Non-Photographic Practical Accessories

Handkerchiefs

I have noticed many other photographers use neat cleaning cloths for their lenses, no doubt very good, but I have always considered them as just another thing to carry around, something else to lose in a camera bag. I make sure I have a clean handkerchief every day instead, preferably old as it's softer, but then it's hardly a fashion item. This gets used a lot in a day's shooting, and with filters on all lenses it doesn't matter if it is a little more abrasive than a special cloth. To me, filters are almost throwaway items anyway, cheaper than a new lens. Mine get replaced when I see visible scratches on them, so if you shoot a lot in dusty conditions they will probably not last as long as if you only ever get the camera out when the sun shines.

Rubber Bands

I was out in London shooting Queen Elizabeth's Golden Jubilee celebrations with a photographer friend, something I like doing as you spark each other off with ideas. My friend had broken her lenshood, leaving the screw-in part on the lens, which then became impossible to remove with ordinary finger pressure. Then I remembered that you can buy a special gadget which clamps around filter s hard, to make them easier to remove. I had bought one years ago thinking it would be useful.

But even easier, and at next-to-nothing cost, wrap a rubber band around the filter. It will give you enough pressure to remove even the most stubborn one. I fished around in my camera bag and found a rubber band, then managed to get the offending part off my friend's lens very easily. This hasn't failed me yet, and a few rubber bands in the camera bag can have many uses just like this. Besides, I can never find that special gadget anyway!