6 Photography Tools Every Photographer Should Consider

Photography is subjective; for some, it is an intuitive thing, for some it’s all about skills and techniques, and for a few photographers, it’s all about post-processing the clicks. While each is correct in their approach, there is one aspect every photographer would agree on – having certain tools make life so much easier and the clicks so much better.

Whether you’re a die-hard techie rattling off the specifics of any gadget or someone who doesn’t understand technology much, this list of tech tools (although some are more of ideas than tools) for photographers is something you should consider. Let’s take a look at how you can become a better and organized photographer, almost overnight.

Evernote

Evernote is a handy tool for every professional. Besides being a quick and organized place to store all your photography related information, you can use this in ways that go beyond the generic usage.

Create a pre-defined checklist of all the equipment you use on a regular basis. Don’t miss out on carrying that tripod or flashgun, which lenses should you tag along for a landscape photography or if you’re shooting a portrait that day. You can make specific day-wise checklists or keep a macro checklist of all the main thigs you carry for every session.

Also, when you click a picture and want to take specific notes about it, like what editing needs to be done, which part of the image should you enhance, add lights to, etc. you can add specific notes marking individual parts too.

Want a glimpse into how a quick camera setting works? Use Evernote to carry the PDF version of your camera manuals.

Editor's Note: Speaking of Evernote. Check out this free Photography Guides notebook from Scott, originally designed in Evernote and now in a Google Drive folder of Google Docs.

Accessories every photographer must have

If you are just starting off, you need more than just a good camera. There are tons of general and specific accessories that every person who even attempts to call themselves a photographer must own. A tripod is the first one on your list. One quality of every good professionally clicked image is sharpness, and while you can use post-processing techniques to work on the sharpness, a tripod will reduce that work by half by reducing shakiness and blurriness right at the shooting stage.

However, if you are more into shooting videos, consider getting a monopod. Works amazingly well when you’re using a larger telephoto lens to shoot.

Reflectors are again important if you don’t want to end up with shadows on your subject. A 5 in one collapsible reflector is the ideal one to invest in.

Want to cut down on post-processing? Slot filters spruce up boring clicks and come in either tinted or natural density and would be a blessing when shooting sunrise or sunset or when you need that plethora of colors to shine through.

Whether you are a fashion photographer or a master of portraits, one accessory you inevitably need is the flash. Flash helps in more than just illuminating the subject at night; it’s indispensable for a good click. Invest in a good manual flash, the Canon and Nikons are high up on the list, but you can get some neat features in an inexpensive Yongnuo as well.

A good camera strap is essential to not just carry your camera around, but it also provides support for when you shoot handheld. But move away from the traditional straps, these are bulky and can chaff your skin. Consider something lightweight and durable, a camera strap that keeps your camera secure while being as light as a feather on your skin.

Lastly, a rain cover should be on your list too. Even if you don’t shoot underwater much, a rain cover – as the name goes – would be a saving grace on one of those days when it starts raining out of the blue.

Correct lighting accessories

Lighting is one of the fundamentals of a good click. A lot of experts prefer shooting in studios because they have the control over lighting. While it’s true that a lot of photography calls for open spaces and managing and manipulating natural lighting, you can still offset the negatives of it if you have the right lighting accessories.

From correct lighting to giant umbrellas to a soft light, you have to stock up on the best lighting accessories to come up with the best clicks.

Website

There are so many photographers who only click and upload on Instagram. While Instagram is a great visual medium to showcase your work, it isn’t a substitute for a website.

A website is your digital asset that you own, and every piece of work you add to it increases its value. Not only having a website – that is SEO-optimized – will help you to be discovered, and this is particularly important if you want to take photography up as a profession.

Whether you are looking to earn gig by reaching out to people online or simply make a mark for yourself, a website will help you achieve all that and much more. The technicalities of it confuse a lot of photographers, they are not sure of how to go about it. What on earth is hosting anyway or how do they go about getting the design sorted. It isn’t rocket science, go with a WordPress website, these are not convoluted at all, choose a hosting server that promises different and easy features all in one.

And getting a website done is fairly inexpensive too. The idea is to choose a WordPress theme that complements the website and the objective of your website, which is mainly to showcase your work. A de-cluttered WordPress theme that gives center stage to your portfolio is the one you should opt for.

Photo editing tools

You need tools to help you get that perfect click, and then you need a tool to make that perfect click come out even better. This is where Photoshop comes in. If you are looking for a quick fix, opt for Photoshop plugins that automatically do the job for you or make use of predefined Photoshop Actions that transform your images without you having to work a sweat.

Not sure how to work with Photoshop? Here’s a good 7+ hours of tutorial that would help you find your footing in this editing world, and make you a lot better at your work. Once you get a hang of it, your picture would turn out so much better and double heart-worthy!

Google Drive

When you create stunning pictures that deserve to be in the digital Hall of Fame, you also need to make sure they are securely kept somewhere you can access them quickly and instantly.

Google Drive is the choicest option for most; this helps to store all your images, so you don’t lose something that is so important to you. Should you rather opt for a hard drive option? You can but what if it conks off suddenly and months (if not years) of hard work just goes down the drain? No photographer would able to deal with that loss. Google Drive, therefore, offers a more reliable option. Yes, it does come at a cost but given the worth of your creation, it’s peanuts!

Photographers have a lot to think about anyway – from composition to clicking what you envisioned – you don’t need additional burden on your head. This is where these tools would come handy, and we hope you make complete use of it.

Article by Amruta from PhotoWhoa

Photography is my calling in life, and I love to talk about it whenever possible, maybe talk about it a tad bit too much, which is why I'm not invited to a lot of social gatherings of late. When not talking about Photography, I'm glued to the TV, out sampling foods at new restaurants, and running around petting the dogs in my society. I also love connecting with new people across the globe, so if you'd like to connect with me on Skype or reach out to me on Twitter @amruta_mohod