Ok, I have been thinking lately how I can make my blog more informative about photography, and not just be another showcase for my work. So, this was something I came up with that I'll start doing from time to time. Through my experience, I have found that there are LOTS of little nick knacks that photographers need outside of just a camera, lenses, and strobes.

I see lots of people blogging about the latest cameras and the newest lenses but no one really talks about the little things that make their jobs that much easier. I'm still getting some of the things I need myself as I've only begun in my photography career BUT as I acquire new things I think are cool OR think of something I have already I'll post it up complete with pics and a write up of how it helps me do my job. So, let's begin with the first thing on the essential list after the jump! Click the READ MORE link below.

Ok, so last week I picked up a Intuos 4 Wacom Tablet. Having one of these is essential if you are doing any type of beauty or fashion retouching. It allows you to have a level of control unrivaled by that of a mouse when it comes to precision dodging and burning. Any professional high end retoucher worth their salt will tell you you'd be doing yourself a favor by getting one of these. It feels a little weird at first but after you get used to it I can't begin to tell you how much easier retouching your photos will become. This particular model has 2048 levels of pressure, and allows you to control the opacity and hardness of your brush strokes in real time by how hard or soft you press down with your pen.



I bought the medium sized model so it ran me about $350. The small sized one is $200, and maybe better for those on a bit of a tighter budget but still in need of this tool. If you would still prefer the bigger tablet area but don't have as much to spend I would suggest tracking down a used Intuos 2 or 3 on amazon or Ebay.

Please let me know if this is a series you'd like to see continue...