What's in your bag?
Mar 1, 2009 12:00 PM, By Kevin Johnson
Warming cards
A foldable circular reflector can be a lifesaver for interviews in harsh sunlight situations.
The act of setting color balance on a camera by shooting a white piece of paper is a time-honored tradition. Many shooters use light blue-colored warming cards to cheat the color balance. The camera's sensor over-corrects for the blue and gives your image a warmer, yellow-orange tone.
New camera models come with color monitors and the ability to manually adjust the color temperature, but the warming card can still be helpful in balancing multiple cameras to the same look.
Rain gear
The blue nylon camera cover is an icon of the television photographer. These covers help protect the camera from minor bumps and scrapes, but more important is the quick access to a rain cover in the side pocket. A more substantial rain cover should be within quick reach in your bag for a longer stay in bad elements.
At the same time, don't forget about the simple solutions. In treacherous rain and storms, a simple 10-cent plastic bag can do wonders to help protect a camera worth thousands. Stash a few garbage bags for the camera along with smaller plastic bags and rubber bands to guard your wireless.
Lens cloth/chamois
The absorbent cloth keeps lenses clean and stops rain drops from ruining your shot. One method is to purchase a large sheet of chamois, and cut it into small portable pieces. Hiding these cloths in various locations means they're always within reach.
Adapters/cables
The right audio and video adapter can save a live shot or tape feed. It may be the only thing that helps you get media in or out of your camera. The alphabet soup of cable acronyms isn't always interchangeable — a BNC video cable to an RCA jack or an XLR to a phono jack. A BNC barrel and an XLR gender changer can help make cables work for you instead of against you.
The digital nature of today's cameras demands a spare firewire or USB cable. Bring as many variations as you can carry. Murphy's Law guarantees that the adapter or cable you need is just the one you failed to pack.
Mini camera
A camera may seem like a strange example of support gear, but small, affordable cameras are perfect for cramped or dangerous situations. The tiny cameras may go where your high-dollar primary camera can't or won't — underwater or at high altitude, on a police dashboard or hanging off of a motorcycle. The little camera won't out-perform your main camera, but the unique angle will be worth the lesser image quality.
Summary
Early in my career, a reporter friend taunted me with the phrase, “A poor carpenter blames his tools.” In the run-and-gun world of TV news, there is no excuse for not being prepared. The story happens whether you're rolling or not. What tools you carry in a run-bag often determines how your story turns out. Always run with the most useful gear you can.
Kevin Johnson is the founder of b-roll.net, an online industry resource for television photographers. He has been in the video field for 16 years, and currently shoots for Cox Television News Bureau in Washington, D.C.
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