The definitive list of photography essentials
with Lauren Bath and her camera bag.
We all know that it’s the photographer that makes an image magic, and not the gear, but having the right equipment does help (at least a little!).
So, we sat down with Lauren Bath, our co-founder, Instagram expert and photographer extraordinaire, to discuss what’s in her camera bag and how each item helps make the magic happen.
Image of Lauren Bath by Jillian Miller.
1. A good camera and professional lenses
Duh!
Lauren, who is an Olympus ambassador, has two camera bodies on her at all times. This way, if anything happens to one she always has a back up. This ensures she is always prepared and professional.
Lauren shoots on an Olympus E-M1 Mark II and has a full range of Olympus pro lenses (7-14 2.8, 12-40 2.8 & 40-150 2.8) and prime lenses (17mm, 25mm, 45mm & 300mm).
2. Memory
Storing images, particularly when shooting professionally (and frequently) is a must.
Lauren uses SanDisk memory cards.
3. Tripod/s
A tripod is the three-legged device that your camera sits atop. If you’re carrying around a tripod you look professional as heck, no questions about it.
Tripods are essential for stability when shooting, and create clear and sharp shots. Lauren uses her tripod to shoot landscapes (particularly her sunset and sunrise shots).
Byrne Photography
4. Remote control
Another piece of equipment that ensures stability! By having a remote control, Lauren can take an epic shot without shaking the camera around.
Lauren also uses her remote control for any long exposure photography, or when she is doing anything in bulb mode.
Loz uses an Olympus, plug-in, cabled remote control.
5. Camera Straps
Camera straps are those funky things that allow a camera to dangle around your neck like a huge pendant. Know the ones?
Regardless of what it seems, they are not just a fashion icon, they are actually incredibly practical. Camera straps a) give your hands a rest from holding the camera when you’re not shooting and b) avoid any accidental damage (clumsy people put your hands UP 🙋♀️) when you are shooting.
All of Laurens cameras have camera straps from Aussie brand, Lucky Straps.
6. Camera Bags
When spending a small fortune on cameras and gear, you want to ensure you have somewhere safe to store and transport them (away from dust and the weather).
Lauren has three sizes of camera bags, depending on the shoot and the location:
Her smaller bag, with a capacity for one camera and one lens, is made by Lowepro and is great for small shoots.
Her mid size bag is made by Manfrotto and holds two cameras and three lenses.
Her favourite, by far, is her F-Stop bag, which she always uses when travelling. Her Tilopa bag holds ALL of her gear, and ensures complete comfort (especially when on long hikes in Africa chasing down waterfalls and lions). Along with this bag, Lauren also has the internal camera unit.
P.S. This isn’t sponsored, she just loves the bag THIS much.
Image sourced from @fstopgear
7. Lens wipes (and a paintbrush?)
This one sounds silly, but boy is it useful. Lauren always carries extra lens wipes, they are super helpful for keeping your lens schmick (no fingerprint smears on these photos, thanks!).
Why the paint brush? Well, Lauren lives on the Gold Coast and shoots just about everywhere, so this means exposure to …. sand. Lauren says that having a small paintbrush with her at all times means she can simply brush sand off her gear.
8. For fun – A FujiFilm Instax camera and loads of film.
If you follow Lauren on social media, you will be well aware that she loves to shoot a good polaroid or two – it’s the photographer in her.
The instant gratification of a polaroid is a huge bonus.
9. Underwater housing
Lauren has an underwater housing unit, by Olympus, with two dome ports for underwater shoots.
Looks fun, right?
10. Filters
Lauren prefers to use drop-in filters (when you have an adaptor and drop the filters in). She uses neutral density filters, graduated neutral density filters and polariser filters, made by Lee.
When doing aerial photography from a helicopter Lauren opts for screw-in filters, to avoid the adaptor system. She predominantly uses polarising filters, from both Hoya and B&H.
Image of Lauren Bath by Jillian Miller
There you have it!
The definitive list of photography essentials (AKA what’s in Lauren’s camera bag).
In full-disclosure, you’re not going to need a Polaroid camera or underwater housing to be professional, you can manage on a lot less (but you’d be missing out on some fun forms of photography).
If you’re looking to become a pro, and are interested in learning some of Laurens top tips, you should take a look at the posts below:
Five secrets to instantly improve your travel photography, with Lauren Bath
How to capture incredible cityscapes, with Lauren Bath
Four top tips for food flat lay photography, with Lauren Bath
Thanks for stopping by!
