I don’t use everything in my camera bag all the time, but if I don’t have something I can’t use it!

No photographer wants to see “No SD card inserted” or “SD card is damaged and cannot be used” or “SD card is full.”

Long ago, my husband waited while I sorted through images I was willing to delete because there wasn’t enough space on my card to capture that waterfall we had driven over an hour to get to. It was frustrating and time consuming. I learned a valuable lesson that day. I always carry spare cards in my bag.

This bit of advice sounded ridiculous to me … “If possible, bring a backup camera.” Honestly, it’s a great idea. I don’t have money to invest in another camera but I do have my phone and it “is” a camera when I need it to be.

Most photographers I know hate dragging a tripod with them and I agree. But some photos cannot be captured by holding a camera. Sometimes, motion blur is a cool effect. But not always! So, now I have the tripod in the back of my vehicle to strap onto my camera bag.

I have a set of laminated “cheat sheet” cards to remind me how to use my camera. They are small and tuck into the inside pocket of my bag. They don’t take up any space at all really and I don’t have to haul around my 300-plus page manual.

A microfiber cloth is one of the most useful and cheapest accessories I can have in my bag. I also have one of those nifty “pens” with the brush on the end. If I am in a dusty or sandy place, I will dust everything off before swapping out lenses. I won’t use anything other than this cloth for cleaning dirt and dust off of camera lenses. I have also used spare cloths to wrap filters in to keep them from being scratched or damaged.

I admit it; I used to be a fair weather photographer. Although I am obsessed with water droplets I wasn’t willing to go out when it was raining. Until the day I bought my camera a “rain coat”! I literally was dancing in the rain because my camera was safe. A friend of mine hates those covers so she carries two towels to keep her equipment dry. A plastic bag would work too. A simple grocery bag with handles to tie around the camera body works pretty well.

A full day of shooting will eat away at battery life, and using the LCD screen drains the battery quickly. I always keep a spare battery in my bag. Years ago, I was along on a photo walk and the photographer leading the walk told me that turning my camera off and on repeatedly uses a lot of battery power. I had no idea! I thought I was doing the right thing by turning off the camera battery in between shots.

In the side pocket of my bag, I have a few clips for holding branches out of the way or holding something in place. They work well for holding the small reflector I have so I can take photos without being a contortionist.

I have two filters tucked away in one of the pockets. The polarizing filter enhances the colors in blue skies and foliage and dramatically changes the look of clouds and reduces reflections on water and glass. The neutral density filter reduces the amount of light entering my lens and reaching the sensor. This filter allows me to use longer shutter speeds or wider apertures.

The “lens ball.” This latest photography “gadget” is a solid glass ball to make photography even more fun! I will admit I enjoy “playing” with it. It’s fun and that’s what photography should be. There are tutorials about this gadget all over the internet.

Other stuff I have include a spray bottle with a little water, Band-Aids, zip-ties, a mini-reflector, baggies, chapstick, StingEze, a whistle and my cellphone. I don’t use all of this stuff all of the time, but it’s nice to know they are in my bag if I need something!

For more information about the Palmerton Camera Club, visit www.palmertoncameraclub.com.