It's no secret that photography is an expensive business. With high-end lenses and camera bodies, it's a big investment. Although, not all photography gear needs to break the bank, and that's where photography accessories come in. Depending on what you plan to shoot and where you may want to consider these six options below:
Filters
Although filters have been traditionally used in film-based photography for color correction, polarizers are useful in digital photography. They cut glare from shiny surfaces, darken skies, and reduce haze, making images more vibrant and saturated. If not a polarizer, we recommend having a UV filter to protect the front element of your lens. We cannot tell you how many times customers have dropped their lens not only to be saved by their UV filter. They are sized in mm, so make sure you get the one that’s correct for your lens—or buy a step-up ring to use the same filter on two different sized lenses. Hoya and Breakthrough are both excellent brands.
Memory Cards
These handy memory cards store all your photos and video and come in a variety of sizes. Depending on what you plan on shooting, consider purchasing several smaller SD cards rather than one big SD card—if a card ever gets corrupted, you’ll have backup cards ready to use. To keep your memory cards organized, you can always use a memory card case, we recommend ThinkTank, MindShift, or Pelican cases. In regard to memory cards, SanDisk, Sony, and Delkin are all industry-standard brands.
Remote shutter release
Usually used in conjunction with a tripod, a remote shutter release lets you take a shot without physically touching the camera body. This not only helps eliminate the potential for camera shake and accidental blurring, but it also allows you to be in the shot—perfect for family photos or selfies. Available with or without cables, most major brands sell remote shutter releases compatible with their cameras.
Camera strap
Although most camera kits come with a strap, to really keep your camera secure, you’ll want to invest in a higher quality strap. Available in a variety of configurations (shoulder, cross-body, wrist), Black Rapid and Peak Design are both good brands to start with.
Cleaning kit
Cameras can get dusty and dirty, especially if you spend a lot of time shooting outdoors. Neglecting regular maintenance can result in permanent damage to camera bodies, lenses and accessories, so make sure you know how to clean your equipment—and keep it clean. There is an endless variety of solutions, swabs, dusters and more, but as long as you follow your manufacturer’s guidelines, your camera should stay spotless.
Software
Make sure you have a way to organize, edit and process all your photos and videos. Adobe Lightroom is fairly easy to use and not terribly expensive. While Adobe Photoshop is popular with professional photographers, it is more geared toward graphic designers versus a beginning photographer and is much more expensive than Lightroom if bought individually. For a packaged deal, Adobe offers a plan with Lightroom, Lightroom Classic and Photoshop for only $10 bucks a month.