IN THIS CHAPTER

Grabbing a great camera bag

Picking out a tripod

Easing the load with a specialty camera strap or carrier

Making your monitor easier to see in sunlight

Adding a remote control

Purchasing a couple of lens filters

Playing around with cool (and useful) apps

Using reflectors for better lighting

Putting a dive suit on your camera

Exchanging your mouse for a pressure-sensitive pen and tablet

Do you remember your first Barbie doll or — if you’re a guy who refuses to admit playing with a girl’s toy — your first G.I. Joe? In and of themselves, the dolls were entertaining enough, especially if the adult who ruled your household didn’t get too upset when you shaved Barbie’s head and took G.I. Joe for a spin in the garbage disposal. But Barbie and Joe were even more fun if you could talk someone into buying you some accessories, like a Ken doll or, even better, that awesome baby blue Barbie convertible.

Similarly, you can enhance your digital photography experience by adding a few of the hardware and software accessories described in this chapter. They may not bring quite the same rush as a Barbie penthouse or a G.I. Joe surface-to-air missile, but they greatly expand your creative options and make some aspects of digital photography easier.

Note: For more information on the products in this chapter, including current prices, visit the manufacturer's website. Understand that this chapter is by no means an exhaustive list of the good products in any category; browse your local camera store, your favorite photography magazine, or online forum to discover other options.

Invest In a Good Camera Bag

Perhaps the most important accessory you can buy is a camera bag to protect your equipment. Luckily, you have many good options, with manufacturers including Tenba, Lowepro, Think Tank Photo, Tamrac, and Pelican offering products designed for all types of cameras and photographers. Prices start at about $15 and go into the hundreds, depending on the size and type of bag.

With all the choices available, in fact, you can drive yourself crazy trying to find the perfect do-it-all bag. Don't. It doesn't exist. Instead, start with a bag that will work for your daily photography outings, maybe just big enough to hold your camera and a single lens. Then add to your bag collection if you invest in more gear or your needs change. Many bags offer straps or loops that enable you to attach additional equipment pouches or even a tripod so that you can build your own customized and flexible system.

The following list offers some additional shopping tips:

• Think about what gear you need the bag to hold. Some bags are big enough to stow just a small point-and-shoot model, whereas others can hold two dSLR camera bodies, a couple of lenses, a flash, and other equipment. Some bags also provide stowage for a small laptop or tablet.

  Don't forget to consider the noncamera gear you need to tote, though. I insist on bags that have at least one outside pocket to hold my car keys and phone, along with an inside, zippered pocket to hold my ID, a few dollars, and most important, my health-insurance card. That way, I don't have to bring both a purse and a camera bag. Another plus is a bag that has divided compartments with inserts that you can rearrange to accommodate different equipment depending on what you need for that day's shoot.

• Choose a solidly constructed bag with sufficient padding. Check the zippers, straps, and seams of the bag. Do they appear well made and durable? Is there enough cushioning to protect your equipment if you drop the bag? Is the exterior made of material that can stand up to a little rain or a spilled cup of coffee, keeping the contents of the bag dry and safe? If not, and you like other aspects of the bag, you can invest in a water-resistant bag cover. Some larger bags even have this feature built in.

  If you need to ship your gear to a remote location or to check it along with your bags at the airport, you can find hard-sided, watertight cases that cushion your gear in customizable foam. (Pelican is the best known brand for this type of case.)

• Try several styles of bags. You can choose from shoulder bags, waist packs, messenger bags (worn slung across your chest), and backpacks. To test out the various styles, take your equipment to the store so that you can load up a bag you're considering. You may find that one design feels less stressful on your back and shoulders than another or makes accessing your equipment easier. Give extra points to a bag that can be worn in a couple different ways. For example, some bags can be carried as either a waist pack or a shoulder bag.

• If you need to cart a lot of gear more than a short distance, consider a wheeled bag. I consider a wheeled bag a must-have item for air travel — my back and neck can no longer endure the strain of carrying all my equipment and other travel necessities from terminal to terminal. But I also use my wheeled bag if I'm taking more than a camera and a flash to a classroom or studio or another destination where I know I'll need to do a bit of walking to get from my car to the shooting location.

  The same shopping guidelines you use to assess a wheeled suitcase apply to wheeled camera bags. If you do a lot of air travel, make sure that your bag meets the airline's carry-on size restrictions — you don't want to have to gate-check your equipment. Also put the bag's handle and wheels through their paces, making sure that the handle rises to a comfortable height and that it and the wheels operate smoothly and seem sturdy.

• If you go with a backpack, choose a style that makes it difficult for thieves to steal your gear — but easy for you to access it. When you're navigating a crowded bus or street, a skilled thief can open a pocket on the back of a backpack and snag your gear without you even knowing you're being robbed. So look for a backpack that opens on the side that faces your back or your side. Another plus is a model that enables you to flip the pack around for quick access to your gear so that you don't have to take off the backpack every time you encounter an interesting subject.

Finally, keep in mind that you don't necessarily have to buy a bag expressly designed for photography — when I'm traveling on small regional jets, I use a tiny, wheeled backpack that I picked up for about $20 at a discount store. It's just large enough to hold my laptop and camera but still fits in a tiny overhead bin. As an added bonus, it escapes the notice of would-be thieves because it doesn't look like a camera bag. I pack an empty camera bag in my checked luggage so that I'll be able to use the bag at my destination.

Steady Your Camera with a Tripod

For nighttime shots and other photos that require long exposure times, keeping your camera steady is essential. Otherwise, you run the risk of camera shake during the exposure, which can cause blurry photos.

Here’s a look at some of the devices you can use any time you want to be sure that your camera remains absolutely still:

• Traditional tripods: You can spend a little or a lot on a tripod, with models available for anywhere from $20 to several hundred dollars. How much you care to spend is up to you, but be sure to check the specs of a model you're considering to find out how much weight it can support. But don't trust the specs blindly: Take your camera and largest lens with you when shopping so that you can test the tripod. Set the tripod at its maximum height, push down on the top camera platform, and try turning the tripod head as though it were a doorknob. If the tripod twists easily or the legs begin to collapse, look for a different model.

  With higher-end tripods, you buy the base separately from the head (the part that attaches to the bottom of the camera). This setup gives you a little more flexibility in buying the components you like best. Other features to consider are a quick-release plate, which enables you to easily mount and dismount the camera, the shortest and tallest heights to which you can extend the tripod legs, the ease with which you can make those leg adjustments, and whether you can adjust the angle of each leg independently of the others. This last issue can be important when you need to set up the tripod on an uneven surface and so need one leg to be longer and at a different angle than the others.

• Small solutions: A great option for times when you don’t want to carry around a full-size tripod is a product like the Joby GorillaPod (www.joby.com). Made of stiff but flexible gripping legs, it can stand as a short tripod or wrap around something and hold on — such as a tree, as shown in Figure 10-1. The GorillaPod comes in a variety of sizes, shapes, and colors for all types of cameras.

• Monopods: A monopod is a collapsible stick that lets you hold your camera steady but doesn’t stand on its own. You frequently see sports photographers at football games traipsing around the sidelines with a big camera, a big lens, and a monopod. If you get tired of holding your camera, whatever its size, monopods are useful and easy to tote around. However, for nighttime photography or other instances where you want to use a slow shutter speed, a monopod doesn't offer quite the same protection against camera shake as a regular tripod.

• Hybrids: Some innovative tripod/monopod hybrids exist; they look like monopods, but you can pop out three mini legs for extra stability.

  Figure 10-2 gives you a look at a model from Benro (www.benrousa.com). This hybrid comes as a kit that consists of the monopod, a rotating head, and the three-leg stand. Even with the feet, though, a hybrid model isn’t as stable as a standard tripod, so don’t stand too far from your camera if there is a strong wind blowing.

At present, full-size tripods and monopods made of carbon fiber offer the most strength at the lightest weight. You'll pay more for carbon fiber, so you have to decide whether the difference in weight is worth the money. For me, it's a no-brainer, but I'm weary of toting around tripods and other camera equipment.

Find a More Comfortable Camera Strap

If you find the strap that came with your camera to be a pain in the neck — literally — take a look at some of these alternatives:

• BlackRapid straps: BlackRapid makes a line of straps that screw into the tripod mount on the bottom of a camera instead of attaching to the rings found on the sides of most cameras. You wear the strap like a cross-body purse or messenger bag, so that the strap crosses your chest, and the camera hangs at your hip. This design takes some of the strain off your neck. When you're ready to shoot, you can immediately bring the camera up to your eye.
• Cotton Carrier Vest: Slip on this vest-like contraption to carry the weight of the camera on your chest, as shown on the left in Figure 10-3. Or, if you regularly like to carry two camera bodies, the company offers a version that accommodates that need. Built-in and optional accessories enable you to carry additional gear, including a small umbrella.
• Spider Pro Holster: Shown on the right in Figure 10-3, this product is designed for carrying the weight of the camera on your hip, with no weight on your neck or shoulders. You can buy add-on tools that allow you to attach other bits of equipment, such as a lens pouch.

The product photos shown here feature dSLR cameras, but you can find variations of the same concepts for all sizes of cameras. Also, several manufacturers other than the ones mentioned make these types of products, so shop around.

Get a Better View of Your Monitor

No matter how good a camera's monitor, it can be difficult to see the displayed image in bright light. You can solve this problem in a couple ways: Attach a monitor shade, such as the one shown on the left in Figure 10-4, which is sold by Delkin Devices (www.delkindevices.com), or a product such as the HoodLoupe (www.HoodmanUSA.com), shown on the right. The shade featured here adheres to the back of the camera with a special mounting adhesive and offers extra monitor protection when closed. Loupe-style viewers are usually not affixed to the camera; instead, you can wear them on a lanyard around your neck until you need to view a picture.

Take Advantage of Remote Operation

Being able to trigger your camera's shutter button via remote control comes in handy for a number of purposes. Perhaps the most important benefit is eliminating the possibility of camera shake when you use a very slow shutter speed or a lens with a long focal length (telephoto lens). Even if you have your camera mounted on a tripod — which is vital for long-exposure images — the gentlest push on the shutter button can cause enough camera shake to blur the image. Triggering the shutter with the remote control eliminates this possibility.

It's also handy to have a remote shutter release when you want to include yourself in a group shot. Sure, most cameras have a self-timer mode that you can use to delay the shutter release for a few seconds after you press the shutter button, but it seems that there's never enough time to run into the frame, wedge yourself into the group, suck in your gut, and work up a smile before the shot is taken. With a remote, you can wait until you're settled to take the picture.

Your remote-control options depend on your camera. Some cameras have a jack into which you can plug a wired remote, some have sensors that pick up a signal from a wireless remote, and some models offer both options. If your camera offers Wi-Fi communication, you may also be able to use your smartphone as a remote control. You need to download the manufacturer's app to enable the device to talk to the camera. (Check your camera manual to find out where you can grab the app; usually, Apple users are directed to the App Store, and Android users, to Google Play.)

Consider a Few Lens Filters

Lens filters screw onto the camera lens or can be attached via an adapter. To find out whether your lens can accommodate a filter — and to find out what diameter filter to buy — check the camera or lens manual. With most lenses, the diameter is usually printed somewhere on the lens. (The size is stated in millimeters.)

Some filters create special effects and so aren't everyday tools, but the following filters can come in handy on a more regular basis:

• Ultraviolet (UV) filter: A UV filter is a clear filter designed to block UV light rays, which can cause a blue tint to photos. With digital cameras, automatic white balancing usually takes care of that problem, so the main reason to attach a UV filter to your digital model is to protect the lens from breaking if you happen to knock it into something.

  However, a cheap UV filter can lower image quality, and it makes little sense to spend a lot of money on a good lens and then slap a poorly made piece of glass on top of it. If you do put on a UV filter, make sure that it's of high quality.

• Polarizing filter: A polarizing filter cuts glare from light rays that bounce off reflective objects, such as water and glass. It's sort of like putting a pair of polarized sunglasses on the lens. With landscape shots, polarizers can also produce bluer, more dramatic skies and reduce haze. You can see an example of a picture taken with and without a polarizer in Figure 10-5.

  It's important to understand, though, that in order to achieve the polarizing effect, you must have the sun at one shoulder, and your subject must be at a 90-degree angle to the lens. At other angles, you won't see any difference except a slight reduction in the amount of light coming through the lens. Neither should you use a polarizer if you like the look of specular highlights dancing on water — the polarizer will eliminate them. Keep in mind, too, that the filter cuts the amount of light coming through the lens, so you have to use a slower shutter speed, larger aperture, or higher ISO to expose the photo. (Chapter 5 explains these exposure terms.)

  The other thing to know is to look for a circular polarizing filter. (Most filters today are circular.) With this type of filter, you turn a ring on the filter to vary the polarizing effect.

• Neutral density (ND) filter: This filter is designed to cut light coming through the lens without affecting picture colors — essentially, it's a gray (neutral) piece of glass. An ND filter is helpful for shooting outside on a very bright day, because it enables you to use a slow shutter speed (to blur a moving object, such as a waterfall) or wide-open aperture (for a blurry background) without overexposing the picture.
• Graduated ND filter: A graduated ND filter is one that is clear on one side. The idea is to enable you to cut the light from a portion of the scene but catch all the light from the rest, as when you're taking a picture of a bright sunset at the beach. Without the filter, you have to expose for the sunset, leaving the beach dark, or expose for the beach, blowing out the sunset. Underwater photographers sometimes use graduated ND filters to balance the exposure of over/under shots — where the top of the image is above water; the lower portion below water.

For any filter that cuts light, the manufacturer provides information about how many stops of exposure shift you need to make to compensate for that reduced light. A stop refers to a change in exposure settings that results in twice as much light hitting the image sensor. (You can also speak of stops in terms of cutting the light in half, but in the case of filters, you need to go the other direction because the filter is eliminating some light.) Again, see Chapter 5 for more about exposure issues.

Download Some Cool Apps

Many cameras offer at least a few built-in tools for making small adjustments to your photos, such as cropping or adding a couple of special effects. But if you have a smartphone or tablet, you can explore a much bigger universe of effects and retouching tools by downloading a few apps. Or a dozen. Or heck, hundreds.

These apps aren't just for playing with pictures you take on your cellphone or tablet, though; you can use them on photos that you take with a standard camera, too. You just have to transfer the image files to your phone or tablet. If your device can accept a memory-card reader, you can transfer files that way. You also can copy files via a wireless NFC connection, assuming that both the camera and your device offer NFC. (See Chapter 8 for information about this technology.) As another option, you can download photos to your computer, upload them to an online storage site, and then download them from the site to your device.

Although I usually do serious photo editing on my desktop computer, I admit to having a lot of fun fooling around with special-effects apps on my phone. (It's a great way to pass the time while waiting at the airport or doctor's office.) Those effects serve a practical purpose, too: Adding a texture or another effect disguises the fact that my cellphone's camera doesn't take the sharpest images.

As an example, the left image in Figure 10-6 shows a photo as it appeared with no adjustment except for some extreme cropping — I couldn't get close to the steeple, so the original included a lot of the church building below. The right side of the figure shows the image after I applied several special-effects filters. The result not only creates a moody scene but also makes the steeple details sharper. (Don't ask me which apps I used or which filters I applied; I just experiment with different apps and filters until I find a look I like, and I don't pay much attention to anything but the final result.)

If you haven't yet filled your device with apps (don't forget to leave some storage space for photos), here are a few to try. All sell for under $5 — a few are even free — and are available for both Apple iOS and Android devices. Some have versions that work with tablets as well as with phones. Be sure to check the app specification so that it will run under the operating system used by your device.

• Instagram: Most people who haven't lived on a deserted island for the past five years have at least heard of Instagram, a popular site for sharing selfies and other snaps that let people know what you're doing at the moment. But you may not be aware that the free Instagram app makes it easy to snap a photo in the classic square aspect ratio that was once the hallmark of Instagram photos. You also can do a bit of retouching, add some filter effects, and then post the result to the Instagram site as well as to Facebook and other photo-sharing sites.
• Snapseed (Google): Another great free app, Snapseed enables you to adjust color, exposure, sharpness, and other basic photo characteristics with a surprising amount of precision. You can alter a specific portion of an image by simply tapping it, for example. It also has some effects and borders you can apply.
• Handy Photo (ADVA-Soft): I also like this tool for its useful array of retouching and effects filters. Like Snapseed, it provides ways to select the area you want to retouch. You can even select and move or rotate objects in the photo.
• Photoshop Express (Adobe): If you're an Adobe Photoshop, Photoshop Express, or Lightroom user, you'll be immediately comfortable with the photo-retouching tools found in this app, which offers simplified versions of those tools plus a few effects filters. And you can't beat the price — like Snapseed, this one is free.
• Lightroom (Adobe): A mobile-friendly version of the full-featured Lightroom program, this free app offers its own set of retouching and effects tools. But if you use Lightroom on your main computer, you'll also appreciate tools that enable you to sync your files, so that changes you make on your mobile device can be transferred to your desktop or laptop computer, and vice versa.
• Facetune (Lighttricks): Enhance your skin tones and do other portrait retouching to make yourself look better in your selfies. You can even cover bald spots with digital hair and reshape your face, assuming that you don't plan to meet the people who see your photo in person. On a more practical note, the app also enables you to blur everything but your face, making distracting background objects less intrusive.

Catch Great Light with a Reflector

One of the least expensive but most helpful tools for portrait shooting is a reflector, which, as the name implies, you use to throw reflected light onto your subject. And why, you ask, would you want to do that? Well, one common reason is to shoot an indoor portrait without using flash, which often produces harsh, unflattering light and red eye. For a softer light, have your subject sit next to a large window so that one side of the face is lit by daylight coming through the window. Then have a friend hold the reflector so that the window light bounces off the reflector and onto the side of the face that's turned away from the window, as illustrated in Figure 10-7. Figure 10-8 shows the final portrait (left) compared with one taken using a built-in flash (right).

Reflectors come in many shapes and sizes; the one in Figure 10-7 is a 32-inch, round version that has two sides. One side of this reflector is gold, which adds a nice warm touch to the reflected light; the other side is white for times when you want the bounced light to be the same color as your main light source. You can also find reflectors with a silver panel, which produce a cool (bluish) light, or a black panel, which is handy for creating instant shade when you're shooting in bright sunlight. Most reflectors fold into small carrying cases, making them easy to transport.

Reflectors aren't just for portrait shooting, though. I also carry a much smaller reflector than the one shown in the figure when I photograph flowers, for example. By placing the reflector at the base of the flower, I can throw a bit of light onto the underside of the petals.

If you have a flash head that rotates, you also can use reflectors with flash light to good effect. Rather than aim the flash at your subject, have someone hold a reflector to one side of the person's face. Then aim the flash at the reflector so that your subject is illuminated by a nice, soft bounced light.

Among the companies known for making good reflectors are Photoflex, Westcott, and Lastolite. Prices range from about $15 to $70, depending on the size of the reflector and how many different reflective surfaces it offers. Some reflectors are of the two-sided variety shown in Figure 10-7, but you also can buy kits that consist of a white reflector and an assortment of covers that change the color and strength (strong or subtle) of the reflected light.

Dive In with a Waterproof Housing

Some cameras, especially point-and-shoot models marketed as “rugged,” can survive a quick dunk in a pool or ocean without any ill effect. But if you want to enjoy underwater photography without risking your camera's life, you can buy a waterproof housing designed just for that purpose. Many manufacturers offer housings custom-made for specific camera models, but you can find good third-party solutions as well.

Be sure that the housing you choose enables you to easily operate the camera — the best products in this category allow you to access all the camera's external controls, not just the shutter button. If you do a lot of underwater photography, you may want to look for a housing that enables you to attach a light (or two) so that you can illuminate your surroundings. Such housings (and the accessory lights) aren't cheap, though; expect to pay hundreds of dollars, at the least. If you're not into underwater photography in a big way, you may want to rent a housing instead. (Two good online rental options are www.BorrowLenses.com and www.LensRentals.com.)

Treat Your Wrist to a Graphics Tablet

A tablet enables you to edit photos using a stylus (it resembles a pen without ink) instead of a mouse. If you do a good deal of intricate touch-up work on your pictures or you enjoy digital painting or drawing, you’ll wonder what you ever did without a tablet. Wacom, the industry leader in the tablet arena, offers a basic tablet, called the Intuos Photo Pen and Touch, shown in Figure 10-9, which sells for about $100. It comes with a stylus, but you can also simply use your finger on the tablet as you do with a touchpad on a laptop computer. You also get a nice assortment of photo-editing software thrown in for the price.

If you own a touch-enabled tablet or computer, however, you may not need a separate graphics tablet. Instead, you can buy a stylus that provides a similar experience. Some devices, in fact, come with a stylus. However, be aware that not all similar devices have enough computing power to run a serious photo-editing program, and not all programs and apps respond to every type of stylus.