A photographer at work. These four must-haves when pursuing photography as a creative are essential for success.

Overcoming the challenges of being an artist requires innovation, great ideas, and experimenting with new mediums. Here are four must-haves when pursuing photography as a creative.

DOREEN MULLEN, ARTCENTRON

Being an artist can be challenging, as it constantly tests the limits of our ideas and our capability to create innovative pieces. However, every creative will eventually experience artist’s block, especially in high-pressure creative jobs. An article by The Fast Company on creative blocks, outlines how anxiety plays a significant role in affecting our creativity—with fear affecting our potential to think positively and move past a scarcity mindset. While many have found solutions to fostering innovative ideas, it can still be challenging to find good sources of inspiration.

To overcome these mindset limitations, we recommend experimenting with new mediums. Our previous post on “Why Artists Should Experiment with New Mediums” shares how this can not only get you out of a rut but also allow you to learn more about yourself. By working with new mediums, you can find new interests and techniques to build confidence and transferable skills. Being able to overcome art blocks and expand their creativity is why many professional artists work with multiple mediums, including photography. In the case of English visual artist Cornelia Parker, she is well known for her sculpture and installation art but also dabbles in photography despite having no technical expertise.

Considering the modern age has made mediums like photography more accessible through smartphones, it’s an easy artistic medium that creatives can try almost immediately. The benefit of photography is that it has multiple applications, whether it’s a purely artistic approach, documenting an event, or just for enjoyment. While some equipment is optional in the beginning, the best results often come from tools that provide customizability and enhancement. If you want to upgrade your photo kit, listed below are the four must-haves when pursuing photography as a creative.

A Digital Camera

Although modern phones allow most people to capture quality pictures, nothing beats the customizability of a dedicated digital camera. Your camera will depend on the type of photography you plan to achieve. A flexible choice is the Canon EOS R6 Mark II camera model, which has breakneck speed, class-leading performance, and professional filmmaking features for your artistic endeavors. For those planning to shoot long exposure, its In-body image stabilizer works well with the optical IS in many Canon lenses, allowing you to shoot even without a tripod. When shooting in the dark, the Nikon D850 is designed for low-light environments, as it has excellent autofocus, good ISO noise handling, and backlit buttons. This model is mainly used by wildlife and nighttime photographers, but plenty of creatives can manipulate light without sacrificing image quality.

Tripod

As previously mentioned, some cameras have stabilizers that may not require you to invest in a tripod. But if you plan to capture yourself, light paint, or do other extended long-exposure photography, a tripod is crucial to ensure the image is clear. It can be tempting to get a cheap tripod, but these are more unpredictable on rockier terrain. Rather than risk your expensive camera, it’s better to purchase a heavier but steadier tripod that can capture quality pictures and keep your camera stable and safe.

Travel Camera Carry Systems

Photography equipment and electronics are quite heavy but delicate, which is why it’s essential to invest in a good travel camera bag. Dedicated camera backpacks keep all of your equipment safe from the elements and potential scratching while ensuring that your body’s muscles aren’t overstrained. For photographers walking around looking for the perfect shot, it’s good to invest in a crossbody camera strap that allows for easier access. If you rely on a neck strap, camera holsters can keep the strain off your neck while still having your camera ready for a quick draw.

External Hard Drives and Memory Cards

Eternal hard drives and memory cards are must-haves when pursuing photography as a creative. While not directly affecting your photography experience, external hard drives and extra memory cards can be helpful when editing your pictures. You will also need additional memory especially if you plan to shoot in RAW format. Compared to compressed JPEG files, RAW files contain uncompressed and unprocessed image data captured by a digital camera, providing greater flexibility in post-processing. The file size differences are huge—with RAW files taking up as much as two to six times more space than a JPEG file, which is why you should have additional memory to avoid the hassle of having to delete pictures. For cameras that use a micro-SD card, the Kingston Canvas Go Plus has 128 GB of memory and is suitable for mirrorless cameras, DSLRs, and 4K video shooting.

Author Bio:
Doreen Mullen is a freelance writer and editor. She writes about a plethora of topics but specializes in photography and technology. When not working on her next piece, she enjoys jogging and spending time with her family.