At my studio, we have 3 working photographers and lots of gear. Things can get pretty messy and disorganized when we are working in the studio, rushing out to locations and racing to meet tight schedules and deadlines.

At one point our storage area looked like a junkyard. So...I went off the used furniture shop and Ikea and purchased some chests of drawers. I found some sturdy high-quality ones with rail-suspension tracks that can hold heavy loads without caving in or falling out. At Ikea, I purchase some assemble-yourself kinda cubby hole units and kinda bare-bones wooden shelving that is made of knotty-pine and held together with lag bolts.

I wanted the gear to remain safe and dust-free, easy to locate and access, and of course well organized as to the frequency of use. So here are some tips I found t be effective.

* I line the drawers with cloth padded table placemats- they provide padding to buffer vibration, prevent abrasions, and can be vacuumed, and periodically washed to remove dust or any other debris that may get in.

* Cameras lenses and meters that are in frequent use go in the top drawers and are organized in kits as to lenses and bodies.

* Gear that is seldom used is wrapped in polyethylene zip-lock bags with silica-gel packets.

* The bottom drawers are the "junk collection"- brackets, bits and pieces, metal ods and ends- stuff that we occasionally use to improvise or rig something up.

* One top drawer has little, trays, bins and dividers to organize essential stuff that is easily lost- thumb screws, tripod socket bushings, small replacement modeling lamps, and fuses, slave triggers, synch cords,
miscellaneous adapters, etc.

* The large cubby holes are for flash heads, power packs, batteries and chargers and things like those that we need to access quickly and maintain on a daily basis. We won't forget to charge the batteries and make certain they are maintained if the are in plain sight.

* Our transport cases are kept on the shelves above the chests of drawers. A nearby table is kept clear for packing each case. Each case has a small clipboard within the equipment list so we don't forget to pack everything that is required. Weh breaking down at locations, we again check the list to ensure that everything is packed for the return trip.

* We keep the storage chests of drawers and shelves away for heat, radiators, air conditioning ducts, and places where dampness and wanter can seep in.

* Even if you don't have as much of an equipment inventory, some of these storage methods might help.

Whatever you do do not store your gear in airtight containers, unless you are in an extremely humid environment. If you must put gear in bags, do not use polyethylene - the bags will out-gas and create deposits on your glass, and they are "selectively" porous and will pass moisture through the process of osmosis. A better bag would be those used for vacuum-packing food. Foodsaver and other companies sell resealable bags that are not moisture permeable.

Desiccants, like silica gel, only serve as a temporary humidity reducer, and are best used in non-porous, sealed bags. Silica gel is an extremely porous material, and airborne moisture adheres to its surfaces. However, it must be routinely heated - recharged if you will - to remove accumulated moisture. Otherwise it is not all that different than storing your gear with a damp sponge.

I have a metal cabinet where I store my cameras and lenses. I don't use plastic bags.

Whatever you do do not store your gear in airtight containers unless you are in an extremely humid environment. If you must put the gear in bags, do not use polyethylene - the bags will out-gas and create deposits on your glass, and they are "selectively" porous and will pass moisture through the process of osmosis. A better bag would be those used for vacuum-packing food. Foodsaver and other companies sell resealable bags that are not moisture-permeable.

Desiccants, like silica gel, only serve as a temporary humidity reducer and are best used in non-porous, sealed bags. Silica gel is an extremely porous material, and airborne moisture adheres to its surfaces. However, it must be routinely heated - recharged if you will - to remove the accumulated moisture. Otherwise, it is not all that different than storing your gear with a damp sponge.

I have a metal cabinet where I store my cameras and lenses. I don't use plastic bags.