Being a photojournalist is a hard job by default, this is why it is essential that you have the right equipment that can save you a lot of hassle and trouble.
Keep in mind that the type of equipment you need will depend primarily on the type of photography or even the type of assignment.
We are not talking here about the kind of lenses or camera rather than the reason the reason to getting the right lens or camera.
We’ve curated 12 hints and tips that will create a first-step guide as to what and why you will need these items:
Get 2 camera bodies, and for this, we have 2 reasons, first in most shoots as a photojournalist you will need 2 cameras one with a wide lens and another with a telephoto lens. This will save you the process and time of switching lenses and missing the action. And even in simple shoots, another camera body will be the backup camera, because when filming in rough conditions your equipment might get damaged, overheated, or even confiscated.
Invest in a good camera body and good lenses. Yes, we know this equipment might be expensive, but it will make a difference on the field. You can’t imagine the difference an F2.8 makes over an F4 in a low-light shoot. Not to mention having a metal-built lens is much better than having a plastic lens that cannot get some beating.
Keep an extra lens in your kit, it’s always good to have an extra lens in your kit, probably a good prime lens with an F1.4, this will become a lifesaver when shooting human stories or low light.
Note: As a photojournalist, the idea kit would be a 16-35mm or 14-24mm, a 24-70mm, and a 70-200mm these lenses would cover all needed focal lengths and will allow you to film in nearly all conditions.
Get more batteries, you never know when you will get out of power, so having those extra batteries will be a lifesaver.
Gaffer tape, Zip ties, hand wipes, and a multi-tool. No explanation is needed.
A decent cleaning kit, to clean your glass, camera body, and censor.
Some good and reliable sound equipment! Yes sound, you will need at some point to record some sound bites or interviews, having a good recorder and neck microphone or hand microphone would be perfect at this point, in addition to having a good on-camera microphone in case you need to capture some videos.
Note: Do not rely on your in-camera microphone.
Get a good bag! You need a bag that can hold all your equipment in a well-organized and protected form, meanwhile being comfortable and easy to carry. You will also need a bag that is airline size approved, that you can carry on board with you. In
addition to a good memory card case.
Note: Keep in mind that even if your bag is weather-sealed, having a rain cover is a useful bonus
Get the right lighting equipment, whether it’s a reflector/diffuser that can bounce national light, or a continuous small light with some modifiers or a strobe light. You can find a lot of small-sized lights that can be a problem solver in a lot of cases such as 30cm light tubes or Amaran or Zhiyun fixtures.
Note: Look for a light that can be battery operated and can support Bowens mount modifiers
Invest in a customized carrying system that can improve your workflow, by this we are talking about a good belt, with pouches that can carry you all time-use equipment, such as backup lenses, extra cards and batteries, and personal items such as notebooks and pens for example. Not to mention personal protection tools when needed (Mask, first aid kit, gloves, etc) in addition to identification holders for your Press IDs and documents.
Bonus: Having an extreme camera such as a Gopro or DJI osmo action, is useful in many cases, to document your work dailies, and to create more content. Specially when mounted on a helmet or camera or body.
