Four Things Every Camera Bag Needs and How to Use Them
Gipsy
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So you've got your fancy digital SLR camera and a few new lenses to play around with? As a professional photojournalist, here are some things I've found essential to my camera equipment bag and you should include in yours too. 
White Index Card and Rubber Band
One of the biggest mistakes amateur photographers make is using a flash pointed directly at their subjects. This casts a flat light over the entire image and destroys details and subtleties of ambient light, which really make the photograph. If you are shooting with an SLR, it is worth it to invest in a professional flash unit which slides into the shoe on the top of the camera (above the pop-up flash). These flash units have pivoting heads for a reason. Never point the flash directly at your subject.
The best, most flattering lighting, is when you bounce the light onto your subject from an angle. There are two ways to do this. The easiest is to adjust the flash so it points at a 45 degree angle (almost toward the ceiling). In most indoor locations, the ceilings and walls are light colored or even white. When your flash fires, it will bounce the light from the ceiling or side walls back onto your subject's face, giving a more natural tone.
In some cases, the ceiling is too high and will not allow for this. For these cases, attach the white card with the band so it sticks up behind the flash unit. Doing this will cause some of the light to bounce off the "backwall" of the index ward and onto your subject's faces without overexposing them. Every professional photographer I have ever met keeps an index card in his bag. Some flashes now come with little white "filters" that slide into the top of the flash and may be pulled out, but these aren't always large enough to give the right effect.
Reporter's Notebook and Pen
White Index Card and Rubber Band
One of the biggest mistakes amateur photographers make is using a flash pointed directly at their subjects. This casts a flat light over the entire image and destroys details and subtleties of ambient light, which really make the photograph. If you are shooting with an SLR, it is worth it to invest in a professional flash unit which slides into the shoe on the top of the camera (above the pop-up flash). These flash units have pivoting heads for a reason. Never point the flash directly at your subject.
The best, most flattering lighting, is when you bounce the light onto your subject from an angle. There are two ways to do this. The easiest is to adjust the flash so it points at a 45 degree angle (almost toward the ceiling). In most indoor locations, the ceilings and walls are light colored or even white. When your flash fires, it will bounce the light from the ceiling or side walls back onto your subject's face, giving a more natural tone.
In some cases, the ceiling is too high and will not allow for this. For these cases, attach the white card with the band so it sticks up behind the flash unit. Doing this will cause some of the light to bounce off the "backwall" of the index ward and onto your subject's faces without overexposing them. Every professional photographer I have ever met keeps an index card in his bag. Some flashes now come with little white "filters" that slide into the top of the flash and may be pulled out, but these aren't always large enough to give the right effect.
Reporter's Notebook and Pen