mila | geek speak . equipment labeling

maybe it's coz i'm nesting.  maybe it's coz i found an awesome deal on the new label machine i just had to buy.  putting it to use justifies the less than $20 purchase and makes me feel good.  whatever it is ... here's some best practices for my photog friends....even the ones without label machines.

1. label your equipment.  i mean everything.  your lenses, lens caps, batteries, cards, etc.  look around you.. you and your friends have the same stuff.  picking someone else's stuff (by accident) isn't unheard of.  actually getting things stolen isn't unheard of either so after you label all your stuff get it insured.  i got my p-touch label maker from buy.com.
2. insurance ... you've spent big dollah on all that stuff you've acquired.  everything from the laptop and hard drive you work on to the camera n lenses to the memory cards.  insure it!  i pay about $500 / yr to insure everything and that includes liability, international travel, equipment replacement for damage or loss.  do it and sleep better at night and travel with ease.  i have my insurance through TCP & Co.
3. memory cards
1. keep them in a multi pack, waterproof container.  the way i store my cards mean something.  face up and they are available for use, face down and i just used them and they need to be uploaded.
2. number them.  this allows you to rotate use so you aren't always using 1 or 2 cards out of a pack of four.
3. mark the dates for your memory cards.  this one is a tip from my friend matt saville -- techie geek n camera master.  although cards don't have an expiration date it is good practice to retire them every couple of years.  so label them with the month n date of purchase.

michelle can be reached at 949.734.0604 or by email michelle@milaPhotography.com  |  www.milaPhotography.com