Whenever I travel, I have a packing list to make sure I bring everything that I need to have a safe, comfortable trip. I actually have two lists; one for long trips and one for short trips.

It only makes sense to have a packing list for a photography gear and supplies whenever you are preparing to take pictures. Christian Holberg got me thinking about this in his article A Helpful Checklist to Use Before Photographing Anything.

Picture Courtesy of Amazon.com

The items below are mentioned in his article and are important, but I do not think the list is complete. For one thing, every photographer has their own preferences and special gizmos and gadgets that they might like to bring. I make sure to always have my Giotto Rocket Air Blower with me to keep dust of my lens and I use it a couple of times a day on some occasions. My suggestion would be to use this article as a starting point to create your own list.

ALSO…read the comments below the article which include more good ideas for your photo shoot. The “we is smarter than the me!”

Before you leave

• Are your batteries charged?
• Is your memory card full?
• Did you clean your equipment?
• Is all your gear (and maintenance supplies) packed?

In the field – Target Subject

• Check your ISO
• Check your White Balance
• Focus Mode

Back at the Ranch

• Batteries to charge
• Import your photos
• Clean your equipment