Alright, I know the title sounds dramatic, but if you are serious about wanting to photograph all day you are going to need a few things.
Sure, if you know you are going out for an hour or two, pop the camera around your neck and throw a spare battery in your pocket and head out your door. However, if you are like me and prefer longer days of shooting or don’t always know how long you are going to shoot, then you are going to need a few things…
Life Essentials
First thing is first, we gotta start with the life essentials. As much as you are a photographer, you are a human first.
Bag
Having a bag is essential for street photography. Whether it is a cheap tote or a fancy camera backpack, you need somewhere to store batteries, water, and wherever else you want to carry.
I have a few requirements when picking a camera bag:
- Backpack: You need even weight distribution on both shoulders. I can’t tell you how much my back hurt after carrying a sling in Mexico for a month straight.
- Room for Camera: There have been countless times, I have had to stash my camera in the bag during a rainstorm or sketchy neighborhood.
- Easy to Open: Being able to open your bag without setting your bag on the ground is a game changer. It allows you to continue walking or even shooting the scene while accessing your gear.
- Between 10-20L: If the bag is big and bulky you will not want to bring it with you.
- Not a Camera Bag: Camera bags look terrible to me and looking good while shooting street photography is important. How you present yourself is how people will perceive your intentions.
These days, I am using the Timbuk2 Flight Convertible Tote Backpack. It is a backpack, but has 2 tote straps that can be used when you need to access your gear. It also has a place for the straps to tuck into, so nobody can grab onto them while you are walking around (this has happened to me a time or two).
Charging Supplies
I always carry an Anker Battery Pack, a charging block and the required cables/connectors to charge both my phone and my camera batteries. This has come in super handy on more-times than I care to admit. For example, when I am out until 3AM photographing at the bars, I have something to charge my phone to call an Uber home. Better yet, when I forget to charge my camera batteries, I can connect the compact battery charger I keep in my bag to charge my camera batteries as I walk.
Toiletries
I know this is a weird one, but I always carry around the following:
- Toilet paper
- Hand Sanitizer
- Anti-Diareals
- Medium HeroClip
I can’t tell you how many times spare toilet paper and hand sanitizer have saved me when I was in a porta-potty or anti-direals have kept me alive until I could find a bathroom. These moments don’t happen often, but when they do you will be really glad you are prepared.
The weird one is the heroclip. This is a life saver. When out and about bathrooms might not have a place to hang your photo bag, this little thing let’s you hang your bag on the door, so it does not touch the nasty floor.
PPE
- Ear plugs
- N-95 Mask
The earplugs and N-95 feel over kill, but trust me they are not. They weigh like 1 oz total and when you need them, you need them. When I was photographing the Chinese New Year celebration, the sound of the fireworks were so loud, I was having legitimate ear pain. I brought ear plugs and a mask the next year, and I was able to get way closer to action without ear pain or smoke inhalation issues.
Rain Fly & Umbrella
Nothing puts a damper on a street photography session like getting rained on and having to rush around to find a safe place to store your camera. That is why I always carry a rain-fly for my backpack which protects my gear from rain and an umbrella which protects the camera I am shooting with from rain.
Wallet w/ ID & Cash ($1 bills)
I can’t believe the amount of times I have been out with other street photographers and they forgot their wallet. I can’t think of anything better than getting tacos from a cart or taking a beer break while out shooting. Having these things is just a no-brainer for me.
Plus if you keep a few $1 bills in your wallet, you can help out the homeless person you have probably walked past thirty times that day.
Photography Essentials
Alright now on to the fun stuff, the camera gear!
Camera
You will need a camera and honestly any camera is good for street photography. People were making great work with film cameras in the 1960s and DSLRs in the 2000s, it really doesn’t matter what you use.
However, my current preference has been Fujifilm cameras because of their compact f2 prime series. You will either see me with a X-T4 or X-Pro2 depending on my mood that day.
In terms of lens selection, I usually opt for a 14mm, 18mm, 23mm, or 35mm f2 depending on my mood. This is a large range, but I have spent years shooting the 23mm f2 and I am now looking to experiment with other lenses to see if they fit my style of shooting better.
Cameras
- Fujifilm X-Pro2
- Fujifilm X-T4
Lenses
- Fujifilm 14mm f2.8 (21mm Full-Frame Equivalent)
- Fujifilm 18mm f2 (28mm Full-Frame Equivalent)
- Fujifilm 23mm f2 (35mm Full-Frame Equivalent)
- Fujifilm 35mm f2 (50mm Full-Frame Equivalent)
To be clear, I don’t carry all of this around all day. I typically choose 1 camera and 1 lens. I might put a second lens in my bag, if I am feeling crazy.
Flash
Always packs a flash. Period. I can’t tell you how many times I have been out and decided to go out for a beer and end up seeing something amazing or wanting to continue photographing in to the night. You never know, were photography will take you.
Right now I am using the Godox IA32 with an Olympus flash cable. I prefer a manual flash that takes AA batteries because, if I ever run out of batteries I can stop in a convenience store and keep shooting. The flash does have an adjustable head, however since I shoot it offer camera, I taped the head facing forward to avoid accidentally missing the shot. Furthermore, the IA32 has full flash coverage for lenses as wide as 28mm on full-frame cameras.
The Olympus cable is specifically chosen because the cable comes out of top of the hot shot rather than the front, so the cable does not get in the way when shooting wide angle lenses. I prefer cables in general just because they are far more reliable than wireless flash triggers. Never once, have I pressed the flash and the flash not gone off. I can’t say the same for my LightPix Labs wireless flash.
Flash Gear
- Godox IA32
- Olympus Flash Cable
Extra Batteries and SD Cards
This one is pretty self explanatory, but you don’t want to end your shooting session early because you forgot to pack a spare battery or ran out of room on your SD card.
Right now, I use the 128gb Extreme PRO SDXC UHS-I, since I do not shoot video and do not need the added speed. At 15FPS burst RAW + JPEG on my Fujifilm X-T4 these do just fine!
Nice to Haves
Extra Lens
I am usually an advocate of simplifying your carry and only shooting with one lens per day. However, I occasionally leave a compact zoom in my bag or a longer prime, for situations when I can’t get as close as I would like too.
Multi-Tool
I really like keeping a small knifeless multi-tool in my bag. The mini screw driver or scissors have come in handy helping a friend fix a camera or cut a film leader. I prefer to pull the knife out or buy one without a knife, so I don’t forget it in my bag when flying. Right now, I use a swisscard because it is soooo small.
Spare Layer
Philly is a cold city in the winter, so I usually like to pack an extra layer in case I end up staying out after the sun goes down and needing a little extra warmth.
Kindle
I really like keeping a Kindle on me when shooting. If I am by myself, grabbing a coffee and reading a book during a quick shooting break is a wonderful way to recharge.
Keep This As a Kit
I like to keep this as a kit, so it is always ready to go. I don’t ever have to think about if I have the right gear or if the bag is packed. I know it is already ready to go, so I can just grab my back and walk out the door.
Carry Whatever Works For You
This is just what I carry. Everyone is different and has different needs when out and about. The general philosophy should be to bring what is to keep it light and make sure you are ready for as many photographic and non-photographic situations as possible. The worst thing is to end your photo day early because you weren’t prepared.