As photographers, we often work, as you can see up top, where there is no safe, practical access to electrical power. It’s just a given. We live and die with our batteries. As long as we have juice, we can work. Battery goes flat, the lights go out on our shoot….and our hopes, dreams, and aspirations for transcendent image making, pictures that sing the songs of the ages, pictures that….ok, I’ll stop.
But face it, batteries and battery life, are crucial issues for field work. I’ve been using Powerex batteries since forever, and they are just lock solid, dependable sources of energy, which are powerful and charge fast. And the charging stations and technology just keeps getting better over time.
Plus, they are simply really good folks. Small company, great product. And it’s hard to communicate about the life, power, and tech specs of rechargeable batteries right? Batteries themselves are not particularly sexy. What they do is sexy. What they help us create is powerful. But batteries themselves, well, we don’t think about them all that much.
Hence, upcoming……drum roll, National Battery Day Feb 18th!
Here’s a shout out to the folks at Maha Energy, who keep the milliamps coming year after year, and here’s a few situations where I actually did think about the batteries! I had flashes everywhere. And I didn’t worry about the juice.

Lots of flashes, lots of batteries.


Directing action with flashes all over. Good time to bring out the big Gitzo tripod – and sand bags! Camera position could not move.



Another shoot. Streets of Chinatown, NYC, 3am or so. You can’t knock on somebody’s door and ask to use an outlet.

Likewise, on the runway of Edwards AFB.

Maha Energy has a sale – starting today!

This at-home time has caused a spur for lots of cleaning and organizing here in the studio. Good reading on how to recycle batteries and info on easy locations for battery drop off in the US: https://www.call2recycle.org/locator/
More tk….
I started with Powerex batteries and Maha smart chargers when I bought my first speedlights and have never found a need to change. All because if Joe McNally. Not the first decision I made based on Joe’s recommendations nor will it be the last.
Hey Steven….very kind of you. That’s the thing about this business, the sharing aspects of it, and listening to each other’s experiences. Hoping you are well, and we can all get back out and use batteries more soon! Fingers crossed on things getting back to normal, at least a bit. All the best and thanks for stopping by the blog.