We Asked Photographers Why They Bring Their Cameras Everywhere

Last Updated on 07/07/2020 by Chris Gampat

We wondered why some photographers bring their cameras with them everywhere, so we asked them.

There’s the old idea that photographers should bring their cameras everywhere with them. But of course, not every photographer does that. For the ones that do, we wondered exactly why. For years, I always thought it was just photojournalists who did this. But it’s a lot more than them. We asked a few photographers to tell us why they bring their cameras with them. In some cases, they feel like it’s part of them being their best selves. But it’s also a part of their identity.

Carrying a camera with me daily reminds me to pay attention to all the things around me, and to keep an eye out for what’s interesting or beautiful in the mundane. What I shoot with changes often, as I restore vintage cameras and need to take them out to test, but most often it’s my Contax G1 because its powerful and has amazing lenses, but it’s also small and quick to shoot so its not taking up a ton of space in my daily carry.

Kelly Shane Fuller

Whether traveling for a location shoot or just out for a walk, I usually bring along an M. You never know when a scenic “B roll” shot or casual portrait may make a nice client bonus or social media post. The M is ideal because a 4 lens kit is tiny, yet the quality matches the rest of my kit. This also means I can use it on assignment, or as a backup, too. I do wish it had stabilization and wifi.

Cory Silken

It’a a way for me to keep tabs on what I see and find interesting. I used to shoot street photography all the time. However, at some point, I found myself not being able to get out of the character” always on “hunt mode”. While I decided to take a step back from that, I keep it with me because there are always moments worth documenting, even if it’s for personal reasons. I usually shoot at least a few frames a day. I don’t make it a challenge or even a point to shoot something whenever I go out, but I always end up finding something interesting to make a note of. I use the Leica Q2, because of the weather resistance as well as IBIS it allows me to shoot in most challenging conditions.

Omar Z Robles

I’m preparing for a project where I visualize a controversial topic with different wavelengths of the light spectrum that is not visible to the human eye. Using my Mamiya 645 AFD II with Rollei Infrared and Rollei Ortho film. And also a Sony DSC F828 with an internal movable IR filter. It’s again a topic that moves me a lot lately. So many lies and ignorance in this World. I love new challenges for my brain and to learn something new every day.

Markus Hofstaetter

As a professional wedding and portrait photographer of almost 15 years, I spend so much time documenting the lives of others. It’s important to remember to document my own life, too. The more I have documented my growing family through photography, the more I realize there’s so much more worth documenting than the big milestones. Yes, the big events – birthdays, weddings and holidays – are great to photograph, but they’re not the whole story. In fact, they’re only 5% of the story. I want to tell the story of our every day. I want to remember the ordinary. The normal. Those are the everyday moments that I want to remember.

Bryan Caporicci

The answer is simple: If I’m not carrying my camera I’m just another person standing around staring at stuff. The camera is my tool to document what I see. Without the camera, I’m not my best self. I don’t look as carefully or pay attention as fully. The camera is a tool that helps me be more present rather than less. It forces me to take in each second in fractions and look for nuance that I would certainly miss without it.

Primary set up: Nikon Z7 Why? Best file and ergonomics of any camera I’ve used.

Joseph Carey