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While every photographer has their own set of “must have” items that they can’t imagine going to a shoot without, there are a few items that form the basis of a photographer’s tool kit that both professional photographers and serious amateurs should never leave home without.

Here are 4 things that every photographer should have with them:

Filters
Filters are basically glass rings that can be screwed on to the front of a camera’s lens. While there are various filters available, UV filters and polarizing filters are the most common.

UV filters reduce the haziness created by UV light. Since they are transparent to other wave lengths of light, many photographers simply leave them on all the time and use them mainly to protect the actual lens. (And since a good lens can run you thousands of dollars, the $25 dollar filter is definitely worth the investment!)

Polarizing filters can adjust the blues in the sky or water, making it an excellent tool for creating more dynamic landscape shots. They also help reduce any glare created by glass or water in the frame.

Extra Batteries
There can’t be a more nightmarish situation than working an event and having your battery die. If you are hired to work at a wedding, outdoor event or anyplace other than your studio, make sure you have an extra (fully charged!) battery with you. If you are shooting indoors, considering bringing your charger to recharge the first battery in case the backup also dies.

Extra Memory Cards
This goes along the same lines of always carrying extra batteries. Running out of card space at an event, or even just when you are on a creative roll, is always a terrible situation to find yourself in. Having one or two extra memory cards around means that even if one gets full or even worse, corrupted, you’ll be able to keep shooting.

Cable Shutter Release and Tripod
If you find yourself shooting at night, indoors or any other low light situation, a cable shutter release and tripod are great at reducing camera shake and allowing you to lengthen your exposure time. They also come in hand if you are running a photo shoot by yourself and need to handle a flash, reflector or other tool.

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