Hi, and a very warm welcome to Episode 167 of the Photography Explained podcast. I’m your host, Rick, and in each episode, I will try to explain one photographic thing to you in plain English in less than 27 minutes (ish) without the irrelevant details. I’m a professionally qualified photographer based in England with a lifetime of photographic experience, which I share with you in my podcast.
Here is the answery bit
My camera equipment is very important, so I take great care of it. I keep my gear clean, safely stored and always ready to go. I have a simple cleaning and maintenance regime using a small number of commonly available products. Digital cameras and their lenses are wonderful things, but they are expensive and very breakable if you do not look after them.
This is how I care for my photography gear, so listen on, and hopefully, you will learn something that will help you take care of your gear and keep it in good working order.
You can listen to the episode here
Or carry on reading – up to you.
Change of title.
I need to get this out of the way. In the last episode, I said that this episode would be titled “How Many Of The 21 Photography Things That I Use Can You Use When Taking Photos With A Phone?”
Well, I have had words with myself and stopped this nonsense. No, I am back to what I was planning to publish next.
I will return to this subject, as there is a follow-up, but not with that awful title which would have formed an illogical basis for a bad episode.
Right, I have got that out of the way; let’s get back to looking after our gear.
Where does my camera gear live?
My camera gear lives in camera bags and plastic boxes in a wardrobe in my home office.
I have a Lowepro Magnum bag that my Canon 6D and accessories live in, sat there ready to go. I have a Peak Design Everyday Backpack with my Olympus gear ready to go. I also have a Lowepro Photo Hatchback 22L AW sitting empty next to them.
And all the other stuff is organised into plastic storage boxes.
That is where everything lives, inside in safe, clean, dry, proper storage protected from direct sunlight.
I will go through the main bits of kit and tell you how I look after them one by one.
But firstly, here is the cleaning gear that I use.
- Pec Pads
- Eclipse lens cleaning solution
- Hurricane blower (aka rocket blower)
- Microfibre cloths
Right, now for the gear
Canon 6D.
My Canon 6D lives in a bag. It is sat there with the 17-40mm lens attached. It is face down, with the lens surrounded by the internal padding that comes with the bag and the specially shaped bits. My camera and lens are immersed in soft, firm, protective padding.
I can quickly grab the camera body when I need it. I leave a battery in the camera body as I am always using it, but if I am not going to be using it for a long period of time, I will take this battery out.
I don’t clean the sensor; I use the hurricane blower to blow any loose debris out of the chamber where the sensor is, and also the lens mount, the bit where the lens attaches to the camera body, and around the viewfinder.
I clean the viewfinder and the LCD screen with the same stuff I use to clean the lenses.
The Canon 6D has a built-in sensor cleaning function, which I use.
I clean the camera body with a microfibre cloth.
When I get back from every shoot, I clean the camera body, as I have said, and prepare everything for the next time.
And there is one thing that I would like to tell you. I use a wrist strap to carry my Canon 6D; I don’t use a conventional camera strap, you know, the ones that go around your neck.
Canon17-40mm lens
The lens lives on my Canon 6D body. If I am not going to use the camera for a long period of time, I will take the lens off the camera body and put a rear lens cap on. The front lens cap is always on.
The lens hood is always on and reversed, so it does not stick out but protects the lens body.
This is how I clean the lens
- Remove the front lens cap
- Gently blow dust away using the hurricane blower.
- Apply a few drops of the cleaning solution to a cloth (Pec Pad).
- Gently clean the lens element, making sure to clean but not damage the lens coating.
- Replace the lens cap.
- I do the same with the rear lens element but with a new cloth. And I only have one lens cap off at once.
And I use these cloths to clean the screen and viewfinder of my camera body, glasses, and phone. But I only use a clean, unused cloth for the front and rear lens elements.
After every shoot, I clean my camera and lenses, then put them together again and test them, ensuring they are ready to go.
I also use the lens hood to protect the front lens element. You need to look after the front element of your lens; this is the bit exposed to the world. Yes, you need to look after the front of your lens. I said this in the last episode – I do not use any kind of protective filter. In the past, I have used uv filters, protector filters, and all sorts of other things. But for many years now, I have just used the lens hood that comes with the lens.
My other Canon lenses
I don’t often use these, but I check them occasionally to ensure all is okay. They are cleaned like my 17-40mm lens, but I only clean them after use, with periodic checks, as I said.
Olympus EM5 and other Olympus lenses
These are all stored securely in another bag. I look after them in the same way, with the same care and attention. No need to repeat myself; I will move on. Camera bodies and camera lenses are pretty much the same for cleaning.
My three bags
Three bags with different specific uses. The two backpacks have a similar function: to allow me to get around construction sites hands-free. I keep all my Canon gear in a large-ish bag with a shoulder strap, the Olympus gear in one of the backpacks, leaving the other backpack for when I need it. See, there is no such thing as a perfect camera bag; each of my bags is a good camera bag in its own way.
And I have silica gel packs in all the bags to help absorb some moisture.
My tripods
My tripods live in tripod bags with shoulder straps in my home office.
I wipe down the tripods with a microfiber cloth and blow debris from the moving parts. I check the legs are all tight, and the quick releases work okay.
I check the moving parts of the tripod, again blowing debris away from the moving parts.
And I ensure the feet are clean, using standard household wipes. I keep a packet of these in my camera bag in case they are needed in a shoot when I do external photos first and then go inside. Yes, those feet can get dirty.
I reset the tripod head, so it is level and good to go the next time I use it.
Memory cards
This is a very specific one. This is what I do, starting with after a shoot.
After a shoot, I put the memory card in a hard, waterproof case with a red trim.
When I return to my office, I import the photos into Lightroom, creating a duplicate backup set.
I then place the memory card in a soft case, which goes in my desk drawer.
Once a month, a backup is made of all my photos, including the new ones. This is on an external drive stored somewhere else.
Only then do I take the used cards, format the memory cards, and place them in a hard, waterproof case with a yellow trim, which goes into my camera bag.
Yes, this is really what I do!
Batteries
My batteries are numbered one to four. I charge them and put number one in my camera in the battery compartment. I didn’t need to say battery compartment, did I? Where else would I put it? I use this battery on a shoot. The other batteries are stored in separate compartments in my camera bag.
When I return home, I will take out battery one and put battery two in my camera. I will charge battery one and put it in the spare slot in my camera bag.
Yes, I really do this as well.
And all the other stuff
All I do with the other stuff is ensure it is clean and working; there isn’t much else to do. The time is taken with the main bits, the camera body, lens and tripod.
What is packed in my bag, ready to go
- Canon 6D
- Canon 17-40mm F4 L Lens
- Canon 70-200mm F4 L Lens
- Canon 24-105mm F4 L Lens
- Manfrotto Magic Arm
- L-bracket
- Loupe viewer
- Memory cards
- Batteries
- Charger
- Cleaning stuff
- Grey card
- Torch
- Leatherman
- General purpose wipes
- Slippers/ other shoes/ overshoes
And that is it.
My tripod of choice is in a separate bag with a shoulder strap.
Spare gear
I also have the other bag with a complete set of Olympus gear ready, just in case. If my Canon gear all fails at once, I swap to the Olympus gear, and I am good to go.
Drinks and snacks
I never put drinks in my camera bag. They stay in a separate bag in the car.
Bag switch.
When I get to a shoot, I put the Canon 6D, 17-40mm lens, loupe viewer, L-bracket, grey card, wipes and shoes into the small backpack and off I go. That is all I use on most shoots, so I leave the rest in the car. Oh yes, I take my tripod and, if needed, the magic arm.
Here is the talky bit
Photography equipment is expensive and very breakable. There is no doubt about that. Look after your expensive camera gear, and it will repay you repeatedly. Don’t look after your gear, and it will fail, your photos won’t be as sharp, and you will be spending money repairing or replacing stuff. And how you look after your photography equipment is plain old common sense in many ways.
It does not matter if you are an amateur photographer or a professional photographer; our gear needs looking after. And the good news is that this is easy. Being an amateur photographer is no excuse these days, with the information and equipment available to all.
I am careful with my gear, very careful.
I once dropped my Canon 6D on a very hard stone floor in Corfe Castle here in Dorset. I sent my camera away for repair, so I was without my camera for far too long. And it cost me some serious money, even with insurance. You need to check your insurance policies and see what cover you have – you might have cover on general household insurance, but it is good to know – just in case.
But apart from that I have been very careful and everything has always been fine.
So please be sure to look after your gear.
Three bags
Why three bags? Well, this is what I have ended up with. I have never found a bag that suits every occasion, never. And I am okay with that. I have had loads of bags over the years, but I am more than happy with these three.
I don’t care what the bags look like. All I care about is that they
- Protect my gear
- Make my gear readily accessible
- Leave my hands free when needed
GPS
A word on the GPS built into my Canon 6D. I love having this (on such an older camera). But I have to remember to turn it on before I start taking photos and then turn it off again when I am done, as it drains the battery, even with the camera turned off.
Sensor cleaning
I don’t clean the camera sensor. I rarely change lenses, so this helps me. I check in Lightroom for dust spots, mainly visible in the sky and on blank walls. And I go into Photoshop to remove dust spots and other bad stuff, but this takes me seconds.
I do get the sensor cleaned from time to time, but I pay someone to do it. I am scared of getting this wrong! Removing dust particles from the sensor and sensor chamber is enough for me.
Memory cards
I really do what I have told you. And I replace the cards every couple of years as well. And touch wood, I have never had a memory card failure.
Bad weather
I nearly forgot this. I live in the UK, so the weather is often rubbish. I tend only to take photos in good weather; who wants photos of their shiny new building in the rain? No one is the answer to that. But when I have to shoot in the rain, I use a rain cover to protect my camera and a soft cloth to wipe it down if it gets wet. The lens hood protects the front element from rain, and with a bit of thought, you can minimise, if not eliminate, rain on the front lens element, which can be a pain.
One last point:
I reset everything, so I am always ready to go. This is all the camera settings, the tripod head, everything, so I know I am always ready when I pick up my bag. I have never had a last-minute flap having to find or clean something, and I always arrive for a shoot fully prepared.
What if I use my phone to take photos and not a camera?
Well, this is easy. You have a phone. What do you do with it? I clean the camera lens every now and then, and once in a blue moon, I take the protective case off and give it a good old clean, but that is all. That is all I do.
And I have had my iPhone XS for five years, which is pretty impressive.
What if I use a film camera?
Well, all of the above applies. You don’t have a sensor to worry about. Instead, you have a film chamber that you need to keep as dust-free as possible.
But everything else applies to the camera body and lenses.
What do I do?
I have told you what I do, so I will move right on.
Some thoughts from the last episode
The 21 things needed to be completed. I know that. But the point was that each of these things contribute to every photo I take.
That was the point. And I am in control of how each of these things contribute. And that is how I want it to be, how I need it to be.
And let’s not talk about that next episode title, OK? What was I thinking?
Next episode
I think I will cover some terms that don’t make sense any more. I like stuff like this. See, photography has evolved over the years, but there are lots of terms that we still use today that are not relevant.
Like a mirrorless camera.
What do you think if you are getting into photography and looking to buy a camera when you see mirrorless cameras?
Yeah, I am going to do 5/ 10/ 15/ 20/ I don’t know how many photography terms that don’t make sense any more.
That sounds great to me.
And this is what the title ended up as – Photography Explained Podcast Episode 168 – 31 (Stupid) Photography Terms That Don’t Make Sense (Any More) (Part 1).
Ask me a question.
If you have a question you would like me to answer, the best way is to head over to the podcast website – photographyexplainedpodcast.com/start, where you can find out what to do. And feel free to say hi. It would be lovely to hear from you.
I am done.
This episode was brought to you by, erm, a cheese sandwich and no crisps washed down with water before I settled in my homemade, acoustically cushioned recording emporium.
I’ve been Rick McEvoy; thanks again very much for listening to my small but perfectly formed podcast (it says here) and for giving me 27 ish minutes of your valuable time. I reckon this episode will be about 29-30 minutes long after I have edited out the mistakes and other bad stuff.
Take care, and stay safe.
Cheers from me, Rick
OK – that was the podcast episode.
Want to know more?
Head over to the Start page on the Photography Explained Podcast website to find out more.
And here is the list of episodes published to date – you can listen to any episode straight from this page which is nice.
Let me know if there is a photography thing that you want me to explain and I will add it to my list. Just head over to the This is my list of things to explain page of this website to see what is on there already.
Let me send you stuff
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And finally a little bit about me
Finally, yes this paragraph is all about me – check out my Rick McEvoy Photography website to find out more about me and my architectural, construction, real estate and travel photography work. I also write about general photography stuff, all in plain English without the irrelevant detail.
Thank you
Thanks for listening to my podcast (if you did) and reading this blog post (which I assume you have done as you are reading this).
Cheers from me Rick
