10 Items a Photographer Should Never Leave Home Without!

A pretty common question I get asked on our Facebook Fan page is regarding what do I recommend when heading out into the field for landscape and nature photography. Now the list I'm sharing here is what personally I use and recommend. Most of the time when I get out, all my gear is on my back and I'm riding to location on my mountain bike. I'm a huge fan of the quality of the Specialized bikes. This bike is an Enduro SL Pro Carbon.

Here I am last summer:


1. Cleaning Kit: Often times I'm near the ocean or just out in the woods or desert and things get dirty, dusty, misty and all of the above! Having good camera and lens cleaning gear will save a ton of frustration and post processing time later!

Here are a few recommendations:

• Nikon Lens Pen Cleaning System
• Giottos AA1900 Rocket Air Blaster Large
• MagicFiber Microfiber Cleaning Cloths

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2. Spare Memory Cards: Unless your sporting a film camera, you better make sure you have at least a couple memory cards with you! These days cameras are taking much larger images and memory cards can fill quickly (Especially with Nikon D800), or accidents happen. If you have trekked up a mountain or drove hours to get on location, I'm sure your going to appreciate being prepared for a memory card mishap!

I'm a die hard SanDisk fan, so here are a few cards I would recommend:

• SanDisk Extreme Pro 16 GB SDHC Class 10 UHS-1 Flash Memory Card 95MB/s
• SanDisk Extreme Pro 32 GB SDHC Class 10 UHS-1 Flash Memory Card 95M B/s
• SanDisk Extreme Pro 64 GB SDXC Class 10 UHS-1 Flash Memory Card 95MB/s

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3. PowerBars: You wouldn't leave the house with out batteries for your camera, well same thing applies here. Being hours away from civilization or stuck on location with out opportunity to break free to get some greasy McDonalds or 5 day old hot dogs rolling on the heat plate at 7'eleven , your stomach and digestive system will love you when you come prepared with some tasty and healthy PowerBars!

I change up frequently, but here are a few of my current favorites that I recommend:

• PowerBar Performance The Original Energy Bar
• PowerBar Harvest Whole Grain Energy Bar
• PowerBar ProteinPlus Reduced Sugar Bar

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4. Spare Batteries: So unless you've figured out how to power your camera, flashes and flashlights with a portable nuclear reactor or you have a solar powered battery charger (but then again, thats unnecessary weight), the simplest solution to this is to bring at least one extra set of batteries with you. I always have one extra camera battery, 4 AA and 2 AAA's in my bag to power everything from my Camera, Pocket Wizards, Cable Release and flash lights!

Recommended:

• Nikon EN-EL15 Rechargeable Li-Ion Battery for Select DSLR Cameras
• eneloop NEW 2000mAh Typical, Ni-MH Rechargeable Batteries
• eneloop XX 950mAh Typical, High Capacity Ni-MH Rechargeable Batteries

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5. Tripod: When shooting landscapes, nighttime photos, or just in general when slow shutter speeds will be used this is a given, however sometimes over looked when packing gear. Personally I'll usually have 2 tripods (large and small) with me for a couple reasons: One for each camera or If I'm using my Dynamic Perception time lapse dolly... I need two for support.

Now I've tested a number of tripods over the years, there are plenty of good options. These are what I recommend and carry with me:

• SIRUI 4 Section Pro Carbon Fiber Tripod N2204 - Awesome build quality, 1st grab tripod for me.
• Sirui T-025X Carbon Fiber Tripod Kit - Perfect travel tripod, don't let the size fool you... I've used this with my D800 & 70-200mm lens!
• Joby GorillaPod Focus with Ballhead X bundle - Hands down this bugger is one of the handest inventions to the photographic world.

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6. Comfortable Shoes: This is an important one. When your trekking through wet areas, slippery terrain or just on your feet all day, having good shoes will make a world of difference in your comfort and foot health! Not to mention keep your feet warm in the winter.

I'll always recommend 'The North Face' first as I've been wearing their shoes and boots for years. Depending on time of year or where I'm going to be photographing, I'll wear one of these two recommended shoes/boots:

• North Face Ultra 50 Trail Running Shoes
• The North Face Verbera Hiker GTX Hiking Boot

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7. All Purpose Tool: I don't know how many times having an all purpose tool has saved my butt or has come in handy in the field. Over the years I've owned a few different ones, but love the Gerber brand the most.

Recommended:

• Gerber Crucial Multi-Tool

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8. Cable Shutter Release: If your shooting anything that requires longer shutter speeds or if you're already using a tripod for reasons to reduce camera shake, this is a must have. Now there are a ton of camera shutter releases out there, so you might want to check your camera manufactures page for recommendations.

Personally I use:

• Nikon MC-36A Multi-Function Remote Shutter Release Cord

You know what I use and is always with me? PocketWizard Plus III's. I'm putting these under this category because I use these to trigger my camera from distances or as a spare shutter trigger release or just use them to trigger your flash. Hands down out of all the Pocket Wizard's I've owned these are my favorites and gladly recommend this!

• PocketWizard 801-130 Plus III Transceiver

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9. Flashlight: Do I need to give a reason? I do carry a couple with me, I like the Gerber flash light the most as it's small and has different colors I can switch to at night. I'll use the red so I don't mess up my night vision.

• Gerber Recon White, Red, Blue, and Green LED Flashlight
• Smith & Wesson Galaxy 12-LED Flashlight

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10. Wet Weather Protection for your Camera: Even in California we get crummy weather and when it does hit and I need to continue shooting, it's awesome to have something to safeguard the camera from the rain. These things are inexpensive and hardly take up any space in your camera bag.

I recommend:

• OP/TECH USA Rainsleeve

Minus the shoes and the powerbars, I have most of these. Oh and the blower, I don't carry that with me. Good tips thanks for sharing.

I have reached the point in life where I need to include a camp stool

Standing all day is no longer an option.

geezer

I even carry a sensor cleaning set getting to be I have no room in my bag for anything else

I need to get a good cleaning kit, mine sensor has a few spots of debris on it

Thanks for sharing....
nowadays I never forget to take spare memory cards along with me. I've already suffered a lot

Amitsood wrote: Thanks for sharing....
nowadays I never forget to take spare memory cards along with me. I've already suffered a lot

always carry a spare with me

Every photographer should save this page. When ever will plan for a trip without thinking much more about packing just by following this list can get ready easily for the trip.

Abigail1 wrote: Every photographer should save this page. When ever will plan for a trip without thinking much more about packing just by following this list can get ready easily for the trip.

always have a check list

Insect Repellent Wipes with Foil Covers also come in handy at times.

tuscanlinda wrote: Insect Repellent Wipes with Foil Covers also come in handy at times.

+1 on the bug spray

Good article guys

I would add remember the camera too. (Don't laugh, I'm serious.. )

Good advice! Thanks