So, you have a new camera and a new lens or two…

Now what?

Before you can start taking photos and doing so with good results, you’ll need to pick up a few other items that will make your life as a photographer easier and more successful.

A Better Camera Strap

Ok, so obviously we’re a little biased and think everyone needs to upgrade their camera strap.

But selfish reasons aside, there’s very practical reasons why a better camera strap is a must-have item for new photographers.

For starters, those flimsy camera straps that come with cameras are incredibly uncomfortable. There’s no padding to cushion your shoulder and neck against the weight of your camera, and that discomfort will only get worse the longer you’re out shooting.

Secondly, aftermarket camera straps (like ours!) are designed with much greater functionality and safety in mind.

For example, with our strap, you get a handy pocket built into the shoulder pad so you can keep a spare battery or extra memory cards handy.

What’s more, our strap can be adjusted to fit virtually any photographer with a length-adjustable strap so you can customize the carrying experience.

But don’t take our word for it…

Check out the video reviews on our Amazon page and this article on PhotographyTalk to see what the pros are saying about our strap!

Put simply, a strap like ours will make your photography experiences more comfortable and more productive, and you can do so without breaking the bank.

Where other aftermarket camera straps can be extremely expensive, our high-quality strap costs just pennies on the dollar without sacrificing performance.

A Good Memory Card

A good memory card is a key to your photography success.

When shopping for a card, look not just at the storage capacity but also its read/write speed.

The faster the write speed, the better it will perform in writing image data to the card. Similarly, the faster the read speed, the quicker your camera or computer can read the data on the card and present the images for viewing.

Camera and Lens Cleaning Tools

No matter how much care you take to keep your camera and lenses away from things like water and dirt, they’ll still get dirty.

Dust will find its way into every crevice of your camera, including the sensor. And your lenses will eventually be covered with dust and fingerprints.

That’s why we recommend having a cleaning kit for your camera and lenses.

Even something as simple as a rocket blower like the one shown above is a great tool to have to get dust and lose particles out of your camera and off your lenses.

When using a rocket blower on your camera, remove the lens, hold the camera upside down, and blow the air upward into the camera. Cleaning the camera in this way allows the dust inside to fall harmlessly out of the lens mount, resulting in a cleaner camera!

A Good Editing Program

Leaving your photos as-is is perfectly fine, but if you want them to really shine, investing in a good photo editing program is definitely recommended.

And don’t think that you have to buy an expensive program, either.

In fact, there are many free and inexpensive photo editing programs that you can use to boost the quality of your images. GIMP, for example, is completely free, and it offers many of the same tools and functionalities of programs like Photoshop.

So even though photography can be an expensive hobby, there are plenty of inexpensive yet helpful accessories that you can get to help you improve the quality of the photos you take.