The photo session of a lifetime has just arrived in your inbox, but there’s one big hitch. You can only bring a small bag of tools. What makes the cut and what doesn’t?
Recently, an opportunity arose with a client who asked me to move extremely lightly, much lighter than what I usually do when filming commercials. While I’m not one for large entourages or trucks full of equipment, there are a few items that I don’t want to leave the set without. The whole event got me thinking about what is really needed for a photo session and what items might make us feel heavy. This type of exercise is beneficial for photographers to consider, as it can change the way they shoot and the equipment they purchase.
In no particular order, these are the items that I have tried to pack in my “small bag challenge”.
1. Camera
A camera would definitely be on my packing list. Though for me it’s not just one camera but two because there’s no way I want to risk the camera crashing and not having a backup at hand. For many years, the Canon 5DS is my work, but recently I’ve been using Canon 5D MarkIV instead of. Since space is of great value, it makes more sense to have two identical cameras as that means only one set of accessories is needed. If you don’t have two identical cameras, then even two bodies from the same manufacturer will save you from having to buy many different items.
2. Lens
For the same reasons mentioned above, I will bring two lenses. In this case, the lenses won’t be the same, but having more than one lens in my small camera bag gives me more peace of mind if the lens breaks. My two favorite focal lengths for shooting are 50mm and 100mm. These two lenses tend to cover the majority of situations I encounter. It wouldn’t be ideal if I Canon EF 50mm f/1.4 USM . Lens The lens broke, and I had to use my camera to take the picture Canon RF 100mm f/2.8 L Macro IS USM . Lensbut I can get it to work, and it’s better to have nothing to capture at all.
3. Power bank
A power bank as thin as Belkin Boost Charge USB Type-C Power Bank enough juice to charge any phone for several times. This means people can stay connected while we work, and things tend to run more smoothly when everyone is fully charged. A good power bank can charge many items at once, is quite light and takes up little space in a small bag.
4. Battery charger
While I always make sure my batteries are fully charged before shooting, I still like to carry chargers for my different batteries. The main charger will charge everything faster but I have USB versions of battery chargers and these take up less space in my pocket. If I’m shooting somewhere out of the network, the USB versions are still what I’d use. One advantage of USB chargers is that I can use the power bank mentioned above to charge them. For my camera battery I use Jupio . USB Charger and for all the AA stuff I use Panasonic Eneloop Battery and Charger.
5. Memory card
Some memory cards will help me shoot all day without having to overwrite anything. I want to make sure that everything is wiped clean before shooting, and I organize everything in such a way that I know which cards are which. comfortable CF card wallet not only helps with this but also gives the tags a little extra protection. After a shoot, I move this wallet around so it never leaves my side. A lost camera bag and its contents would be terrible, but a lost camera bag filled with memory cards filled with pictures would be even worse. As you’ll notice in the image above, I’d rather keep my card capacity to a smaller size and spread the load than have fewer cards but be able to store more on them. The reason for this is that if the card fails, I only lose 16 GB of images and not 256 GB if I use a much larger card size. As long as I can remember, I’ve always used Sandisk Memory Cardand since they never let me down I stick with them.
6. Lens cleaner
Dirty lenses can cost you hours in post-production later on. Obviously your lenses should be clean before you start shooting, but there’s no guarantee they’ll stay clean over the course of a day. That’s why a small lens cleaning kit is a worthy addition to your camera bag and will help you keep things as clean as a whistle.
7. Gray card
Color accuracy is important to me, especially when it comes to skin tones. ONE collapsible gray card fits neatly in my small camera bag and helps provide me with something to refer to when I’m working on photos later. This particular gray card can also double as a useful flag for those moments when you need to prevent light from entering your lens and causing lens flare.
8. Gorilla Pod Tripod
Unfortunately, a full-size tripod won’t make the cut for light travel. I’m not inclined to use a tripod anyway so I wouldn’t miss out on not having one. On the rare occasion that I might need to use a tripod, something like Mini Tripod JOBY GorillaPod 5K will work in a pinch. This type of tripod can also double as an off-camera Speedlight holder, which is more likely how I use one of these. Thanks to their flexible legs, these can attach to anything that might be nearby. I’ve used them on armrests, lampposts, and even chair backs when height is needed.
9. Flashlight set
A single flash like Canon 580EX II chớp Speedlight was all I could fit in my little camera bag along with some color gel and a cold shoes so I can attach the light to the aforementioned tripod. This light is there to add a bit to the scene instead of doing a lot of the heavy lifting, which you might expect from a full light setup. While I like to use a lot of artificial light in my shots, the challenge with this small bag won’t allow for a full light setup.
10. Trigger
A small trigger like Vello FreeWave Triggers and Receivers will allow my camera to communicate wirelessly with my speedlight. My triggers use AA batteries, which is handy because they’re the same ones I use in my flashers. This means only a battery charger required to charge both devices and also saves space in the camera bag.
11. Ice
Several rolls Gaffer Tapes ProTapes will always come in handy when shooting. Be it for a quick fix, keeping things together, labeling things, or even being used to mark things up. If you can’t fit all the rolls of paper inside your small camera bag, a couple of half-rolls will suffice. You may find that with half rolls, you can fold them flat to take up less space.
12. Black and white material
A folded piece of material with one side black and the other white has hundreds of uses when out and about taking pictures. You can lie on top of it if you find yourself shooting at a low angle, you can shield yourself from the elements with it, and you can use both the black and white sides to add or subtract light in your scene. me. This may seem like a silly item to add to the list, but a piece of material like this has so many uses. I use 8 x 4 ft sheets and can easily slip one into the small camera pocket on top. As an added bonus, the folding plate adds extra protection to the gear in the bag.
Notable omissions:
Laptops, full-size tripods, and luminaires were never destined to take up this small-pocket challenge due to their size. While those items are all important pieces of a photographer’s arsenal, it’s still possible to create great work without them.
So you’ve got all the items I’ve been trying to pack in my “small bag challenge”. It may not be the coolest gear list you’ll ever read, but it’s a well-thought-out collection of gear that allows me to do my job and, most importantly, travel light. gently on this occasion. While every photographer’s bag will be slightly different, I’m sure many of you will associate items that have been cut. I have to admit that I found this whole process quite liberating and would like all of you to try out a similar exercise for yourself. You may be surprised how little you need to carry for your next shoot, and that freedom can allow you to explore places you never thought possible.
Can you comfortably take pictures with just the contents of this camera bag? Are there any important items that you think are missing from the list? We’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments section below.
