One of the things that David Hobby convinced me of in the
Strobist DVDs is that I should mark each set of my rechargeable batteries that I use for flashes. I've always tried to keep the same ones together, but... it's much easier to do if they're marked. It's better to drain and then recharge them all together as one unit. It's also makes them darn pretty!
You can buy a set of colored electrical tape at Home Depot. Unless I find other things to color-code, my current tape set will last me a lifetime of pretty battery goodness.
I'm also now putting the year on them as shown on the red ones below which I bought this week. I couldn't tell you when I bought the others. I know one pair is more recent, but which? I drained all of them last weekend doing some shoots in my garage, and I know one pair is weaker than the others. Having them color coded can, in theory, help me to remember which set is to be avoided unless necessary. That is,
IF you pay attention to which is which. Which, I didn't.
What I need next is a plastic 4 AA battery-holder pack from Radio Shack or out of an old toy at a junk store. Take out the end connections so that the batteries are not connected and you're left with a nifty backup battery holder which can easily slip into your pocket for shooting a wedding or location work. It also keeps them from rolling around in your camera bag.
