The proliferation of smartphone photography has led people to believe that everything they need to take great pictures is right there in their pocket. While pointing and clicking with your phone is enough to do adequate work, serious shutterbugs will need not only a true and dedicated camera but also some necessary accessories. Here are just a few of our recommended accessories to pair with your professional-grade camera.
Table of Contents
Prime Lenses
As you build your career as a photographer, you should be sure to amass a full complement of lenses for every situation. Among them is the prime lens—one whose position is fixed so that it cannot zoom in and out. What you lose in zooming, you gain in the crispness of the image; a tradeoff you’ll be happy to make when shooting professionally.
Light Meter
One of the first mistakes novice photographers make is assuming that the light their eyes see will be just as sufficient for the camera’s lens. Even as photographers gain experience, ascertaining the intensity of the light around them is critical for pinpointing specifications such as aperture and shutter speed. That attention to detail is what makes the difference between true photography and simple snapshots. By having a light meter on hand to measure your environmental light, you’ll be able to tell exactly what you’re working with.
White Balance Cards
As long as you’re dressed properly, the temperature where you’re shooting shouldn’t be too important. The color temperature, on the other hand, is something you’ll want to account for. Lighting that’s too warm or cool can throw off your white balance—a minor frustration for photographers. Always be sure to keep your white and grey cards with you to adjust your camera for the light sources present. While you do have the ability to fix some white-balance issues after the fact, the fewer times you have to “fix it in post,” the better.
Memory Cards
Moving from film to digital hasn’t always made life easier; memory cards are prone to corruption. In this case, an overused memory card that corrupts in a post-shoot data dump can wipe out an entire day’s work—or more. Don’t rely on just one or two; a full deck of SD cards makes the list of accessories to pair with your professional-grade camera. Take care of your cards and don’t wear them out.
