Five Easy Ways to Maintain Your Photography Gear

When I’m on location shooting photography or video, each shoot requires a different set of equipment than the last. While it’s easy (and tempting) to sling your bags and cases back into storage at the end of the day, it’s important to put some steps in place to ensure all of your equipment is accounted for and well maintained for future use. Here is Jay P. Morgan from The Slanted Lens to explain more.

While there are certainly a few quirky ideas from Morgan in this video, including vacuuming your case after every shoot, much of what he’s suggesting makes perfect sense.

Morgan’s second point is particularly important. Reviewing each piece of kit for repair or renewal will save you time before your next shoot, and potentially save your bacon if you don’t realize a camera or lens is broken until you’re on location next time around. The third tip to take inventory and review each piece of equipment for sale will help ensure you’re maximizing the value of your gear, and could help fund your next big purchase if you notice a lens is coming with you on every job but always stays in the bag for example.

Labeling your gear with name, number, and/or address should be a given if you are as forgetful as me, and maintaining an up to date list of your equipment will be vital for any insurance claims in the unfortunate event of theft or loss of bags.

Much like your tax return, maintenance of your camera gear certainly isn’t the most glamorous of tasks for any professional or amateur photographer. But by including all, or even a few, of these tips from The Slanted Lens, you’ll ensure your kit is ready to work when you are, while protecting yourself from any bad luck you might have with losing or breaking equipment. And why wouldn't you after spending all that money?

[via The Slanted Lens]