Hey Everyone! Hope ya'll are having a great week. Me ? Not too bad but I've been in a photography and blog writing slump and need to snap out of it. My camera club is having a meeting and the topic is "show and tell", where you bring some sort of photography item in and talk about it . Maybe a filter or a bag (not a camera ) but some sort of accessory and I thought it would make a good blog. I may have done this before but I'm still going to write about it because the way to get out of a writing slump is to write. Now there are millions of photography accessories and you can spend a lot of money on , but these are going to be the ones that I like and use. You may have some of the same or different that you like and use. Some may be a little pricy but most are very cheap and things you may already have laying around. Now some of these may sound weird but I think they can be helpful.

Bags- There are all kinds of dedicated camera bags out there but most of them say, " look I have a very expensive camera kit in here steal me. " What I like to do is take every day bags and make them camera bags. Now I'm mostly a street/travel photographer and most of my cameras and lenses are small this might not work if you're a wildlife photographer with big cameras and lenses. But I use a camera insert cube that has a few compartments that can be arranged for camera/lens and extra lens. I can put it in a normal backpack and I have an inconspicuous bag with my camera kit in it I can put it in a computer bag and I have a computer bag with a camera in it.  I even have a large lumbar pack that I call "my purse" that I can stick it into and I have an over the shoulder bag.  They are great and only cost 20 bucks or so. People that go out with me know I love to wear a fanny pack. Yes a fanny pack.  I think they are great I can put my phone in a little pouch and it's very handy and not pulling my pants down if I had in my back or front pants pocket. I can keep small lenses in there or filters and don't even have to carry a camera bag and still have everything right there.

Peak Design Products- Peak Design is a great company that started making straps and have expanded into all sorts of products. I love there straps they are made out of the seat belt material and are flexible and strong. They have little buttons that go on your camera and the straps can easily be put on or taken off. I got my first one years ago when they were just starting out on go fund me page. They also make clips that go on your backpack that will hold your camera secure. I have one on all of my backpacks. They are great you can clip your camera on them and you are hands free and if a shot appears you can quickly take the camera off of the clip and shoot. Straps go anywhere from 40 to 60 bucks and the clips are at 80. Well worth the money they last forever. Peak design makes bags, tripods , and all sorts of accessories now and if they are as good as the clips and the straps they will be awesome. All I have are the straps and the clips.

Cleaning Cloths- Micro fiber is the way to go and you don't have to spend a lot of money on them . You probably already have lots of them around the house. Seems like any small device you purchase for anything comes with one. I have gobs of them. I put one in every compartment of my camera bags so I always have one handy. I always carry one in my pocket. They are great for glasses but they are great to lend also because when you're on a photography trip the person next to you always needs one. I try to keep the bright colored ones in my pocket so I can see them and they don't blend in with my pockets or anywhere I lay them down. And of course there are all types of brushes and blowers you can get to keep things clean. A clean camera is a happy camera.

Keeping things dry- Camera's are expensive electronics and they don't like water. I know lots of cameras are water resistant but I feel safer keeping them dry. When I'm out and about I use a cheap shower cap to put over my camera and lens if I get caught in a downpour. They are cheap and small and tuck into your camera bag very nicely. And what about in your camera bag or storage case. I use desiccant . All of those little pouches that you get in shoes and electronic boxes that say "do not eat" are free and you can just chunk into your bag . If your bag get damp they will absorb all of the moisture and not let get into your gear. They go in every pouch of my camera bags along with the micro fiber cloths.

Other items to think about. This is something I started a few years ago is to put an Apple air tag on all of my bags. When traveling this is especially good for piece of mind. Knowing where your gear is at all times. How about insurance for your gear? Although not an accessory it will give you comfort in knowing that if something happens to your gear you are not totally out of a camera. You can usually put this on your home owners insurance .  Some small tools like an allen wrench that will fit your adapter plates or L brackets. So as you can see there are all types of gadgets that you can get for your camera kit. But you don't have to break the bank you probably already have lots of the stuff just laying around. Until Next week Get out and Shoot!

Hey if you want to check out my photography go to my instagram account Max Stansell Photography there are over 2000 posts there. Here is the link

 Max Stansell Photography Instagram Link