that you can’t live without?
What makes photography a strange invention is that its primary raw materials are light and time.
John Berger
I know it’s not the Fourth of July but scrolling through some images this week got me thinking about some favorite things that I lug around with me on a daily basis in addition to my camera and an assortment of lenses. In my northern clime, fireworks displays and light parades do occur with some regularity on the mountain to celebrate winter and being prepared for these kinds of scenarios is a good thing!
Some of these things may seem pretty obvious but they still bear mentioning…extra cards and extra (fully charged) batteries for your camera, flash, remote trigger, and flashlights. I do a lot of shooting in very cold temperatures and that does tend to use the batteries up more quickly.
I couldn’t live without my tripod and the quick release plate is always attached to my camera. Sure you can hunt around and maybe find something to set your camera on to steady it but chances are it will not be found exactly where you need it to be in order to frame your shot. I love doing long exposures and night photography and for those, a tripod is indispensable!
A sweet little item that resides permanently attached to my camera strap is an ML-L3 remote that triggers the shutter from the front, up to a distance of about 16 feet. I love this little tool and it has been used A LOT!
In the lighting department I carry a speedlight flash and a ring flash which I use primarily for macro shots like the snowflake from last week. I have a Buglit LED micro whose nifty legs can attach to my tripod so that I can find my way back to it at night, a squeeze light in red in case I want to retain my night vision, and a Surefire E2 executive flashlight just in case the urge to light paint strikes! While on the topic of light, have you ever tried to look at your LCD screen in bright daylight only to find it next to impossible to see? A lovely little fix for that is the Hoodman loupe. Mine hangs on a lanyard and if I need to see detail on the LCD screen I simply place it against the screen and it blocks out the light showing me my image in far greater detail. It’s a little pricey but I do love it.
Finally in my everyday gear I make sure that I have lens cleaning equipment, filters, and hoods for the lenses that I have with me and last but not least…a rectangular piece of black cardboard. Huh…a piece of cardboard? Oh yes…
A few words about today’s image. This fireworks shot was taken with my D7000 and a 35mm lens, the settings were f16, 22 sec, ISO 100 and because I shoot in RAW format I was able to lighten up the shadows in the foreground in Lightroom and expose the lights reflecting on the boats. This was not a composite shot… remember the piece of cardboard? I was able to capture multiple explosions by placing the black cardboard in front of my lens and selectively removing it as each firework was shot.
I would love to hear what’s in your gear, especially those small odd items that can make all the difference in a shot.
it's (almost always) about the water... 
What a beautiful picture. It was interesting to learn what that little piece of cardboard allowed you to accomplish. The color of the water was lovely as well.
Thank you, I’ll be waiting on your fireworks images!
Hi Sheryl. Really enjoying your blogs. I must see if I can find a quick release plate for my tripod and get into using it. I wondered how to capture fireworks pics. Our community league has a great display each New Year’s Eve.
Thank you Judy! If you google your tripod brand it should give you some choices for a quick release plate that will fit your tripod. Perhaps closer to July I will give a more in depth post on fireworks. They really are fun to shoot!
Hi Sheryl, the most important pieces in my bag, after the camera and lenses, are ND filters to allow me to shoot wide open with my Leica glass. I believe that there lies the “Leica look”
Interesting, David. I have wondered about that ‘look’ that you create so well in your images, thank you!