Tech Tuesdays - Spare Batteries

If I were to ask you to name the piece of equipment for your camera that you have never fantasized about owning, I'm sure the first thing you'd say is "lens cap cover". OK... but if I asked you to keep going, I'm sure that pretty quickly you'd say "spare battery". Let's face it. The batteries that come with our cameras these days last a long time (much longer than cell phone batteries, but don't get me started there!). They're also expensive. Wouldn't you rather spend that money on something that's way cooler? I know I would. But, ask yourself this: If your battery runs out in the middle of a shoot (or your kids birthday party/basketball game/graduation/wedding), what can you do? Answer: Nothing! Nothing, that is, unless you have a spare.

I learned the importance of having a spare battery when I owned my first digital camera. My wife and I were hiking and, of course, I was taking photos like crazy. I hadn't charged the battery in a while, but didn't think anything of it at the time. Then we came across some snakes in the middle of the trail. I still don't know what they were doing, but it looked pretty awesome, so I took a bunch of photos and then started taking some video. After about 5 minutes, the camera ran out of battery. "Oh well," I thought, "at least we were almost done with the hike." Just a few hundred yards down the trail, there were hundreds of butterflies landing on some plants. It was like nothing I'd ever seen (or have seen since). It was amazing! It was beautiful! My battery was dead.

I think it was that same day that I went out and bought a spare battery. Ever since then, I've had a spare battery for every camera that I use on a regular basis. They're small, light and when you are faced with a once-in-a-lifetime shot, are priceless.

Maybe you charge your battery every night. Maybe you never need to take photos for more than an hour. Maybe you're saving up for a new lens. Maybe you'd rather buy a faster memory card. Maybe you need to eat this week. Those are all good reasons not to buy a spare battery. Maybe you'll never need a spare battery. Maybe you'll never miss a photo because your battery died. Maybe. Maybe not. That's why I have two spares.