When you first buy a camera, you may think that you have everything you need. Let me go ahead and be honest with you: there are an endless number of accessories available for every kind of camera. Some of them are essential, and others are practically useless. So how do you know which ones you need to buy?

First of all, it depends on the style of photography you do. A portrait photographer won’t be as concerned about a sturdy monopod as a sports photographer is, just as a sports photographer isn’t as interested in off camera flashes.

It also depends on what you plan on learning and using. There are these amazing grey cards that show your camera what the white balance is in that specific lighting. You could also purchase a light meter, which helps you analyze what your settings should be. These things are great tools for a more serious photographer, but the hobbyist might not be as interested in these because it can be complicated to learn.

But there are some accessories that every photographer needs, no matter what style they shoot or how much knowledge they have. It’s similar to a baby; you need the diapers, the clothes and the crib, too. So here are the six essential accessories that every photographer needs.

1. Protective camera bag

Nothing is more important than protecting your gear, and it can cost a pretty penny. Even though the expensive bags are more protective, you can settle for something a little easier on the wallet. Most people start with a smaller bag and work their way up to the expensive ones. There are many different brands and styles, so it’s up to your personal preference. From shoulder bags to hip bags to backpacks that are as large as a hiking sack, there’s something out there that’s perfect for your needs. You’ll want something that will protect your camera against water and dirt, and something that is durable enough to protect your camera if the bag is knocked over or falls. Many bags have different compartments to help organize your stuff. The most important thing to pay attention to is if your camera and any lenses will actually fit in the bag, especially if you’re buying a smaller bag.

I have two camera bags, a backpack style and a smaller one that fits in an actual backpack. My backpack camera bag is an Amazon Basics bag, and it has compartments that Velcro together, so I can arrange the bag any way I like. The smaller bag is a Canon bag, and it fits only my camera and one lens and the battery charger. I got the second one for a flight so I could have my camera onboard with me.

2. High Quality Memory Card

Whether your camera takes SD or compact flash, the first thing you are going to want to buy is a great performing memory card. The quality of the card is essential; cheap cards break easily, so in an instant all images on it can be lost forever. I can’t tell you how many heartbreaking stories I hear of someone losing images because they relied on a cheap card. Another crucial part to a high quality memory card is the storage size. If you are shooting RAW images, each photography is a huge file. You’re going to want to invest in a card with lots of memory, no less than 32GB. The last key element to a high quality memory card is the read/write speed. A slow memory card means lost photographs. It’s a horrible feeling standing there, watching a perfect moment pass, while your card is busy writing the images you just took. For people photographing fast moving objects, such as sports or children, you’ll want to get a card no less than 90 MB/s. Any other subject can slide by with 80 MB/s. You might also want to consider investing in more than one if you plan on taking pictures a lot. It’s always nice to have a backup if your other card is full and you forgot to download the pictures. Store any cards in a safe place; I have a SD card wallet to hold mine. They are delicate, but with proper care can last years.

SanDisk offers a very good line of cards with various memory sizes and read/write speeds. I’ve been using two SanDisk Extreme Pro 32 GB SD cards for the past two years, and they have not failed me yet. The down-part to this accessory is that the cards are expensive. It’s an investment though, and you’ll be thankful you went with the higher quality. To minimize costs, keep an eye out for sales, especially at local technology stores and Amazon.

3. Extra battery

Nothing is worse than going to take pictures and seeing your battery is dead, except being in the middle of taking pictures and your battery dies and you don’t have another one. Fortunately, this has never happened to me, but I came close once and it was terrifying. Be careful when buying one though. There are many counterfeits circulating the Internet, and while they may be cheaper, the quality mirrors the price. So be very thorough in analyzing whether it’s a genuine or counterfeit battery.

If you want to take it one step further, you could even look into a battery grip. This is going to be my next investment! It attaches to the bottom of the camera and takes the place of your battery. In it, you can slide in either AA batteries or two lithium batteries. Bonus: it even has an extra shutter on the top to make the camera easier to hold in a portrait orientation.

4. Comfy neck strap

The neck strap that comes with a camera is not the greatest. It’s thin and the rubber on the backside is rough and didn’t form to the shape of my neck very well. After a while of carrying around a heavy camera, it hurts more than it helps. There are hundreds of options for neck straps, but you don’t need to spend big bucks to get a comfy one. There are some tutorials on Pinterest and YouTube on how to make your own neck strap from a scarf. I currently use a neck strap I found in the camera section at my local Staples. It’s super comfy, very stretchy and the best part is it was only $10.

If you don’t like neck straps at all, I don’t advise that you scrap the idea all together and carry your camera around without some form of strap. Even if the strap isn’t around my neck, I always wrap it around my wrist incase the camera falls from my hands. There are many options for hand-straps that fasten on the camera and wrap around your hand to help keep a firm grip on the camera, or a wrist-strap that secures the camera around your wrist.

5. Lens Cleaning Solution and Cloth

A dirty lens or camera always leads to errors. Dust or dirt on your lens will begin to show up in the pictures you take. If that dirt falls into the intricate mechanisms of your camera, it could scratch parts or cause it to stop working. Scratches on the front of your lens will show up in your images.

The best cleaning supplies you’ll need are a lens cloth, a lens cleaner and a dust blower. There are some good packages for a good price on Amazon that come with a variety of cleaning supplies.

6. Sturdy tripod

This one is at the bottom of the list because not every photographer needs a tripod. One of my cameras was damaged because I put it on a cheap, small tripod and it fell off the table. I had to shell out $100 to fix the lens. Investing in a sturdy tripod is important if you plan on ever using one. Cameras are expensive, and the smallest drop can cause a lot of damage to the fragile mechanisms inside.

This is where you will want to spend that pretty penny. I’m not saying to buy the most expensive one, but going cheap here is not the wisest thing. A plastic tripod will snap and bend, and probably fall over too. Put your money into a tripod with sturdy legs and is long-lasting. Spend the money now, and you won’t have worry about it again.