Soldiers face multitudes of policies aimed to keep them safe, efficient and how to learn from others’ mistakes (as they say: “written with blood”).

Dwindling strap – not a good idea..

• Never carry a camera with the strap dangling down, as it might get caught in a chair/branch and fall.
• Never leave a camera on a table/desk with its strap hanging down as a child or a dog might pull it down.
• A lens hood can save your lens in case it falls.
• Never hold a lens by the lens’ hood.
• Never leave a camera without a battery inside it, as you may go a long way only to discover that your camera is merely a fashion accessory (have two batteries and make sure you always have one inside, unless the camera goes for long storage).
• Never leave a camera without a memory card inside, as you may go a long way only to discover that your camera is merely a fashion accessory (have at least two memory cards and make sure you always have one in the slot).
• When storing equipment for the long term, take it out once in a while and turn rings and knobs – to prevent lubricants from drying out and getting stuck.
• When switching lenses do so with your back facing the wind.
• Never lend your main camera (unless you really trust the person, or you are nearby) as it may be dropped, become un-calibrated without you realizing it.
• Always keep your gear bag ready to go, so you won’t forget an important item when rushing out.
• Do not use liquid to clean lenses
• On returning from a desert/seaside sandy job, take everything out, shake and clean every piece or accessory one by one. Take out all the bags’ compartments and shake. Wipe sea salts from non-glass elements with a wet cloth.
  Glass is made from sand and is its worst enemy.
• When downloading files from a memory card, make sure they are located in their new location, only then format the card in the camera and clean the sensor – it is a good workflow habit.
• From time to time change the camera’s file naming (e.g. _QBD0123 to _GBQ0123) to avoid having duplicated names on your computer.
• Always keep RAW (preferably) or Tiff versions of your best captures