Specifications

ordering online and eventually, I found high-powered 15-minute rechargeable’s that could handle most

of my shoots. But, still, those would only last 30-40 minutes of shooting because the camera was a

power guzzler. Conversely, with my Nikon D3100, I could charge my ONE battery (the one that came

with the camera – no extra purchase required), have it be fully charged for shooting in 1-hour, and last

for up to 2 hours of active shooting without dying out on me. Most of the time I couldn’t wear this

battery down! So, battery is important, significant, and research needs to be done to know whether you

need extras or if your faithful one is good enough for now.

** Tip: One crucial thing about batteries is to remember to BRING THEM! Sometimes you just grab

your camera, or camera bag and GO! Unfortunately, you’ve left your battery on the charger plugged

into the outlet in the kitchen or something like that. A tip I use is to leave my camera sitting right NEXT

TO the battery charger so that I can’t miss seeing the battery when I grab my cam. **

Power Adapter

Having access to a power outlet and not having to worry about running out of battery life can be a huge

weight off your shoulders. If you’re shooting in-studio and you have access to power, you can shoot

incessantly. Additionally, when you’re downloading your photos, an adapter can allow you to do so

while charging up your battery separately at the same time.

Optional Accessories

Neck strap

Most likely your camera came with a neck strap but if by some chance you did NOT get a neck strap with

your purchase, it’s probably more of a necessity than not, as the last thing you would want to do is to

drop your camera.

Camera Bag or Case

Another item which could easily be argued to be necessity rather than optional is a camera bag or case,

as it’s assumed that you will want to protect your camera from damage when not in use, or when

traveling and transporting equipment. Of course, you might have your own guerilla-style protection bag

for your camera or you might wear it around your neck all the time, but ideally, if you have the money to

spare, you should invest in a decent camera bag or case.

When choosing the appropriate camera bag or case, you should consider how you will be spending the

majority of your shooting time. If it’s just you, the camera, and the subject, you will probably want to

opt for a lightweight, portable, yet protective camera bag or backpack. However, if you’re shooting

large scale and/or have a lot of equipment (and hopefully someone(s) to assist you) then you may be

interested in hard cases on wheels.

I used a LowePro lightweight camera bag very similar to this one for many years. It was great for being

portable and it was adequate to hold my camera, flash, reflector disc, and often whatever notes, pens,

and accessories that I needed for small-scale shooting.

This photo bag by Case Logic is an excellent (and inexpensive) modern backpack for carrying not only

your camera and lens, but your laptop as well! The backpack offers great protection for your

equipment, featuring a hard bottom in order to rest the bag without accidentally banging anything onto