Welcome! BSGD Students to the 1st Semester of Academic Year 2021-2022 and to your GD112 Class

Storing equipment and materials

Digital cameras and electronic equipment, as well as analogue cameras and film, are all sensitive to moisture, dust and sunlight. Accordingly, it’s important to store your camera, photography equipment and film properly whenever you're not using them, whether for a week or months at a time.

Avoid storing your digital camera with electronic devices that generate magnetic fields, such as televisions or radios, because this can damage your camera’s screen and other electronic components.

It’s best to store digital cameras and camera batteries in a cool place that's not subject to significant temperature fluctuations. Excessive heat could damage a camera’s sensor or central processing unit (CPU), and extreme cold can harm the camera's LCD. Ideally, store both digital and analogue cameras, lenses and other equipment in a well-ventilated area with a relative humidity of 35% to 45%.

If the storage space is too dry, the oil lubricating the camera’s mechanical parts will dry out more quickly, wearing out parts sooner. Too humid, and moisture may get into the camera – leading to the growth of mildew and rusting of the camera’s internal components. In an analogue camera, moisture can also cause the shutter curtain to crack.

Shoulder Bag

Most photographers carry their gear around in a shoulder bag. But, if your bag is bulging at the seams as you add new lenses and accessories, or, if you only carry some of your gear into the field, a quick-and-easy and multipurpose storage solution is an additional shoulder bag.

You could have your daily bag out with you, but keep a larger bag in the closet to store overflow gear out of sight and protected. And, with a large bag in the closet, you are ready to go if you need to head out on a shoot with all your gear.

Camera Backpack

Similar in purpose to the additional larger shoulder bag, I personally use a camera backpack for closet storage in my apartment. I press the bag into service when I need to travel with a lot of gear.

A large camera backpack can swallow a lot of gear (sometimes more than you want to carry, weight-wise). Shoulder bags and backpacks have padded dividers for protection, but the camera backpack, depending on the design, might give you more protection for storage with zippered enclosures instead of just a loose flap. Additionally, strip out the dividers and extra lenses and you might have a great day or travel backpack.

Wraps

Do you already have a non-camera backpack, duffle, or shoulder bag taking up space in your closet? The quickest, cheapest, and best way to convert that bag into padded photo gear storage is with protective wraps. These padded nylon wraps have so many functions and purposes. You can wrap up lenses, camera bodies, filters, and any type of photographic accessories in no time at all. While they don't give you all the protection of a thick padded bag or backpack, they will work well for the gentle handling of closet storage in a non-camera bag.

Hard Cases

Another multi-purpose idea is the hard and watertight case. Nothing will give your gear more protection while it is not being used than a hard case that can survive impacts and a deluge of liquid.

If you are a travelling photographer, there might very well be a day where you need that hard case to protect a lot of your kit on a trip to the back woods of somewhere. Grab one of these cases for excessively protected storage of your stuff, but be ready to put it to use when needed for rugged outings with your gear.

Dry Storage

Is that a wine refrigerator full of camera gear, because that would be so freaking cool?! Nope, it is a Ruggard Electronic Dry Cabinet. Still super cool. And dry. These cabinets have adjustable shelves, internal LED lighting, adjustable humidity, and locking doors to keep people from borrowing your gear. Cases from other brands have fingerprint scanners and metal doors for extra security, but they don't look as cool and you cannot admire the results of your GAS if you can't see through the door!

Shelving

This one might be obvious to some, but shelving is a great way to store your gear—in or out of an enclosed space. Most of the shelves at B&H Photo are designed for home entertainment and audio gear, but, hey, a shelf is a shelf and some of these are beautiful—much better than plastic shelves from a big-box store—and would be perfect for storing photo gear. Most partners and roommates probably won't be super excited about a shelf dedicated to your love of all things photographic, but adding shelving or a cabinet inside of a closet is a great way to increase surface area for storage, as well as add a bit of protection for your gear.

Carts

If you have a studio, a home studio, or maybe shoot in your back yard or close to where you live, there is the scenario where you carry stuff out of a closet, put it on the table, go back to get more, put that on the table, etc. Then, when you are finished, multiple trips are required to clean up. What about using a cart to bring gear out of storage and then back when you are done? Professional Video Production Carts, including the heavy-duty sided carts you see moving your favorite rock band's gear, will allow you to keep your gear together and easily wheel away into a storage closet when the other half gets annoyed with your toys. Less rugged, but possibly more versatile, B&H Photo carries a ton of different Mobile Carts and Presentation Carts—some with enclosed cabinets and expanding work surfaces—perfect for a home for your laptop while shooting tethered. You can even accessorize your cart with myriad brackets, cup (lens?) holders, hooks, drapes, and more.

Tool Chest

My last solution for camera gear storage is kind of an eyesore on its own, but, if you can get it into a closet or somewhere that the other half doesn't have to see it all the time, it is a serviceable storage solution—a rolling tool chest.

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