Must-Have Camera Accessories

[This post includes affiliate links outside of Jackson Imaging]

Have you ever wondered what type of equipment you need when trying to increase your photography game? It can be hard to figure out what's best, how much money to spend and where to buy it. Here are some of my go-to's (with links).

• Tripod - These are fundamental for any photography or business that wants to include clean, crisp images. Tripods allow for a more stable image because you get rid of the camera shake. It lessens the tension on the wrist, hands and back caused by holding the camera all day. It gives you room to shoot at angles that would be otherwise uncomfortable and sometimes impossible. Most importantly, it gives you the freedom to set up a shot and be in the shot without having another person involved. Here is one of my favourite budget-friendly tripods.

• Phone Tripod with shutter - For all the same reasons why a tripod for the camera is essential, having one for your phone is equally vital. Especially if you capture content on the fly, setting up your bigger camera and tripod may not always be possible. But phone tripods are smaller and easier to bring with you. Here’s a link to a tripod and remote shutter for cell phones.

• Remote Shutter - These are so helpful when you’re a one-person show. They allow you to step away from your camera and control when the shutter goes off, rather than being at the mercy of a 3 or 10-second timer. It can be hard to get in the moment if you want to capture a specific thing, but it needs to be away from your camera. Or if you’re doing self-portraits. Remote shutters allow more success with capturing what you want without running back and forth to your camera. Here’s a link to a good remote shutter.

• Reflector - Reflectors are so important when doing photography. Naturally, there are shadows and highlights when we take a photo, and reflectors help us fill those shadows to make a more natural-looking picture.
  Using things like bristle board, paper, a white sheet or buying a reflector from amazon can go a long way in making a higher impact with your photos. The goal should be to have something as natural as possible, and finding the balance between light and shadows is a part of that journey. 
  I highly recommend spending some time next to a giant window and seeing how the different angles of light affect your subject. Here’s a link for a 5 in 1 Reflector.

• LED Light or Big Windows - Natural-looking light is my absolute favourite. As a photographer, I know how to control and use light to create a captivating image. But one of my all-time favourite things to do is master natural light. There’s so much you can do using window light. However, when you don’t have access to a window or a large natural light source, one of the next best things is LED lights. These replicate light that comes from the window. Here’s a link for a LED Light.

• Sync - Sync is a file storage and document collaboration platform that helps teams stay safe, secure and connected in the cloud. Sync connects your internal teams, external partners, clients, customers, documents, files, computers and mobile devices together seamlessly, so everyone is always up-to-date and on the same page. Check out Sync.com

For more information on learning photography, check out our course - Photography Basics