Here we are in our second post of the 4 part series. This series is the revival of the photographer blog for
One World United Photos LLC. Where we discuss the growth we have experienced during our three years as a photographer company. You can reference the first post
here if missed them.
So this post we are going to talking about the gear we have learned to use and love. I will briefly talk about:
- Bags
- Straps
- Tripod
- Mono-pods
- Accessories
Bags and Straps
So lets get into it! First off you always need a bag to carry your gear. Our suggestion is a this URL:
Think Tank Retrospective 5 Shoulder Bag - Pinestone
It is a casual bag that blends into all situations. This is spacious allowing for room for a camera body and several lenses. Easy to carry over the shoulder. One feature I did not appreciate when I bought it, but has come in handy many times is a rain coat for the bag. It is an option but well worth it.
Another Bag I would suggest is at this URL:
Lowepro Pro Runner 200 AW DSLR Backpack - Black
. This bag has all the slots for everything you could possible need, and then some. I easily carry two camera bodies with batter packs. four lenses and a flash or two. While having room for my CF cards, business cards, and laptop. I have gotten a ton of use out of this bag. Also just like the Think tank bag this has a rain coat that you can put on over the bag. It is something you don't think of, but it is a life saver!
While the bags help you get to where you are going, once you get there you have to remain comfortable and moving. Taking photos is not something you just sit around and snap some shots and hope that if you take enough you will get a good one. I suggest looking into three types of neck straps:
I have listed a single strap that takes the pressure off the neck. The Spider Pro is a belt that lets you hang your camera's off of a part of the belt. The final is a double strap. Allows you to hold two camera's at once. All of them are pretty incredible and serve a purpose. I like the looks of the Spider pro the most, but functionally is what drives this decision.
Tripods and Monopods
Next item I want to address is having a good Tripod and Monopod in your kit. If you are in nature or shooting sports a monopod is a must have. If you are doing portraits or any type of other still life work you have to have a tripod. It reduces weight/fatigue, shake on the camera, and gives a platform for you to work off of. The tripod I use is a
Manfrotto 055XPROB Pro Tripod Legs (Black)
. The monopod I like is at:
Manfrotto 685B Neotec Monopod Deluxe with Safety Lock (Black)
. There are many options for tripods and monopods. Some factors to look at include the weight, material of the tripod, and price. Like any thing else in the photography word price can become a factor. Again I like functionality to drive this beast. If you are shooting alot of sports or wild life and you have large glass get a monopod. Cheaper then a tripod and you will get loads out of the shots using this. If you are doing product shoots you have to have a tripod to keep a steady platform. You have never seen a picture of a item and it is blurry from shake.
One feature about monopods and tripods you can get bogged down in is the type of head to purchase that will hold your camera. I have had experience with two different types. A
Manfrotto 808RC4 3-Way Standard Head with Quick Release Plate 410PL (Black)
is my preferred head on my tripod. It allows for great control of different degrees for the head. My preferred is at
Manfrotto MH054M0-Q2 054 Magnesium Ball Head with Q2 Quick Release
. It provides easy maneuverability for when action is happening all around you. One warning though is if you go for a cheaper model you and you have large glass on the camera body the ball socket will not be able to hold the weight and will slowly drift and change position. Just something else to think about.
Accessories
The final few items I wanted to address are some accessories that have really become a blessing during our work. We do not know what the elements will throw at us. It has saved our bacon once or twice carrying around this item:
Camera Rain Cover For Canon Models with lens combinations up to 13" long
. Wind/dust/rain is no issue with this baby in your case. Even if things do not go right, you can still get an incredible shot. Another item that has been awesome has been a
Gary Fong GFLSC01 LightSphere Collapsible Flash Diffuser
. If you have nasty shadows on your shots give this guy a try. It truly bends the light around the subject creating a more blurred line between shadow and subject. It also allows a great deal of diffused bounce through out the room if you are trying to supplement natural light sources. Either way don't leave home without it! Speaking of bounce light I have to mention how incredibly important it is to carry a diffuser/reflector with you. They come in neat little packages that often contain more then one use. This
NEEWER® 22" 60CM Portable 5 in 1 Translucent, Silver, Gold, White, and Black Collapsible Round Multi Disc Light Reflector for Studio or any Photography Situation!
It is another life saver!
The final item I wanted to mention might seem kind of odd but it is a small little grey card. The
DGK Color Tools DGK-XL Extra Large Size 3 Card Set- 4-5 Inches Balance Card 18 Percent Digital Gray Card for Digital with Carry Lanyard-White
allows you to capture the light at that moment. Then you can use the photo of the card as the ground for how to set up your light for your shots. It saves alot of time. Heck if you can shoot the picture correctly in the camera there is no wasted time post processing.
"The single most important component of a camera is the twelve inches behind it."
Ansel Adams