Preparing for Film

Important things to put in your camera bag when you are shooting analog :

Bring the color negative, slide, or black & white film you are used to. Count on 2 - 3 films per shooting day. 100 or 200 ISO is often the best in most cases. At home, film is best kept in your refrigerator. During the workshop always have enough spare films in your camera bag. Leave them in their plastic containers to protect them from dust and moisture. Bring two sturdy plastic bags (ziplocks). One for exposed and one for unexposed film

Batteries

Before you leave home, put new batteries in your camera and other equipment (exposure meter, flash). And bring enough spare batteries. You can buy most kinds of batteries here. But Murphy knows that ofcourse the one your equipment uses cannot be found locally. Be sure not to miss out on photographs only because you don't have enough spare batteries.

Cleaning

It is very important to keep your equipment in pristine condition. Clean your camera every evening. Rain, dust or sand can endanger the next days shoot. Bring a soft make-up brush. Preferably the kind in a closed container. Bring an optical "microfibre" cloth too. Beware of spectacle cloths because they can contain corrosive chemicals. A camera repair shop exists at 60 km from Phot-O-Vergne, but you lose a days shoot if your camera breaks down. With the actual prices of (used) analog photo equipment, it can be smart to bring a spare camera.

Mobile Phone

Bring your mobile phone if you have one. It prevents you from loosing the group during a photo shoot on location. Don't forget the battery charger.

The manual !

Have mercy on your teacher, because he isn't a psychic medium. Nonetheless his long experience, he doesn't know all camera models of all manufacturers. And many models tried to reinvent the wheel in just another way than their competitors. By the way, participants often discover camera features in the manual, they never knew about. So, don't forget to bring the manual ! Even if you know your camera very well.