My Gear Bag

What’s in my gear bag for a night Photowalk?

Those who know me well know that minimalism is not my forte when choosing material for a particular shoot. For a Photo Walk, I try to be careful because if I got distracted, I would pay for the exaggerations since gear does not walk alone, and someone has to carry it. After this introduction, let me say that a smartphone can be a great option to shoot on any Photo Walk. There are plenty of advantages on the smartphone side going from being less intrusive if compared with a DSLR, and also, it’s lightweight and easy to carry. For those who like to complicate and bring some camera gear, I leave my personal preferences in a list that is not meant to be more than an essential guide and personal favorites.

Bodies:

Fujifilm X-T2 – One camera body should be more than sufficient as long as it carries a well-charged battery or, preferably, a backup battery or two. For a trip somewhere, I would consider taking two bodies, but if you spend much time on your feet, walking around a city, or any other location, I think the added weight is a concern.

Lenses:

10-24mm

35mm 56mm – With these three lenses, I will be lightweight, and I should be ready for all situations that may appear to me.

My preferences for a couple of primes allow me to use sharp and fast glass even though I may be losing some flexibility and eventually lose a few shots where a zoom lens’s versatility could be essential.

Filters: Only a couple of neutral density filters, but you can always add some neutral density gradients. A Lee Big Stopper for use in long daytime exposures and a more common ND 0.6 that takes off two stops.

Tripod:

One good steady and robust tripod is a must have for any photographer.

For city walks, I like a light travel tripod, but not forgetting it needs to extend enough to allow me to shoot while standing comfortably.
For those who don’t have a tripod, a bean bag can be helpful.

Accessories: A remote trigger is always useful, but the on-camera self-timer can do the job. Since we are going to shoot at night, a small flashlight can be handy.

A cleaning cloth for lenses.

And finally a smartphone and a small power bank.

This is roughly my equipment choice for much of the city walks I do. This way, I will not be extremely lightweight, but I can manage to walk and shoot for long hours without feeling tired.