Jason Tag Photography

A good friend of mine asked me an interesting questions the other day. She asked, “What do you bring with you on your shoots?” She found the answer interesting so I decided to share it with you here.

The first and most important thing I bring is, obviously my camera. But beyond the items that one expects like cameras, memory cards, lenses, and a tripod, there are lots of other things that I bring that are what I consider, required equipment.

One item that I bring with me is a sarong. In shooting outdoor nudes you have to keep the models comfort in mind. Just knowing that you’ve prepared for this can go a long way to helping the model feel more comfortable. The other thing about this is that you’ve found an amazingly beautiful place to shoot but you may not be the only people in that area. I prefer to err on the side of caution and of course respect that not every wants to stumble upon naked people when they’re out hiking or out for a day on the beach. A sarong is an excellent way of covering a model in this event. They go on very quickly and you can usually find ones that are quite beautiful.

The second item that I bring with me on a shoot are three towels. In the event that it rains or that the models decides that she wants to go into a nearby stream. You don’t want her catching a cold or you may want a dry shot after she’s been in the water. But the question comes up, why three towels? One is for the model, one is for me, and the third is used to wipe off sweat or as a backup. One shoot I did I ended up bringing only one towel and then it rained and I had to drive all the way home soaking wet because I didn’t have a dry towel for myself. So that’s why I now bring three towels on every shoot. And I always carry one in my car just in case.

The third item that I pack with me on shoots is water. I usually bring one for each model I’m working with and one for myself. It easy to get very thirsty on a shoot and water may not be easily accessible on location. But of course this should be a no-brainer, yet even I’ve had to learn this lesson the hard way.

I also bring a cell phone with me. Again it should be a no-brainer. If I need to call for help or If the car dies. Having that cell phone can be the difference between spending the night on a mountain or watching Saturday Night Live at home.

The last item I bring with me is a first aid kit. This is a precaution that I thank god I’ve never had to use. Again a no-brainer. Every photographer should carry one as a precaution on shoots.

There are other things I bring but they tend to be shoot specific. Props or wardrobe mostly. Sometimes I’ll bring my monopod instead of a tripod depending on the location. For the most part this is my packing list. I try to keep it as simple and as light as possible since I’m the one who has to carry it the entire time. The other thing to think about is that what you carry in , you have to carry out as well. I try to be as eco-friendly as I can on my shoots. That means carrying out our trash, and trying not to disturb to plant life and fauna in the area too much.

Aloha,
Jason Tag