What shooting accessories do you find most helpful?

met

There are all kinds of photography gadgets out there. What shooting accessories do you wedding photogs find most helpful that make your job so much easier? Which ones have you begun to rely on so much that you don't want to live without them?

I'm thinking of things like straps, lens carrying devices, custom white balance devices, etc.

tenoverthenose

My ThinkTank's belt system to carry a few lenses and other necessary equipment with me all the time, so I don't have to drag my camera bag everywhere I go. I'm not really a fan of most gadgets, but this saves me time and can keep the momentum of a shoot going much better than having to stop and slow down if I need a different lens.

indiegirl

I love my Shootsac.

Kinkajou

I have a little hoodman loupe. Wonderful when shooting outside/in bright sunlight and want to quickly check that all the settings are right and the tones look good. I always keep it with me when working with clients outdoors.

Wachel

My black rapid strap that I just got is amazing. I was so tired of my camera wanting to fall off my shoulder all the time. Not any more.

Surfdog

Kinkajou wrote: »

I have a little hoodman loupe. Wonderful when shooting outside/in bright sunlight and want to quickly check that all the settings are right and the tones look good. I always keep it with me when working with clients outdoors.

Just bought 2 Hoodman loupes for my wife and I. Such a help when shooting out in bright weather, and really nice for those of us who have "over 40" eyesight.

Art Scott

Body, Lens and Flash...are my most important accessories....coming in second are clothes.

Matthew Saville

There are always the accessories that "every photographer should have", and I think they've been covered very well.

So I had to ask myself, ...what shooting accessory do I have, that I find most helpful, AND helps me differentiate myself from other photographer's styles?

I can't decide between my tripod and my polarizer, two things which are essential to my landscape photography style of portraiture. I guess at the end of the day, it's the tripod that is an absolutely mission-critical tool for many of my shots. If (besides one camera, lens, and flash) I had to choose the ONE accessory to bring along on a "typical" photo shoot, my tripod would be the item of choice 99.9% of the time.

=Matt=

insanefred

Either the camera batteries and/or memory cards.

Ah ha! ^^ see what i did there!lol4slosh

ShepsMom

I love my Lowepro bag, Shootsac, my AB's and PWs!

Tim Snow

Another vote for the HoodLoupe. Saved my butt more than once!

Foques

autonomous flash holder system (aka friend)

NeilL

This thread has made me interested in the HoodLoupe! However I wonder, if you are paying attention to your histogram do you really need it? I shoot in RAW, so the jpeg that I see on my preview screen is quite misleading. If that is what I am judging my exposure etc on I get in trouble fast!

Neil

Tim Snow

The Beauty of the Loupe, for me anyways, is that you can check your lighting. You can see if your speedlites are lighting up the right part of the scene, if the fill is too strong or too weak, if you have the right lighting pattern etc.
Also, your client may not be adept at reading histograms, if the B+G want to see the shot, they can.

NeilL

Tim Snow wrote: »

The Beauty of the Loupe, for me anyways, is that you can check your lighting. You can see if your speedlites are lighting up the right part of the scene, if the fill is too strong or too weak, if you have the right lighting pattern etc.
Also, your client may not be adept at reading histograms, if the B+G want to see the shot, they can.

Yep, great points!

Neil

Art Scott

Tim Snow wrote: »

The Beauty of the Loupe, for me anyways, is that you can check your lighting. You can see if your speedlites are lighting up the right part of the scene, if the fill is too strong or too weak, if you have the right lighting pattern etc.
Also, your client may not be adept at reading histograms, if the B+G want to see the shot, they can.

This why I still use the flash meter.....much faster than reading histograms and chimping.....

zoomer

I think the only "gadget" I use is a flash bracket on my camera, with Demb diffuser, very handy.
I judge exposures with my blinkies.
Always use auto white balance.
No straps, I do have belt holster where I carry my second camera...very handy.
No tripods, no filters, no lens hoods.

Blurmore

zoomer wrote: »

I think the only "gadget" I use is a flash bracket on my camera, with Demb diffuser, very handy.
I judge exposures with my blinkies.
Always use auto white balance.
No straps, I do have belt holster where I carry my second camera...very handy.
No tripods, no filters, no lens hoods.

no lens hoods? srsly? First thing I learned as an assistant is to ALWAYS use a lens hood...ALWAYS...Guess you like the flare?

Qarik

Blurmore wrote: »

no lens hoods? srsly? First thing I learned as an assistant is to ALWAYS use a lens hood...ALWAYS...Guess you like the flare?

surprisingly I don't use them as well..maybe I am lucky but I never get unwanted flare. I just find the hoods get in the way when switching/storing lens.

zoomer

What flare? I could count the number of times I had unwanted flare in a shot on one hand.
Managing the light makes it a non issue.

wildviper

So does the OP get any commission??? Should do...I am now going to look at the Loupe and Blackrapid!!!!

As for the hood..probably off topic, but isn't the purpose of it to also protect the image from getting stray light and reducing your contrast? Besides flare that is.

NeilL

wildviper wrote: »

As for the hood..probably off topic, but isn't the purpose of it to also protect the image from getting stray light and reducing your contrast? Besides flare that is.

Neil

jeffreaux2

Phoxle Flash Match Gels.

Ive tried other methods or brands...Lee, Roscoe, Sticky-Filters.....but the Phoxles are the best. They self-adhese to the flash, but like "sticky-notes" they come off easy and are reusable. The case and lanyard make it easy to keep them handy around your neck!

Matthew Saville

Qarik wrote: »

surprisingly I don't use them as well..maybe I am lucky but I never get unwanted flare. I just find the hoods get in the way when switching/storing lens.

A lens hood is like an airbag. Something to cushion the blow when your all-metal lens and all-metal body hit the pavement. So, even in flat low-light environments where flare is completely not an issue, I always use a hood if I can.

That, and if you've never had an issue with flare, then you're really missing out on some gorgeous back lighting situations, my friend! I can't imagine a shoot where I DIDN'T have to combat flare... But, maybe that's just my photographic style...

=Matt=

Edited to add: Without flare, and with: (had to shield my lens, even with the hood on, for the left-hand image... What can I say, I like having the sun close to my frame...)

zoomer

I said unwanted flare . I like a little flare once in a while, not really my style, but trying to incorporate more of it as it is becoming part of todays "rap photography" look.

The cool thing about photography is how many approaches there are to everything about it. Eventually each person finds there own way of doing things.