It’s very frustrating for photographers these days when all we want to do is get out and take some shots. And sure, if we’re taking our daily exercise (Govt Guidelines) then there’s nothing stopping us taking the camera with us and making the most of our ‘time’ outdoors. However, it would be foolish to take all our kit – tripod, rucksack full of gear, spare camera bodies and back-up batteries etc- because if questioned by the local police we’d have a hard job explaining that this was not recreation but just our daily exercise. But, as I say, taking one camera and being opportunistic seems to be within the rules (but don’t quote me on that): You have to decide for yourself whether you think it’s OK or not. But if you decide to strictly abide by govt advice and not carry your camera on your daily exercise route then there’s still a few little jobs we can do at home in readiness for the easing of restrictions. And one that many of us tend to put to one side until the rainy days is cleaning our gear. When was the last time you emptied your gear bag and gave your kit a thorough cleaning and not just the usual cleaning of the lens?!
So empty your bag/rucksack, sit down for a couple of hours and carefully and methodically clean your gear. Especially if it’s not seen the light of day for a few weeks. Are those batteries fully charged? Is everything working as it should? Are your lenses gathering too much dust? Are all the dials and buttons operating as they should? Is the LCD screen clean? And don’t forget to throw away that half-eaten chocolate bar that’s been sitting at the bottom of your bag since February! A little work done now will give you peace of mind when you eventually get out of lock down. The temptation during this difficult time is to become too relaxed about our valuable kit that we’ve built up over the years. And just like us, it too needs a spruce-up every now and again to make sure everything is working as it should. Stay safe everyone.
Meter the Light 