Five Must Have Things to Have in Your Camera Bag
When going to photograph a session it’s important to have everything you need with you. Here are the top 5 things I can’t leave the studio without.
Fully charged Cameras
This sounds like a “no-duh” because it is. You can’t shoot a session without a camera to shoot with! I always make sure I also bring my backup camera in case anything happens to my primary shooter. Thankfully, nothing has happened to it so far, but it’s not uncommon to have cameras overheat in the middle of a North Carolina summer. So it’s good to have a backup camera to switch to so I don’t waste any of my client’s valuable time waiting for my primary to cool off.
Backup batteries and memory cards
Even though my cameras are always fully charged before I take them out, it’s good to have backup batteries in case I need them, especially if I’m shooting multiple sessions back to back or if I’m shooting a wedding. It’s the same thing with extra memory cards. It’s great to have a spare in case you shoot so many pictures you run out of space or if (heaven forbid) you go to take pictures and find out you never actually put your memory card back into your camera. This happened to me once, but I didn’t have to panic or freak out because I just pulled out my spare card and got to work.
Photography Contract
Before any session I always have my customers sign their contract and pay their session fee. The contract protects both them and myself so we can then do our session with confidence. A good contract is a photographer’s best friend, and you do not want to do any sessions without having your client sign one. It’s also great to help keep track of all of your customer’s information in one place.
My phone
I like to wear a watch when I do sessions to help my time management. It make sure that I don’t go over and take up the customer’s time and that I can get all the shots I wanted to and previously discussed before time is up. But sometimes I get so into the zone that I forget to keep an eye on my watch. Which is why I also set the timer on my phone to go off 10-15 minutes before the end of the session. I set it on vibrate so I can feel it through my camera bag but not distract the client or the subject. I also use my phone to play music if I’m doing child photography, as a quick reference to a shot list, or my posing cheat sheet when shooting senior portraits.
My business cards
After every session I thank the clients for their time and give them my business card to make sure they have all of my information in one place so they can easily get in contact with me. Obviously, they got in contact with me at least once to set up the appointment, but when they have a card on hand it’s easier for them to do so again or for them to even pass it along to someone else as a recommendation.
BONUS! Stuffed monkey
When I’m shooting a family photography session with young children or just the little ones I make sure I bring my monkey friend along with me. His arms fit perfectly around my lens and he helps the child look toward the camera when I want them to. Before the session I let them hold him and play with him a little bit to say hi before he goes on my camera. This has made many a session go as smoothly as banana pudding.
That’s it! That’s what I always have in my camera bag when I go to shoot. In my experience, often when something can go wrong, it does, so it pays to plan ahead and prepare accordingly. I hope this helps you pack your camera bag so you can go out and capture some great pictures. Happy shooting!
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