What’s in the bag?
So what have I got in my camera bag for a typical studio model shoot?
I sometimes wish that I was a landscape photographer instead because then I could pretty much stop at camera, tripod, couple of filters, spare battery maybe?
But I’m in the studio instead. Do I always shoot in a studio? No, during the Summer months I’ll shoot outdoors, after all, studios cost and the outdoors is basically free, maybe a small parking charge but that’s it!
My bag
Amazon Basics roller camera bag. Good price, on wheels, roomy, carry handle, plenty of dividers, the right size for airline carry-on luggage too. There are, I’m sure, much better bags out there sold/made by ‘known’ names, but this has worked really well for me for the last couple of years.
My camera
I use a Canon 5D Mk III, a full frame so-called ‘pro-sumer’ model. It was second hand to me, but works absolutely fine and has plenty of life left in it with a clean sensor too. Yes, a few scrapes and scratches here and there, but nothing that affects how it works.
Battery grip
Once on a studio shoot, my camera battery ran out. I got out my spare – to discover that was flat too! I’d managed to charge 1 battery twice instead of both batteries once! Embarrassing! That evening I bought a second hand battery grip (BG-E11) and two new batteries. Yes, it does add significant weight and makes the body that much bigger but I know I’m not going to run out of power! It will also take AA pen cells too in a pinch.
Lenses
My most often used lens is my Tamron 24-70, their Di VC USD G2 model, F2.8 throughout. Great lens and it basically lives on the body 75% of the time.
My second favourite is my 50mm fixed focal length F1.4, the Canon one. Super fast and great for close up head and shoulders work I find.
I also have a 10-20mm wide angle, Sigma’s F3.5 DC HSM. This is actually left over from my previous camera, a Canon D60, crop sensor (great camera by the way, highly recommended). As such, it isn’t perfect for a full frame as I can’t get quite to the 10mm end. Why a wide angle for portrait and fashion work? See this blog post for why I think every such photographer should keep one of these in their kit.
Spare Memory Cards
My 5D takes 2 memory cards, a compact flash and an SD type. I use 32Gb sized cards. I could use much larger but somewhere was doing an offer on this size so I bought 3 of each! As such, I always have 2 spare of each.
Light trigger
The studio will have their light trigger but I have my own too (PixaPro ST-III TTL-T) as it works with my own small lights which I’ll occasionally use, especially if I’m not in a studio and just using a suitable space somewhere or even outdoors if its evening or very dull. It lives in the bag anyway.
My lights
I have a pair of PixaPro Pika 200 small studio lights. Very useful bits of kit: kind of halfway between a flash gun and a full studio flash. Perfect for non-studio shoots and even outdoors too. They have standard flash gun Fresnel lens heads as well as bare bulb flash heads too which are better for use with standard modifiers.
Flash Controller
This is Canon’s ST-E2 IR flash controller. It is hideously expensive and it takes a weird battery which also costs a million quid! It’s OK for interior work, but outside it’s range is fairly limited. What I have found it useful for is on-camera flash. I use flash bracket arms so the flash is not centred on the lens which pretty much eliminates red-eye and using this controller, I don’t need a cable to the flash.
Flash guns
I keep a pair of Canon 430EX II flashes in the bag. Never used them for a studio shoot but if I’m just in a ‘space’ doing a shoot (eg a home shoot), they can be very handy as fill lights. Great for outdoor fill flash use too.
Flash bracket
Actually 2 of them, a simple flat one and an angled one too to raise the flash up much higher, useful for a group shot.
Lots of spare batteries
I could pretty much open a battery store the number of AA cells in my bag. Both the 430’s take AAs, so does the ST-III trigger and the battery grip will take 8 as well in an emergency. I keep them in some very nifty little Think Tank pouches, 8 in each.
Cleaning Kit
I keep one of those rocket style blowers in the bag, a Lens Pen (really useful) and some cleaning cloths too.
Flash gels
Great to add a bit of false colour into a shot, but they’re fairly small so only really fit the 430s. I have used them with the Pika 200s using the Fresnel heads instead of the bare bulb heads.
Filters
I’ve got a Lee Big Stopper and Little Stopper too, which see the light of day about once a year which is how often I shoot a landscape or seascape. If you’ve ever seen my land and seascapes, you’ll know why I hardly ever do them!
Snoots
Couple of simple black foam snoots which work well with both the 430 speedlites and the Pika 200s.
Flash Stands
Couple of flash stands for the 430EXs as well as a mini (and slightly useless) tripod which does work as another flash stand.
Got it in a sale (otherwise a bit pricey for what it is) but have found it very useful. In theory for rain/sand etc but also handy if in a studio and doing a ‘watery’ shoot where the camera may get splashed.
Other Stuff
Safety pins - always useful in an emergency! Roll of electrical tape: good for emergency repairs to dropped things! One of those multi-tool things - again for a quick repair to something I’ve just dropped! Pack of tissues, pens, business cards, bar of chocolate (for me, NOT the model!), phone charging lead, USB powerbank (for the phone in an emergency).
Having just emptied my bag I have also found sweet wrappers (probably mine!), a SamYang lens cap - I don’t own (nor ever have) a Samyang lense, a small screw (and I can’t see anything with a missing screw anywhere which is worrying!), a broken pencil, 2 pens (only 1 works), a cigarette lighter, a background clip and 4 clothes pegs
What about you?
What do you take to a shoot?
What do you recommend and what would you never be without?
Let me know in the comments below!