Apart from the bare essentials like camera, lenses and tripod (extra memory and spare battery) there are some essential items that an architectural photographer should bring with him on all locations.Having these items handy during a shoot will make your work a lot more easier. This one extra bag of equipment is extremely important to take on a shoot and should certainly not be overlooked.
Architectural Photography Tips - Necessary extras: Photo by: Louish Pixel |
Ideally a bag of extras should contain items like a roll of Gaffer's Tape, some paper clips and or safety pins, Cable Release, Flash Sync Cords, an extra Transceiver (if using wireless triggers) Extension Cords, double/triple socket adaptors, continental socket adaptors (if working overseas) and spare fuses for both the flash units and the plugs, spare modelling lamps, a Flashlight, a small knife/Multi tool, compass (now most smart phones have it built in), a dust pan brush, Camera and Lens Cleaning Kit, a pack of tissue paper, a Screwdriving Set and Pliers Set, 5-in-1 Reflector, some black cards etc.
Although not indispensable having a small Table-top Tripod/ GorillaPod, one or more Super Clamps and Magic Arms on location will prove very useful in situations which demand precise light placements. A very useful item to have on location but that wont probably fit in your bag is a light weight aluminium Step Ladder. Same is the case with a small roll of neutral density film (which you can tape on glass windows to take out a couple of stops of light depending on the strength of the film) this you will find very useful to balance exposure between flash and ambient in situations when the details outside of the window are important.
Make sure you modify your bag to fit in your equipment, each piece of gear should have its own place in the bag, it makes matters easy if you group similar items together, arranging your bag systematically will help make sure that you have not left any thing behind.
What did we miss... if you have any suggestions to add to the list do let us know in the comments below.