gotthelowdown

Great tip.

That's a difference I've found between hobbyists and pros. Hobbyists want to get new and different gear. Pros often invest in having multiple units of the same gear for backups.

One that stands out in my mind is a guy who I talked to for months as he planned his once in a lifetime safari; we rented him several expensive lenses for the trip. His own camera failed on day 2 of 12.

Oof, that sucks. I had a camera fail on a trip once. Magically fixed itself a little later thank god, but not a fun time.

What's something photographers should rent or bring but often don't?

Could be photo-related or non photo-related (e.g. comfortable shoes, ear plugs at loud events).

I'm specifically interested in event photography, but open to anything that could potentially save a shoot.

Thanks for doing this AMA.

get a good five-in-one reflector (and either a way to mount it or a person to hold it).

What situations would you use the gold reflector for? I can think of situations for the white, silver and the diffuser, but not the gold side.

Is it worth paying more for a name-brand reflector like Westcott, or is a cheap one by a company like Neewer good enough? Maybe the cheap one isn't as color accurate or isn't made from quality materials?

After working with so many clients over the years, are there certain "personality types" you encounter over and over again? Can you describe them?

P.S. I first heard about your service in this discussion thread:

AskReddit: Wealthy redditors, what are some services or products you pay for that the common man might not know exists?

I've used the gold side often to warm up sunlight just a touch without having to go in and mess with color correction in post. Say I'm doing an outdoor interview and want to reflect the sun onto my subject and also separate the subject from the background a bit color-wise.

Ah, got it. That makes sense.

Paying more for a name brand will make more difference in build quality than actual light quality, but, since these things get folded up and hauled in and out of a bag, I'd say it's worth paying for build quality.

Good point. Thanks.