What’s in Your Camera Bag?
November 2nd, 2020
As a photographer, it’s essential to sport a stylish, light and most importantly—durable—bag to stow and transport your precious cargo. Here’s what three professional photographers carry inside their trusty camera bags.
Martin’s bag of choice:
My main bag when I am driving to a shoot is a Calumet RC1188, which fits all of the gear in the photo except the light stand and tripod—these are just put loose into another cheapo roller suitcase I picked up from a supermarket. This was the best piece of equipment I bought last year. I love it!
What’s inside Martin’s camera bag:
- Think Tank Pocket Rocket – I was out second shooting a wedding with a friend a few years ago, and they lost their memory card case outside the venue in the dark, but luckily we managed to find it again as it had the day’s photos on it. Ever since then, I have used a Pocket Rocket, and it is always attached to me via the included strap.
- Gaffer tape – This stuff is invaluable on shoots. It can be used for so many things: fixing stuff, taping gels to Speedlights, taping Speedlights to trees, or even pinning up clothes on models.
- Nikon Df – I absolutely love the quality of this camera. I was raised shooting film, so the layout of the button and dials feels more natural to me than a lot of modern-style cameras. I will admit that it has its quirks, and there are a few things I would change or like to improve on it, but the quality of the files it produces are out-of-this-world amazing!
Erica’s bag of choice:
I have had a Kelly Moore bag for more than five years now. It’s pretty versatile, easy to carry over the shoulder for on-the-go jobs and fits my needs perfectly. Unfortunately, it’s showing a lot of wear and tear since it’s been used so much.
What’s inside Erica’s camera bag:
- Canon EOS 5D Mark III – It’s my primary camera and I love full frame. I love the ability to shoot at High ISO if needed without noise. Also, the full frame sensor allows more of the scene to be captured.
- Several lenses for versatility (50 1.4, 85 1.8, 24 1.8)
- 5-in-1 reflector – Sometimes I will shoot natural light and not bring all my gear. It’s nice to have this reflector in my bag to assist with my lighting needs.
- Portable battery pack power strobe
- Two Westcott strobelites
- 7 ft. silver parabolic umbrella with diffusion panel – I love this modifier for its soft light and versatility.
- Two or three PocketWizards
Blake’s bag of choice:
I use a Tamrac. I bought it eight years ago because it is the right size and the right price—and it still does its job.
What’s inside Blake’s camera bag:
- Canon EOS 5D Mark III – I love shooting onto two camera cards for instant backup. I’ve had camera cards fail on me before, so that sense of security is something I value.
- 28-70mm lens – I love it for events and portraits. I can quickly adjust from an editorial wide shot of everything in the room to an intimate portrait of a single person with a shallow depth of field. I can’t imagine not having it with me on all of my shoots.
- 70-200mm lens – I love this because sometimes you just want to be a fly on the wall, far away from the person you’re photographing so they don’t know you’re there taking the photo.
- Metal binder clips – I use these clips in so many ways. Most often when somebody’s shirt or jacket is too loose. I used a few to pull back a couple branches that I didn’t like in a shot once. I used one to pull back the power cord to a light that was hanging into a shot. I love them, and I typically bring several different sized clamps and tape to my shoots, but the small black metal binder clips are used most of the time.
