Dossile wrote:
I just read an old travel photography article by Thom Hogan. One of his suggestions is to put brightly colored luggage pulls on the backpack zippers so that they are easy to see, no longer black on black. Great idea, especially as my eyes age. I hate fumbling for the zipper pulls when a great picture opportunity is quickly developing and will soon be gone. I have a few simple gadgets. Despite the life changing benefits of Google Map, I still have found need for the small compass I keep on my camera bag when hiking or in a big city. Phone batteries don’t last forever, signals fade. I also have found surprising uses for a light weight locking carabiner always clipped to my bag handle.
Nothing as profound as the gear vs photographer diatribe now at 290 posts. I’m curious what unique tips or what small gadgets people find useful as a traveling photographer.
I just read an old travel photography article by T... (
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Great question! I shoot both digital and film, and have a small zipper bag of ballistic cloth that I put into whatever bag I'm using that day, whether a 4x5 Speed Graphic Hardboard Case, Billingham Pro, or one of my many vintage leather shoulder bags. I carry zip loc gallon bags and optech sleeves in each outfit.
Here's what's in my little zipper bag:
Several light carabiners
Battery charger and cable that can recharge my iPhone* three times
Pocket laser distance measure from Harbor Freight (I shoot a couple of scale focusing film cameras)
Rubber jar opener (removes recalcitrant filters and lenses)
Tiny battery tester from Harbor Freight (checks anything from PX 625s up to D-cells
Micro flashlight with red filter
Pocket magnifying glass
Tiny round 36" tape measure
Pencil size bubble level (even though my phone also has one and several cameras have bubble levels)
Small screwdriver set
A wad of folded gaffer's tape
Little zip lock with an assortment of screws and rubber bands
This all packs into a zipper envelope that's about 5"x9".
This has bailed me out of problems a number of times, going all the way back to film days.
*My iPhone is my best tool - I have a light meter app, shutter speed calculator app, a pocket tools app (with azimuth protractor, level, compass, etc.), the built in stopwatch app, the photographer's ephemeris and photo pills apps, and the inevitable Google maps. It is honestly my most useful tool.