Wednesday, July 19, 2006

A Well Stocked Camera Case

"Photography deals exquisitely with appearances, but nothing is what it appears to be."

-Duane Michals

One thing every good amateur photographer must have, is a well stocked camera case. Extra batteries, a good digital camera cleaning kit, maybe even an extra lens cap. It's also a good idea to have a pen and some paper for writing down notes about the weather, and special notes about the area one is photographing. I always check my camera case before I leave the house to make sure I have everything I need...and then some.

Being one of those, "girlie girls," there are quite a few items that I take with me on photo jaunts, that you probably wouldn't expect to find in most camera cases. See, instead of dragging my purse along with me, I simply add all those, "girlie girl," necessities to my camera case. Only the most essential items mind you.

1.Breath spray... in case I happen to meet David Duchovny.

2.Make-up... in case I happen to meet David Duchovny.

3.Jasmine Perfume... in case I happen to meet David Duchovny.

4.My cell phone... So I can call all my friends if I happen to meet David Duchovny.

5. My Voo-Doo sock monkey Ernst, because I like monkeys.

6. A CD of music to inspire me, I just love the David Duchovny song by Bree Sharp.

7. My wallet, in case I meet David Duchovny and he hasn't had lunch.

8. Sunblock, so I don't look like a lobster, if I should meet David Duchovny.

9. Sunglasses, so I will look cool if I should meet David Duchovny, but I never wear them to take pictures outside in the daytime. :) Your pictures will come out better if you have an accurate view of the lighting around you. :)

10. An extra set of car keys. Trust me on that one! LOL.

11. Some feminine needs products. Again, trust me on that one! LOL.

12. A plastic shower cap. LOL. When it rains, sometimes it pours. LOL.

13. 2 Tea bags, 2 Hot Chocolate packets, 2 Hot Apple Cider packets, 24 Equal packets, 4 Lipton Chicken Noodle Instant Soup, 4 napkins, 4 plastic forks, 4 plastic knives.

14. A nail clipper. There's nothing worse then having a hang nail while trying to take a photo.

15. 6 medium and 6 small band-aids, for when the hang nail bleeds. Sheesh! LOL.

16. 1 Lavender eye mask, so I won't have tired looking eyes should I meet David Duchovny.

17. 2 Hair clips, for putting my hair up. There's nothing worse then having very long hair on a windy day. I should really cut it one day.

18. A small bottle of aspirin for those unexpected aches and pains.

19. My wallet... it costs $3 to cross the Bay Bridge, and $5 if I am coming across the Golden Gate into the city. It's all in the paths you choose. :)

20. Apple Dippers. I always stop at McDonald's, on my way out to wherever the picture is, and grab some Apple Dippers in case I don't have time to stop and eat. Apple slices pick me right up. :)

I have managed to put everything I need into my camera case, I like being well prepared. I also have a spare T-Shirt and pants that I keep in the trunk, because sometimes birds can be wacky. LOL. And yep, my camera still fits in it's case just fine. :)

So tell me, what do you carry in your camera case? Just the basics? Or do you have some specialty items of a "must have" nature? Come on you guy readers of mine also... fess up... do you have anything in your camera case which might be considered out of the ordinary? Share. Tell me what you never leave home without... not including your American Express card! :)

-OndineMonet
A Well Stocked Camera Case"
Berkeley, California
June 18th, 2006
Afternoon

7 comments:

DesLily said...

goodness gracious Carly! lol.. you sure can pack alot in one camera bag! lol.. I don't come close to that list! haha.. but i do carry a pen and small pad. I've had the need when I sometimes meet someone to trade email addresses, so I always have a pad and pen.

Becky said...

You must have one honkin big camera bag! LOL you are too funny. I had to actually LOOK in my bag to see if there was anything out of the ordinary in there. I found a lollypop (for those emergency "I need to distract the kid" moments), eclipse gum (in case *I* should meet David D. or maybe Keanu R.), hair clips (same reason as you), Purel (kids touch EVERYTHING), some spare change, and one bandaid. I'm not as prepared as you. LOL

Suzanne R said...

When I bought my camera case, it wasn't big enough to hold my large SLR camera with the lens and the flash unit on it so I have been making do without a case, which is certainly not easy to do. I guess I need to get a huge one, maybe the size of a diaper bag? ;-) That might be something to put on the Christmas list for my kids this year.

Cindy said...

um...my camera case contains...my camera. which then goes into my purse, which is large enough to contain lots of the items you've mentioned...plus a toy car or two.

love ya!

John said...

Loved your list. I was busting up at seeing that the list didn't seem to end as I scrolled.

What do I have in my camera case? "Ok, I confess, I have a Home Depot gift card." I put it in the camera case because I figure I carry the camera with me everywhere...I'd remember it, right? Haven't touched it for 2 years.

Karen Funk Blocher said...

To tell you the truth, most of the time I just have my camera in my pocket. (Bad Karen, no buscuit!)

sunflowerkat said...

I have been through a number of cases as the volume of equipment has increased. I think the only "out of the ordinary" stuff I have in there is chapstick (with sunblock), contact solution, and my pick-me-up...single servings of peanut butter.