Indispensible accessories in your bag

[jhawk1000]

I always carry a few packaged lens cleaner wipes, the alcohol type, and if in cooler weather, a couple of packs of chemical hand warmers that you take out of the bag, shake, and instant warmth. I use these mainly on the sidelines of football games. I also have packed in my bag a rain sleeve from Optech to cover my camera and lens in case of a downpour. My bag has an Allen wrench to tighten up the camera and lens plates and has a card case with enough cards for the occasion. Might put other things in depending on the season such as a pullover hat and photo gloves.

 

[The Grumpy Snapper]

There has been times when an electric cattle prod would have been useful addition to my bag. To be used when some Canon user comes along and disturbs the bird I was working with. They want to see the big, white Canon lens and are disappointed when it turns out to be an Olympus lens.

I either point out that it's a sharp lens so can't be a Canon or curse them out for disturbing the bird. Zapping them with a cattle prod would be much more fun.

 

[PhotoCal]

Hmm - perhaps if you're truly so ethical that you complain at me cutting a blade of grass out of a shot, or a leaf (very rarely), then you should give up photography and start railing against the lithium battery industry. Or at least watch a video about lithium mining and weep for a while. And then sell your camera gear because you're a part of the industrial pollution that is causing the planet's demise.

Perhaps you should give up fording creeks, for surely each time you do so, you surely destroy several footprint sized habitats of fresh-water diversity. Each time you precariously balance on a rock, for example, you're probably crushing the life out of several lives beneath your foot.

And perhaps, getting to those creeks in your vehicle, you're destroying far more than I am when I cut a blade of grass on my lawn, which is probably going to be mowed soon anyway?

Heck, if you drive off-road a lot and destroy habitat in your gas-guzzling vehicle you may well go straight to ethical-photography-hell. Be warned.

I mean, it sounds as if this is the sort of person you are, carrying rope and all in your car.

But then, perhaps my assumption about you and your beliefs is as wild a guess as is your assumption about me?

You have a very vivid imagination. That's a polite way of saying you are making things up.


You may want to read my posts (in other threads) regarding my minimal use of batteries, and my overall ethics. I never use artificial light on wildlife, either.
And I do research continually to learn ways to minimize my impact on the planet. I never go off road or off trail.


Snipping foliage is never acceptable, unless it's on your property. Binding it works just as well, although it requires the photographer to know how to tie it. If the photographer can tie his/her own shoes then they should be able to tie foliage, then untie the knot when done taking pictures. There is no need to cut foliage, which is permanent.

As photographers, we should all care about the environment.
We should also care about each other's actions.
Irresponsible photographers are why some places have bans on photography or the use of tripods, or other restrictions that are often complained about here.

It's never too late for anyone to change their behavior.

 

[Mike Wingate]

A couple of small 4gb and 8gb SD cards are stached in all my camera bags and battery bag. An Allen Key for the PD capture clip is also in each bag.

 

[Carbonman]

I always carry a spare camera battery, microfiber cloth, extra body cap and rear lens cap.

 

[Carbonman]

I always carry a spare camera battery, microfiber cloth, extra body cap and rear lens cap.

I've changed all of the camera body caps to the extended special teleconverter front caps so there isn't ever an 'oh shit' moment when I'm in a hurry. I have almost all of the rear lens caps changed over to the slightly taller aftermarket type (like Lumix) to make them easier to spin off or on when I can only use a thumb and finger tip.

 

[Phocal]

Ruger 357 LCR

 

[algold]

Ruger 357 LCR

CZ75 SP01, but it’s never in the camera bag ?, thinking of switching to something smaller and lighter, like Sig P365xl

 

[Stanga]

When I go down to lakes, I tend to take some bread slices with me. It helps to attract some of the wildlife, and entices them to get closer.

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[D7k1]

Water, always water. Micro fiber cloth. Second battery. If a tripod day, a wrench to keep/tighten legs head. My phone.

 

[roelwillems]

Depends on what I'm going to do. I have two bags ready (besides SDcard case, lens blower, lens pen and micro-fiber cloth which I switch between the bags).

In my travel/city trip bag (Fuji x100t) I always bring my Manfrotto Pixi Evo. Fits inside the front pocket of the Thinktank Retrospective 5 bag (when folded) and has proven super useful for me.

If I take my landscape bag (Olympus) I always bring almost everything, but most remarkable I guess would be a transparent shower cap.
Weather sealing is great, not getting everything wet (esp. front element/filters) when you are setting up even better.

 

[PhotoCal]

When I go down to lakes, I tend to take some bread slices with me. It helps to attract some of the wildlife, and entices them to get closer.

View attachment 864029

Please don't feed wildlife!

This is called baiting, and it's very bad unethical behavior.
It's bad for the birds' digestive health and it encourages them to associate people with food.

You should read the Audubon Society guidelines on ethical bird photography.

People used to feed bears at Yosemite, too. Many bears had to be killed because they started harassing people.

I've been to parks where the geese and ducks will follow people to their cars to get bread or other human food.

Learning about bird behavior will make you a better photographer.

 

[piggsy]

Just as a general note, if you are the type of person who would like to help out the birds but are not sure you are feeding them the right thing, or have any concern as to whether a plant you are snipping will be fine with you doing that or stunted for years, or you are generally concerned about the long term survival of more or less everything around you: you should go and join your local catchment or other habitat group! There aren't going to be any group of people better placed with any better local knowledge where you are.

 

[Stanga]

Please don't feed wildlife!

This is called baiting, and it's very bad unethical behavior.
It's bad for the birds' digestive health and it encourages them to associate people with food.

You should read the Audubon Society guidelines on ethical bird photography.

People used to feed bears at Yosemite, too. Many bears had to be killed because they started harassing people.

I've been to parks where the geese and ducks will follow people to their cars to get bread or other human food.

Learning about bird behavior will make you a better photographer.

That view might explain the reports of mass die off of birds in the US due to starvation. I was reading about it in a recent newspaper article in the Guardian. https://amp.theguardian.com/environ...d-by-starvation-aoe?__twitter_impression=true

 

[fortwodriver]

-Tylenol (Paracetamol)
-Small water bottle
-Lens cloth
-Camera and Lens... ;-)
-Macro extension tubes
-Small camera flash unit with off-camera cord.
That's about it most of the time.

 

[RichardC]

Reading some of these replies, when I'm allowed out again, I'll make it a policy never to leave home without my sense of humour.

 

[ChuckG]

What's in my bag and which bag I bring depends on where I'm going. Museums typically do not allow flash photography or tripods. Airshows in my area are at military bases so only the bare minimum comes with me. That would be camera body, 2 lenses, extra batteries, extra sd cards, and microfiber cloth. Walking around a park, state forest, or nature preserve allows more freedom of what to bring. Larger camera bag, 3 or 4 lenses, water, leatherman multitool, rain cover, travel tripod, and other extras including granola bars or other snacks.

 

[threeOh]

I don’t own a camera bag. Nor a wallet. Nor a watch. I shoot m43 because I like to travel light.

 

[PhotoCal]

I don’t own a camera bag. Nor a wallet. Nor a watch. I shoot m43 because I like to travel light.

If you give in to GAS you may not have anything to put in a wallet!

I shake my head when I encounter web ads for new types of wallets or keychains. Why? Are we not creating enough garbage to dispose of?