Every photographer has some gear that they are in love with.  For some it is a lens that creates soft bokeh or a wonderful sun burst.  Others have a backpack that they would never travel without. Below I have listed three items that I never leave home without. 

#1 An L-bracket – An L-bracket might be my best purchase, EVER!  So, what is an L-bracket? An L-bracket is a camera plate in the shape of an “L” that attaches to your camera like a normal camera plate but wraps around to the side of your camera.  Since it wraps around your camera it essentially gives you two camera plates to attach to the head on your tripod, one in the horizontal position and one in the vertical position.  This allows you to change the orientation of your camera from horizontal to vertical without changing the composition or the balance of the tripod. 

Without one you have to move the head into a vertical position which changes the composition so you have to take the time to recompose your image.   It also puts your tripod off balance by shifting the weight of your camera to the side. One other thing to note is that there is also a good chance that something on your camera will hit the side of your tripod or head and thus keep you from getting the image completely vertical.  This will then need to be taken care of in post processing and thus may alter your composition. 

While it does add a little weight to your camera the rewards are well worth it.  There are many brands and different price points.  Be sure to get one that is specific for your camera that way you know it will not slip.  The one I use is the Kirk BL-D500N for the Nikon D500

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#2 The Toolz from 3 Legged Thing - I recently picked up the Toolz and I have to say it had been a life saver. It has both a hex key and a flat key for tightening ball plates, tripod legs, or anything else that may happen to come loose while on a photo shoot.  Plus it works as a bottle opener which always comes in handy after a long time in the field. It easily clips to the outside of your bag so you do not need to dig through a pocket to reach it. For the money it is a great buy.  To see at B&H click HERE.

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#3 A shower cap – I did a post on having a shower cap in your bag some time ago (you can read the post here).  A shower cap provides a quick waterproof cover for your camera and lens. It can also be used to protect it from sand or other elements that may damage or harm your camera or lens.  The best part is that is can sometimes be found free in your hotel room. Although they seem to be going away they are still inexpensive, weight almost nothing and take up almost zero space in your bag.  There is no reason not to have one. 
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There you are, three of my favorite camera accessories that I can’t go without.  What are some of your favorite accessories that you carry with you that you can’t do without?  Leave them in the comments section below.

If interested in seeing my "almost" full gear list head over to ShotKit and see what I carry in my bag.

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