The Gear: The Equipment You'll Need to Photograph Washington D.C.
The Gear
The Equipment You'll Need
Cameras, lenses, filters and other essentials for your trip.
First you'll need a camera!
Buying a new camera can be daunting unless you do your homework. Decide first what your budget is, and how often you plan on using it. Also, think about what you'll be doing with the photographs once you take them. If you're just starting out, or have a limited budget, pick up a point-n-shoot camera. If you decide photography is something you enjoy, then you might want to move up to an SLR camera body.
A good starter camera body would be the Canon Rebel T2i. If you plan on making Photography a career choice, or if you just have $7000 lying around, go ahead and get the all-new Canon 1D X, which is their newest flagship camera body. There are also models that fall somewhere in-between these two, both in price and in features, so there's something out there for everyone.
A Variety of Lenses
While some of you may already own a variety of lenses, I'm guessing that some only have the "kit lens" that came with their SLR camera. In most cases, a different lens can make all the difference between a standard photograph and a piece of art.
Due to the immense size of most of these monuments and landscapes, a wide-angle lens is a great choice. Something like the Canon 10-22mm f3.5 would allow for a larger field of view, allowing you to include not only the subject, but it's environment as well. Don't leave your Macro lens at home either! Some interesting shots can be comprised of a small item in the foreground, with an obvious D.C. landmark blurry in the background.
A Tripod
If you plan on taking photographs at night, a tripod is a must. Due to the long exposures needed to capture the images, having a steady hand won't cut it. It also allows you to get pictures of yourself without having to entrust a stranger with a few thousand dollars of equipment while you say "cheese!".
Again, think about how often you'll use it, as well as how expensive your camera is. Sure, you can find tripods for well under $100, but the best cameras deserve better tripods, and when your $2500 camera doesn't blow over in the wind, you'll be glad you spent the extra money on a nice one. I own a Manfrotto tripod that I paid $250 for, and it works wonderfully.
Filters
Photo filters can be a major difference-maker when it comes to photography. Not only does it protect your lens from dust, scratches, and from other damage, it can also improve the way your images come out.
A Polarizing filter is a must-have for anyone who will be photographing part of the sky. It darkens the sky, brings out the blues behind the clouds, and can reduce reflections. A Neutral Density filter can also help when dealing with areas of bright light, and will help produce less areas of over-exposure.
