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The camera, and lenses, are only the beginning to making sure you are prepared to get the photos you want while out shooting. Skills and knowledge of how to use your camera to get the results you want are also incredibly important of course. There are a few other items that will help you keep shooting as well, ones that may seem incredibly obvious but are incredibly valuable tools to have on hand.
Extra Memory Cards
You do not want to run the risk of running out of storage space on your memory cards. Do yourself a favor and get some high quality, high speed, large capacity memory cards that are compatible with your camera. The next item will also be a huge help in keeping track of and organizing all of your new memory cards.
Extra Batteries
You can’t really take photos without a functioning battery in your camera, it just doesn’t work. Get a couple of backup batteries for every camera that you use. I would also suggest getting an extra charger, you could keep one plugged in and always ready to charge at home and one on the go with you in your camera bag. Extra batteries should also be considered for accessories such as Speedlights. I’d also suggest having a method to keep track of which batteries are charged and which are dead. I’m open to suggestions on this one, would love some advice here.
Memory card storage case
I used to just toss my SD cards into little pockets or pouches in my bags or try to leave them in the same place on my desk after uploading images to my computer. Don’t do that, get a case to store your cards in. You should get a really sturdy, reliable, and weather sealed case like one from Pelican. I want you to be able to keep shooting and having a bunch of your memory cards in one place will help make that happen. Just don’t lose it, these days you can get something like a Tile to keep track of it as well.
External Hard Drive
You want to back up your photos, losing your photos just is not something you ever want to deal with at any point, ever. Get a portable, preferable a rugged/durable Solid State Drive (SSD) in 1TB plus. You may not need this much storage but you probably won’t be keeping track of how much you’re using before it’s suddenly completely full, so it’s worth it.
Slim UV Filter
Protect your lenses. All of them. I’ve always felt you should get yourself a filter to put over your lenses, let the filter get dirty or damaged and keeping the lens itself safe and sound. I say slim because that’s the way to go if you have a wide angle lens that is in need of protection. You don’t want to risk vignetting caused by the visible filter frame in the shot. I would be inclined to get the best quality option you can reasonably afford, and it probably depends on the value of the lens in general as well. Be certain to get the right size.
To many people these will all seem incredibly obvious and essential to the point of not needing to be mentioned, but without them you may be stuck without a working camera right when you need it. Once you’re stocked up on these incredibly valuable accessories, go out and shoot!