Leaving the studio to go to a photoshoot out of town can be fun but is often a challenge. Most photographers like to travel or merely escape the studio once in a while. There are natural parks, springs, hiking trails, golf courses, creeks, lakes, historical markers, abandoned buildings and more all around you just dying to be captured.
Plan this out and save yourself time and a headache or two.
Before you hit the road though, plan your trip out so that you take everything you'll need. In the studio it's easy to run out on a quick trip to get what you need, but when you're 'out in the woods', it's three times more effort and twice as inconvenient.
Make a meaningful list of equipment and other necessities.
So with that in mind, here is a small starter list of things you may need on your next shoot:
- Always take additional memory cards with lots of empty space.
- Extra batteries for camera and flash. Battery charger.
- Sensor cleaning kit and lens cleansing kit.
- A portable computer and a portable computer stand.
- All the required cables for cameras, and lights.
- Backup media to keep your files safe.
- A whole set of lights and battery packs.
- Extension cords, power strips, and plug adapters.
- Always bring lightweight stands, umbrella heads, and weights for anchoring your stands. Reflectors too.
- Filters for lenses and flashes.
- Clamps of various sizes for your backgrounds.
- Shade umbrellas.
- A step ladder. Sometimes a better angle makes all the difference
- Clean towels and a blanket.
- Lint rollers and cleaning cloths.
- A black sheet with a hole cut from the center. This gives your model a private way to change clothes.
- Knee pads. You recognize the importance of this if you’ve worked on your knees before.
- Cases for everything.
- Food, water, snacks.
- A decent hat. A wide-brimmed hat will allow you to work longer when outdoors.
Of course for all of this equipment, you may want a safe place to store it during your trip. Perhaps a few C1 cases will make your trip more enjoyable.
You probably have some other things on your list. Hopefully this will inspire you not to forget something.
