OK, we all have a nice camera, maybes some lenses, batteries, spare cards, a flash or whatever in our camera bags but what is the weirdest item in yours? I have different size knitting needles because they are useful for doing things like
(a) propping up small reflectors
(b) gently picking away debris from small items (e.g. leaves and twigs from fungi)
(c) for propping small branches and distractions away from a subject (e.g. from a flower) without breaking them
and
(d) stabbing passers-by who come up to you, get in your light and say "What are you doing? Are you taking photographs?" ;o)
OH, that is a great idea. Mine is probably a headband light. I am older and can't see well at night. This thing leaves both hands free, is aimable and has different levels of light. I use it all the time.
I like that idea Paul! I'm going to add knitting needles to my bag now too!
I carry a tiny misting bottle (for spider webs), and a Japanese folding fan, for those hot days when you're working in the heat for extended periods, or to wave pesky bugs away when you're sitting in the marshes/lagoons/meadows etc. photographing wildlife.
@dlaxton not odd since that is where my headlamp is also.
After going out in the field multiple times with fellow 365ers my bag is amazingly light on extras since I pack it per use. I have a magic marker sized flashlight for my most exotic item.
@socalgal - OH, the misting bottle is a great idea. I will add one!!! thank!!! @bankmann - Oh, that is interesting too ... @mmartin - ummm, no thanks, did that for WAY too many years.
I found 17p (mostly in copper change) in the front zip pocket of mine the other day. My camera bag is only small so I couldn't fit knitting needles in it even if I removed the camera! I think the strangest thing in there is probably the bag-strap clips that fit neither my bag nor my camera!
@socalgal@dlaxton i also have headlamps, because recently i have traveled to several places which have caves. And the misting bottle i carried once, when i went to a botanical garden to search for big spiders webs they have there. I should carry one small always.
Probably the strangest thing in there at the moment is a chapstick/lip balm. Does that count? There is a small flashlight in there, but that doesn't seem weird.
How to express this delicately...up until about a year or so ago, I always kept a spare...feminine protection item, ifyouknowhwhatImean...in my camera bag. Just in case. Thankfully I have outgrown the need for such items. :)
Um.. I haven't got anything odd in my camera bag but am now on a mission to put one of these things in there! I feel so left out! ;-) Such brilliant ideas!
@bankmann its not weird, but its the only thing in my camera bag that isn't a camera, or camera equipment. At one point I did have food coloring in my camera bag.
Oh! I just thought of one more thing: As I sometimes bring my monopod, I also take along a skiing pole basket made out of plastic. I put it on the foot end of the monopod if the ground is too soft. That way it doesn't sink in.
Not sure I've anything weird in there; a Trio of beanbags, a fistfull of cable ties and a pair of cutters for the construction of emergency 'tripods' is as close as I get...
I keep a few quid in mine so that I can buy a cup of tea somewhere if I get thirsty! I also keep my car/door keys and phone in there so that I don't have to take anything else with me and of course I've always got a spare battery and memory card (I never need another memory card but it's there just in case!)
Disposable over shoes that fit over your shoes " the type when you go to new build houses for looking around showrooms etc" these are great in wet or dusty conditions for keeping my slr and lens clean and dry : )
It would be far too awkward to thank everyone individually for their comments here but thanks to everyone for this lively discussion and some great ideas. For those of you in the UK who want knitting needles and don't have a partner to supply them, many charity shops stock them BUT you have to ask for them - they don't seem to be allowed to display them any more. They work out nice and cheap. I have varying types from broad and strong ones to short double ended ones - about ten in all. Also, don't forget to remove them before flying - yes, I have had one set confiscated already!
@gailn I feel left out, too. I'm on a mission to find SOMETHING strange to throw in there. Now ask what's in my purse, and that's a whole different story!
I had a scarf but took it out, I always keep plastic bags, the case seems water proof but if I were to get caught in a heavy downpour, (I know that is more of an Oregon thing than Texas; but I keep them in there anyway!
@steampowered Fair enough! The strangest thing in my purse is a chest strap style heart rate monitor...because I never know when I might find myself on a treadmill and need to know my heart rate.
Digital Voice Recorder . Sometimes I just talk in some points about the photos I am taking or record the sounds which are around where I am taking photos.
In my bag I have Kleenex and a tablet holder full of pills in case of a headache, stomach pain or nausea. I'm always prepared for a medical emercency :)
I don't have anything weird unless you count the meds i throw in there when i don't want to carry a purse and a camera bag. EpiPen, benadryl, and an inhaler. Fun :-P
Knitting needles are a good idea! I have some mismatched ones laying around that I should throw in there.
Skateboard/snowboard tool and wax is a must! I get the chance to go out and skate and ski with buddies pretty often, so I figure if I'm lugging around a heavy camera bag/tripod I might as well have the essentials for them too so the session runs smoothly, they've certainly saved us a few times for sure!
A pack of chewing gum lives in my camera bag, replenished weekly. Something about chewing helps me think when deciding how to compose. Oh, and a dog zapper, because I like the sound it makes.
A bag of sarsaparilla sweets which have all fused together. It's been there for months ... I suppose I'm hoping that they'll magically come apart again one day.
The end of a roll of Costco kitchen trash can liners. I always save the ends of the rolls to tuck into my camera bags. I live in Seattle; we have a lot of mud. I can get into places I might not otherwise go. Or, if it's misty by a waterfall, I can just cover the camera on the tripod and keep moving. Lots of uses!
@cmc1200 Thanks! My wallet is surprisingly devoid of weird things like money but I suppose the two weirdest things are a small cat face shaped bookmark and one that is very useful, it's my legal rights as a photographer should I be stopped by the law. http://photographernotaterrorist.org/bust-card/ - it only applies in the UK but I am sure that there are US and Aus versions online somewhere too.
There have been some great responses here - I can't believe the wealth of weird stuff that people have (some of it useful as well!) Thanks for sharing things with everyone.
a piece of folded up tin foil, it makes a great emergency reflector if needed, can also use to hold back a branch (fold it into a long rectangle and wrap around branch, weight to fold something down and lay it flat on the ground and someone can sit on it and not get their bottom dirty. multipurpose.
@mwac Excellent idea! I have a small piece of card (it came out of a lens box) which folds up into a small size (a5cm square). One side is white and I glued tin foil to the other side. I now have a small double sided reflector - it is surprising just how often it gets used to add a little highlight to the underside of a flower or a piece of fungus.
I have the lamp which is handy but also have a large ziplock bag & selotape in case it starts raining as I can slit the closed end & it will fit over my camera & lens if need be with taping in places!!!!
I'm feeling rather left out, now, as I don't actually have a "camera bag" - I just have a camera, and when I'm taking it around with me I put it on the front seat of my car, or in my ordinary bag, or I just carry it. :/
If I did have a camera bag, the weirdest thing in it would be a set of false teeth. (I've no idea why - but as I'm just hypothesising, I can say anything!)
@bankmann
That is a very intriguing idea! I'd love to try it, actually... (Especially since I play in two different table tennis leagues, and the table tennis club which I help to run is sponsored by a specialist shop - a couple of spare balls shouldn't be too hard to come by!)
A faux string of pearls, . . . I photograph kids a lot so they come in hand as a way to get their attention or as a prop for the girls. That are not supposed to be there, but just haven't found their way back to their original home yet. Oh, and stickers as a treat!
I have some ink markers in my camera bag. Red, yellow, purple, green, and blue. Was gonna use them in a photo but I never did. So there they are, resting in my bag...for no apparent reason...for years :P
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I carry a tiny misting bottle (for spider webs), and a Japanese folding fan, for those hot days when you're working in the heat for extended periods, or to wave pesky bugs away when you're sitting in the marshes/lagoons/meadows etc. photographing wildlife.
After going out in the field multiple times with fellow 365ers my bag is amazingly light on extras since I pack it per use. I have a magic marker sized flashlight for my most exotic item.
@bankmann - Oh, that is interesting too ...
@mmartin - ummm, no thanks, did that for WAY too many years.
WHAT - no duct tape?????
Probably the strangest thing in there at the moment is a chapstick/lip balm. Does that count? There is a small flashlight in there, but that doesn't seem weird.
How to express this delicately...up until about a year or so ago, I always kept a spare...feminine protection item, ifyouknowhwhatImean...in my camera bag. Just in case. Thankfully I have outgrown the need for such items. :)
Ah, but chocolate's not weird, Jeff! That's only sensible! ;-p I usually cary a small bag of nuts or two, and something to drink, as well...
Not sure I've anything weird in there; a Trio of beanbags, a fistfull of cable ties and a pair of cutters for the construction of emergency 'tripods' is as close as I get...
Knitting needles are a good idea! I have some mismatched ones laying around that I should throw in there.
If I did have a camera bag, the weirdest thing in it would be a set of false teeth. (I've no idea why - but as I'm just hypothesising, I can say anything!)
@bankmann
That is a very intriguing idea! I'd love to try it, actually... (Especially since I play in two different table tennis leagues, and the table tennis club which I help to run is sponsored by a specialist shop - a couple of spare balls shouldn't be too hard to come by!)