Other Accessories

The most useful extra accessory is a bag to put all your new camera equipment in. The kind of bag that is most useful is a surprisingly difficult thing to determine – everyone has different needs. The type of bag that will be most suitable for you will depend on the type of photography you prefer. A rucksack is ideal for landscape photography as they make carrying equipment over long distances far easier. Rucksacks are not so useful for the street photographer though, where a small and quickly accessible shoulder bag may be more appropriate. Ideally, you should try a bag on for size in a camera store, making sure it is comfortable on your shoulders. The bag should also be large enough to hold all your current camera equipment plus any equipment you may buy in the foreseeable future. If it also has room for a laptop or tablet, and perhaps a water bottle, so much the better.

Another useful accessory, particularly when using a tripod, is a remote release. A traditional remote release is essentially a second shutter, connected via a wire to the camera. These have the advantage that you are not touching the camera when the shutter fires, reducing the risk that you accidentally knock the camera when taking the shot. (The same effect can be achieved by using a camera’s Self-timer mode – though this makes it difficult to time the shutter firing for a specific event, such as a wave breaking.) Most modern cameras also have an option to link a Smartphone app to your camera, via Wi-Fi or Bluetooth. This means you can be some distance from your camera when the shutter is fired – a live image is streamed to your phone so you can see what the camera ‘sees’. This is perfect for self portraits or when shooting easily-disturbed subjects such as wildlife. The one drawback to Wi-Fi is that it does quickly drain a camera’s battery. (For this reason, if you do not use Wi-Fi, it is a good idea to turn the camera’s Airplane mode to On so that W-Fi is turned off completely.)

All modern cameras require batteries to operate. There is nothing that can bring a photography session come to a crashing halt more quickly than a depleted battery! It is worth investing in spare batteries, particularly if you like travel or landscape photography and may be away from a power point for long periods. Before a day’s photography make sure that all your batteries are fully charged, as batteries do slowly deplete over time, even when not in use. For the ultimate in reassurance, consider buying a power bank to recharge your batteries. These use a USB connection so your battery charger, or camera, must be able to charge batteries via USB.