to whichever camera you like in a matter of seconds. It’s not the easiest thing to explain, but the system is so simple and clean. Don’t even think about it, it will make your life easier and keep your gear safer while you’re out shooting. Just go grab one, you won’t regret it. You can pick them up on Amazon for $49.95, well worth it.
Nothing mind blowing there, but those are 5 accessories that I love and use daily that make my life easier, and keep my gear safe and organized. Go grab them for yourself (Amazon links in titles), you won’t regret it. Talk to you all next week!
