Tip #5: Accessorize, accessorize, accessorize!

You’re going to spend quite a bit on accessories. You could get several bags: a compact one (a slingshot, maybe?) for light travelling and shooting as you walk; a bigger one, to fit a few lenses and filters, when you’ll have time to plan a shot more thoroughly. You may want to get a bag that fits your laptop, too.

For travelling or carrying your gear for extended periods of time, you may want to purchase a vest or belt to hang your gear on, and a soft neck/shoulder strap. Nothing kills inspiration and good shots than physical fatigue in your muscles.

You’ll need a lens cleaning cloth and fluid, and an air pump. Given the nature of dSLR cameras, you will get some dust or, God forbid, sand inside the camera, stuck to your sensor. It’s not a question of “if,” but “when.”

Filters: the minimum are an ultraviolet light filter as a fingerprint protection, and a circular polarizer for nature/sky/water/car show shots. You may want to get these in various sizes for each of your lenses, or get big ones with step-up adapter rings; your choice.

Then comes everything else: supplemental batteries, possibly a grip for better handling of portrait shots, memory cards, a memory card reader, external flash, mini-tripod or monopod, a foldable reflective screen. Studio photography has its own long list, starting with flashes, stands, umbrellas, softboxes, backdrops…

Lots of dough invested in accessories — plan your expenses smart.