Essential tools for a photographer
9 Essential Gear Items Every Newbie Photographer Should Own
Of all the hobbies you could ever pick up, photography is without a doubt one of the most expensive. There are ways to reduce how much it’ll cost you, of course, but there’s no doubt about it: you’ll need to buy a lot of stuff eventually.
However, that doesn’t mean you need to buy all of that stuff right away. In fact, many photography accessories are situationally useful, meaning you may only need certain things for specific types of photography. 80% of the time, you’ll only need the essentials.
But what are the essentials? We’re going to assume you already have an entry-level DSLR camera (save money by buying a used DSLR). Here’s what you should buy next no matter what kind of photography you intend to do.
1. Tripod
Few camera accessories are as versatile and necessary as a tripod. Whether you’re thinking of landscape, portrait, night, street, or even wedding photography, you’re going to need a tripod at some point or another.
Tripods are extremely useful for low light settings, as the stability of the tripod allows you to take longer-exposure shots without any blur. This stability is also crucial for things like night sky photographs and even proper selfie shots.
2. Remote Shutter Release
A remote shutter release is important in two ways: it lets you “take a shot” without physically touching the camera body, which also eliminates any potential for shaking and vibration. It’s most often used in conjunction with a tripod.
There are two kinds of remote shutter releases — wired and wireless — but it doesn’t really matter which one you get. More advanced remotes will have extra features like half-press support, built-in timers, and LCD screens.
3. 50mm Prime Lens
As you progress in your photography skills, you’ll end up amassing plenty of different lens types that let you take all kinds of shots, but there’s only one lens that’s so fundamentally important that all newbies should get: the 50mm prime lens.
ash at some point, even if you never take shots in the dark. Indeed, there are many reasons to use flash even when you have a lot of ambient light! A photographer without flash is a gimped photographer.
But don’t use the built-in flash on your camera body. It’s simply no good. Instead, spend a little bit of money on an external flash unit (sometimes called a speedlight or flash gun).
The Yongnuo YN-560 IV Wireless Flash is an inexpensive off-brand flash unit that’s cheap enough to be affordable but still powerful, feature-rich, and stays useful no matter how skilled you become.
5. AA Batteries + Charger
Once you start using external flash units, you’ll be going through batteries like crazy — and that’s why you should invest in rechargeable batteries as soon as you know that you’re going to be serious about photography.
6. Memory Cards
In photography, it’s better to have a handful of smaller SD cards than a single big SD cards. That way, if a card ever gets corrupted, you still have others you can use. There’s nothing worse than being unable to shoot because your only card died.
Transcend 32GB SDHC Class 10 UHS-1 Flash Memory Card Up to 90MB/s (TS32GSDHC10U1E)
7. Cleaning Kit
Photography gear is expensive. Dirt, dust, and moisture can get into the nooks and crannies of camera bodies, lenses, and accessories — and in the worst possible case, can cause permanent damage.
Neglecting camera maintenance can be the most expensive mistake you make in the long run. Plus, dirty sensors and dirty lenses make for ruined photos.
Altura Photo Professional Cleaning Kit is the best-selling kit on Amazon and for good reason. It comes with all of the important bits — e.g. cleaning solution, microfiber cloths, air blower, etc. — and it’ll last you a long while.
8. Camera Strap
Your camera probably came with its own branded strap, but you probably never use it. Maybe it’s too small, too weak, too worn, too ugly, or too uncomfortable. Straps are important though, both for safety and for practicality.
BlackRapid Cross Shot Sling Camera Strap (Black)
The BlackRapid Cross Shot Sling Strap is one of the best in its price range: comfortable, adjustable, and durable. But if you can pay a little more, you might want to look into the Peak Design Slide Camera Strap, which is a little more robust and professional.
9. Photography Bag
The last essential item that photographers should have is a high-quality bag. After all, once you’ve bought all of the aforementioned items, it’s going to be a pain in the butt trying to carry it all without a properly designed bag for the job.
If there’s one thing you learn from this article, let it be this: camera gear is only useful when you have it on you when you want to take photos! What good is a camera if it’s too heavy to take with you? No camera, no photos. Yuck.
AmazonBasics Large DSLR Gadget Bag (Gray interior)
AmazonBasics Large DSLR Gadget Bag (Gray interior)
BUY NOW AT AMAZON $24.99
I have this AmazonBasics Large DSLR Gadget Bag and I’m extremely happy with it. For the price, you won’t find another bag that feels this robust and durable. Plus, it’s roomy enough to hold a lot of gear (several different pockets, pouches, and compartments).
AmazonBasics DSLR and Laptop Backpack - Gray interior
9 Essential Gear Items Every Newbie Photographer Should Own
Of all the hobbies you could ever pick up, photography is without a doubt one of the most expensive. There are ways to reduce how much it’ll cost you, of course, but there’s no doubt about it: you’ll need to buy a lot of stuff eventually.
However, that doesn’t mean you need to buy all of that stuff right away. In fact, many photography accessories are situationally useful, meaning you may only need certain things for specific types of photography. 80% of the time, you’ll only need the essentials.
But what are the essentials? We’re going to assume you already have an entry-level DSLR camera (save money by buying a used DSLR). Here’s what you should buy next no matter what kind of photography you intend to do.
1. Tripod
Few camera accessories are as versatile and necessary as a tripod. Whether you’re thinking of landscape, portrait, night, street, or even wedding photography, you’re going to need a tripod at some point or another.
Tripods are extremely useful for low light settings, as the stability of the tripod allows you to take longer-exposure shots without any blur. This stability is also crucial for things like night sky photographs and even proper selfie shots.
2. Remote Shutter Release
A remote shutter release is important in two ways: it lets you “take a shot” without physically touching the camera body, which also eliminates any potential for shaking and vibration. It’s most often used in conjunction with a tripod.
There are two kinds of remote shutter releases — wired and wireless — but it doesn’t really matter which one you get. More advanced remotes will have extra features like half-press support, built-in timers, and LCD screens.
3. 50mm Prime Lens
As you progress in your photography skills, you’ll end up amassing plenty of different lens types that let you take all kinds of shots, but there’s only one lens that’s so fundamentally important that all newbies should get: the 50mm prime lens.
ash at some point, even if you never take shots in the dark. Indeed, there are many reasons to use flash even when you have a lot of ambient light! A photographer without flash is a gimped photographer.
But don’t use the built-in flash on your camera body. It’s simply no good. Instead, spend a little bit of money on an external flash unit (sometimes called a speedlight or flash gun).
The Yongnuo YN-560 IV Wireless Flash is an inexpensive off-brand flash unit that’s cheap enough to be affordable but still powerful, feature-rich, and stays useful no matter how skilled you become.
5. AA Batteries + Charger
Once you start using external flash units, you’ll be going through batteries like crazy — and that’s why you should invest in rechargeable batteries as soon as you know that you’re going to be serious about photography.
6. Memory Cards
In photography, it’s better to have a handful of smaller SD cards than a single big SD cards. That way, if a card ever gets corrupted, you still have others you can use. There’s nothing worse than being unable to shoot because your only card died.
Transcend 32GB SDHC Class 10 UHS-1 Flash Memory Card Up to 90MB/s (TS32GSDHC10U1E)
7. Cleaning Kit
Photography gear is expensive. Dirt, dust, and moisture can get into the nooks and crannies of camera bodies, lenses, and accessories — and in the worst possible case, can cause permanent damage.
Neglecting camera maintenance can be the most expensive mistake you make in the long run. Plus, dirty sensors and dirty lenses make for ruined photos.
Altura Photo Professional Cleaning Kit is the best-selling kit on Amazon and for good reason. It comes with all of the important bits — e.g. cleaning solution, microfiber cloths, air blower, etc. — and it’ll last you a long while.
8. Camera Strap
Your camera probably came with its own branded strap, but you probably never use it. Maybe it’s too small, too weak, too worn, too ugly, or too uncomfortable. Straps are important though, both for safety and for practicality.
BlackRapid Cross Shot Sling Camera Strap (Black)
The BlackRapid Cross Shot Sling Strap is one of the best in its price range: comfortable, adjustable, and durable. But if you can pay a little more, you might want to look into the Peak Design Slide Camera Strap, which is a little more robust and professional.
9. Photography Bag
The last essential item that photographers should have is a high-quality bag. After all, once you’ve bought all of the aforementioned items, it’s going to be a pain in the butt trying to carry it all without a properly designed bag for the job.
If there’s one thing you learn from this article, let it be this: camera gear is only useful when you have it on you when you want to take photos! What good is a camera if it’s too heavy to take with you? No camera, no photos. Yuck.
AmazonBasics Large DSLR Gadget Bag (Gray interior)
AmazonBasics Large DSLR Gadget Bag (Gray interior)
BUY NOW AT AMAZON $24.99
I have this AmazonBasics Large DSLR Gadget Bag and I’m extremely happy with it. For the price, you won’t find another bag that feels this robust and durable. Plus, it’s roomy enough to hold a lot of gear (several different pockets, pouches, and compartments).
AmazonBasics DSLR and Laptop Backpack - Gray interior
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