Top 4 Photography Essentials You Should Use

Welcome to another photography tip post where I will be discussing my top photography essentials.

Photography is a very diverse subject, with many different styles and tastes. This means that each person will have different gear depending on their style of photography.

But I have compiled a list of my top photography essentials that I use all the time, and these are things that anyone in any niche can use.

So let's jump right in!

Tripod

A tripod may seem like a basic item for some, and an unnecessary item for others, but a tripod is something that every photographer should have.

A tripod can help when you are shooting a photo at a low shutter speed, and this creates for some awesome and unique shots that you may have never even known you can do.

For example, I started doing star photography (which I will cover in a later post). Star photography requires something called a "long exposure shot", meaning that the lens is exposed to the light for a longer period of time.

Without a tripod, you wouldn't be able to take a photo of the stars because the camera needs to be still for at least 15 seconds without any shakes to create the crispiest shots.

Even if you don't do star photography, you can create light trails, which can enhance your photos in many ways.

Once you experiment with different shutter speeds, you can find something that you will enjoy, and you will realize how much you missed out on without a tripod!

Polarizer/ND Filter

A polarizer or ND (neutral-density) filter is a piece of equipment that attaches to your camera that you can use to filter out certain light, such as reflections on a windows and water or neutralize the bright sky to make your subject pop.

I like taking photos of cars, and when I took a photo of my car, I noticed the massive amount of reflection on the windows and windshield.

So, I used a polarizer to remove the glare from the windshield and windows.

Note that a polarizer only polarizes half the image so you need to stitch parts together in Photoshop.

Lightroom

This isn't really a physical item but it is definitely a photography essential. Lightroom is arguably the best photo editor out there. And it does a bunch of things that you will really put good use to.

Every professional photographer uses Lightroom and it is so easy to use, that once you get the hang of the controls, you will be up and rolling in no time, creating awesome edits.

If you are on a budget and can't afford the $9.99 per month subscription, there is Lightroom mobile, which has most of the photo editing features that are on the PC version.

However, one thing is for sure: Lightroom is a must-use accessory that every photographer should use.

Here is a quick and easy tutorial on Lightroom Mobile: https://youtu.be/oUmYVTtv3xY

Here is a before and after of a photo I took on New Year's Day. See the difference!

Good Phone Camera

Sometimes, you might not be able use your camera. For example let's say you are going to the park for a walk and you think of a really nice photo idea.

You may not have your camera with you, but a good phone camera can take awesome shots!

With your phone camera, you can take photos that are nearly as good as photos with a proper camera.

A phone camera doesn't have to be an expensive iPhone or Samsung either. The new Google Pixel runs for around $400 and takes amazing shots.

Note that a phone is not a replacement for a traditional camera. You will notice a difference between both cameras, but a phone camera is handy for times you don't have your traditional camera with you.

Here are some photos I took with my iPhone camera.

These are my top 4 photography essentials! Thank you for checking out this post! I know these items may seem very basic, but without them, your photos won't stand out from the others!

To see a basic photography tutorial, check out the post below:

How to Improve Your Photos with 3 Easy Steps