Secret Weapons

A camera outfit can vary from basic to all-inclusive, from featherweight to heavyweight, from the "happy snapper's" point-and-shoot to a "hardened pro's" workhorse. Yet hiding in the corner of each photographer's camera bag there will be one or two items that we wouldn't even think of as photographic, but wouldn't be without. I call them my secret weapons. You will probably have your own but here are a few of mine that fall into that category.

1. Tilley Hat.
Tilley hats are incredibly robust bush hats made in Canada. They won't rot, they won't shrink, they just go on and on. I first bought mine when preparing for an African safari some years ago and it is still going strong. The Tilley Hat Company's advertising highlights how an elephant has swallowed one hat on three occasions and is still in daily use (after it's been washed presumably). While mine hasn't been through an elephant, it has survived being trampled by one.

Under these conditions lens flare is always a possibility, extra shade provided by my hat did the business.

So where does photography come into it? Carefully positioned the hat kills viewfinder glare when the sun just catches the corner of my eye. I'll hold it to shade a lens if I feel the lens hood needs backup (such as when using a zoom lens at its longer focal lengths). Being light in colour mine makes a reasonable job as an emergency reflector as well as a great background for insect close-ups. Rolled-up (with care) it substitutes for a beanbag and when working down low on rocky ground it's a knee saver. Holding the retaining cords it can even be used as a (small) carrying bag.

Of course you could just try wearing it.

2. Notebook
I would think that most photographers will be familiar with the idea of carrying a notebook at all times. This is a practice that I’ve followed as long as I’ve had a camera. As technical details of each frame is recorded as part of the shooting process a notebook may seem to be surplus to requirements, not so - I like to use my notebook for all sorts of things.

Starting at the front of my notebook, I log details such as subject, location and date. This is basic information, but has proved to be a life-saver on more than one occasion because many months have usually passed by the time I get around to fully processing my images. When I’m travelling and visiting several different locations in quick succession it is surprisingly easy to forget exactly where a specific photograph was taken.

If I have an attack of creativity where failure is probable (i.e. I haven't a clue what the best exposure is so I'd better bracket widely), I will note the details as clearly as I can. I will also note things such as how I metered, any filters that were used, and if and why any compensation was applied. Later, when I’m scrutinising my pictures, I can use this information to help me work out exactly how my camera responds to given situations, and how good my assessment was. I look upon this as a process of continuous improvement for me as a photographer.

Turning my notebook over I can now write from the back to the front. I often use this almost like a mini-journal and write down any anecdotes or local history details that can be used to create interesting extended captions. These don't have to be written at the time that I'm busy with my camera but can be added later from a variety of sources, (tourist information, books, local guides, local gossip etc.). I have to admit, I'll only write down what captures my imagination as most "straight" facts can easily be obtained later.

All manner of spurious detail can make it into this part of my notebook: future contacts, ideas for other photographs, particular problems, maps showing locations. In fact anything that I think may be useful.

When it's full I will label it with the dates it covers and file it in a heap somewhere. I never throw it away. Sometimes, looking at notes I made years ago, the memories come flooding back and I stumble across a gem of an idea that is worth resurrecting.

3. Compass.
Every day the glowing orb of the sun pops up on our eastern horizon, arcs across the sky, and sinks in blaze of glory in the west. This ever-changing sunlight is a glorious variable for outdoor photographers. A scene that looks gorgeous in morning light may be hidden in deep shadow by mid-afternoon. An accurate way of calculating where the sun will be at any given time is well worth having, and a compass does a pretty good job.

A full trip around a compass covers 360 degrees and so does the sun in its daily trip around our planet (yes, I know the sun doesn't actually go around the earth but humour me). So if it takes 24 hours to travel 360 degrees that equates to 15 degrees per hour. And as we Northern Hemisphere dwellers know, the sun burns high at noon in the southern skies, which equals a position of 180 degrees. So now, using 180 degrees and 12-noon as our datum, by subtracting 15 degrees per hour for a.m. and adding 15 degrees per hour for p.m. we can check where the sun will be at any given time (e.g. 10:00hrs = 180-30 = 150 degrees, 15:00 hrs = 180+45 = 225 degrees). During summer months we say goodbye to GMT and move everything forward by one hour. The sun will now appear to be behind by 15 degrees (one hour) and you will need to allow for this, or enjoy turning up an hour too early. It may be stating the obvious, but this only works between the hours of sunrise and sunset!

	By using a compass I could estimate what time of day sympathetic shadows would fall on the distant hills.

You don't actually need a compass to use this system. A watch face has twelve divisions so each division is 30 degrees apart. This means that it will take 2 hours for the sun to move one watch-face division. Hey, my watch is digital! Well, you can draw a watch face on a scrap of paper and use that. Or imagine yourself at the centre of a watch and use your arms to mark out the divisions. This is not recommended in a crowded place, unless you fancy a trip in a nice white van while wearing one of those lovely jackets with incredibly long arms that fasten half-way up your back.

Now you have no excuse for being in the right place at the wrong time to capture that special light. I just hope that it isn't overcast.

4. Karabiner with a short length of cord.
Now I'm not talking about a large rock-climbing piece of kit capable of handling 2500Kg. What I have is a miniature clip, the sort that would be used to hold climbing accessories. By using this with a short length of cord with loops at each end I have a surprisingly versatile piece of equipment.

It can be used in many ways. I can loop the cord around my tripod head and clip it onto my camera bag, using the extra weight to increase stability. In the same way I can use it to hold back tree branches that intrude on a photograph. Sometimes when I have my camera around my neck I'll use it to clip the camera body to my rucksack waist-belt. This prevents it from swinging around as I walk and frees up a hand on rough ground.

In fact this is something of a journey of discovery as I am constantly finding new ways to use this simple piece of equipment.

5. Clothes pegs.
Pegs are also small, light and remarkably useful things to have around.

When I'm moving in with a macro lens to capture that once-in-a-lifetime close-up, it is so annoying to find my subject moving. Flowers and grasses swaying in an imperceptible breeze are usually the culprits. Using a peg to clamp other stalks together (out of camera view), I can create a little tripod effect that will often give me the degree of steadiness that I need.

Pegs are meant to hold garments firmly onto washing-lines and are more than capable of crushing stalks of delicate plants. This is avoided by packing out the portion of the peg designed to pass around the line with foam and using this to grip the plant. Now a firm but gentle clamp has been created.

Using adhesive (Super Glue is good) or screws to fix a couple of pegs back-to-back creates a small laboratory type of clamp. This can be used to hold delicate stalks in place by clamping them to more rigid branches etc.

A couple of clothes pegs clipped a narrow twig to a more sturdy branch, arresting movement sufficiently to get a photograph.

Sometimes I will cover my camera with camouflage material to reduce reflections and distractions. If this flaps in the wind it will draw attention to me and have the opposite effect to what I want. In this case a couple of clothes pegs are excellent at holding any loose ends in place. In a similar way I use them to hold the same material to cover an open window when shooting from a car.

A peg will also keep my notebook open at the right page on windy days (see secret weapon number 2).

Best of all, they are so small and so light that you can carry a lot of them and not even notice.

6. Swiss Army Knife.
These wonderful mobile toolboxes have a well deserved reputation for usefulness. I have a nice red one with a good selection of tools that has helped out of a sticky situation many a time.

I'm thinking about screwdrivers and knife blades here. However, it is the scissors that get used most often for cutting away the occasional unwanted blade of grass (this won't do any harm to grass, in fact grass thrives on this sort of cropping - if it didn't all of the grazing animals would soon starve to death). I also like to use the magnifying lens to take a good look at small items and assess whether they will make good macro subjects.

Incidentally, on a mountain walking holiday in Switzerland, I met soldier who showed me the knife he had been issued with. It wasn't red, it wasn't large and it only had two blades. In fact it was a small, silver penknife with a short cutting blade and a can opener. Quite unimpressive in fact and not at all like the super-dooper 245-function megalith I expected.

7. Plastic refuse sack
Otherwise known as bin liners these plastic sacks are very useful to have around. I keep a couple of them in my bag, flat packed in the lid pocket. It's amazing just how small they can pack with a bit of effort.

The most obvious use of such a bag is to spread one or two out on damp or muddy ground when I'm contorting myself into an unbelievable position - usually in pursuit of fungi or ground hugging flowers. The bag gets covered in mud doing this, so I will turn it inside out before it's packed away again. Now all of the dirt is contained.

Should it begin to rain I can drop one over the camera, lens and tripod to create an instant shelter. If it's big enough I can even get under it myself and enjoy an instant hide. Just remember to tear a hole in it for the lens to peek out!

When I've taken photographs of trees and I'm not sure what species it is, I'll put a couple of leaves in a bag to bring home for later identification.