Must-haves for Both Kinds of Budding Photographers

Photography is more popular and accessible than it has ever been, with smartphones promoting their cameras above all else and social media platforms built specifically for the taking, editing, and sharing of photos. Cameras are still popular items to own, but their natural dominance over the photography hobby has been usurped by smartphones. In 2017, it was found that the photography boom – which saw the number of digital photos taken worldwide rise from 660 billion in 2013 to 1.2 trillion in 2017 – was caused by smartphones, with the tech formerly used for calls and texts contributing to 85 percent of all digital photos.

In the 2017 study, digital cameras were found to still contribute a good 10.3 percent of digital photos. Despite the go-to photography device shifting from cameras to smartphones, many people still use their digital cameras to get the authentic experience and try to get a much better picture. Nevertheless, the smartphone audience isn’t going anywhere, so as we discuss the must-haves for budding photographers here, we’ll be discussing what mobile phone and digital camera users should try to get.

Smartphone photographers

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Smartphones have become an increasingly integral part of everyday lives. Initially providing the service of making phone calls on the go, they quickly evolved to offer text messaging, multimedia messaging, games, and the ability to take photos. Now they house our social media accounts, online messaging, emails, and access to news and entertainment. Social media has certainly increased peoples’ interest in photography, which phone and app developers were quick to recognize.

While the cameras in mobile phones these days are very powerful and are often accompanied by a good range of editing options, any smartphone user who takes their photography seriously will want to download some specialized apps. When it comes to photo editing, the consensus is that Snapseed is currently the best app on the market. It offers many easy-to-use editing tools, has cropping and rotation functions, filters, and allows you to adjust the sharpness and colour.

As a lot of people take photos of themselves and their friends to post on social media, there has been a growing demand for a high-quality retouch app. TouchRetouch is currently the top of the line application for quickly and easily removing objects, blemishes, or lines from smartphone photos. The app’s sole purpose is to remove unwanted elements, using functions like the brush, lasso, blemish remover, or eraser to replace unwanted pixels with those from the surrounding area.

The only problem with smartphone photography is the unsettling number of photos and videos that arise following the user dropping their device from a scenic height. They don’t tend to come with wrist wraps and aren’t often designed for you to have a good grip on them. So, a must-have for any would-be smartphone photographer has to be mobile phone insurance. Given how much it costs to buy a new phone outright or have something like an iPhone repaired, getting additional protection is the smart move for anyone who will be getting their phone out often to take photos.

Digital camera photographers

Source: Pixabay

There is still a healthy market for people who want to partake in ‘real' photography by using a specialized digital camera. These devices are often quite expensive, so anyone who invests in one is often willing to go all-in on also adding the equipment necessary for taking the very best photos possible as well as keep the camera safe.

Often neglected in the modern age of smartphone cameras and mini digital cameras, any serious photographer will tell you that the humble tripod is still a must-have of photography. For people who take their craft seriously, a tripod is indispensable if you want to get high-quality images. Using a tripod will slow you down and keep your camera level, take much sharper images due to its stillness, and assist in low-light situations when a slow shutter speed becomes necessary. Another good little gadget to enhance the benefits of using a tripod is the remote shutter release as it eliminates any potential of you accidentally shaking the camera even after stabilizing it with the three legs.

As noted, digital cameras aren’t cheap, so it’s important to look after yours if you want to continue to utilize its supreme photo-taking potential. The first things that you’ll want to pick up are a camera strap – if a strong one isn’t provided with the camera – and well-padded bag built for photographers. You need your strap to be strong, comfortable, and adjustable while the bag needs to be robust, be able to fit the camera, its lenses, and other smaller accompanying gadgets, such as memory cards. It’s also a very good idea to get a proper camera cleaning kit that’s fit for your model. As so much of the best photography takes place outside in the elements, it’s best to give your camera body and accessories a cleanout of dust and moisture regularly.

These are the must-have accessories for any budding photographer who wants to take and display excellent photos from the get-go while also making sure that their expensive equipment is protected.