Landscape photography is an art that requires creativity, patience, and the right equipment. While cameras, lenses, and tripods are essential, there are some unexpected items that can serve as game changers in the world of landscape photography. In this article, we will explore five unconventional tools and accessories that can enhance your landscape photography experience. Plus, unlike your main gear, these won't cost an arm and a leg.
The Shower Cap
When you think of landscape photography accessories, a shower cap may not be the first thing that comes to mind. However, this simple item can be a game-changer when it comes to protecting your camera and lens from rain, mist, and other environmental hazards.
Unexpected rain can be a nightmare for landscape photographers. Carrying a shower cap in your camera bag allows you to quickly cover your camera and lens, providing instant protection from moisture. When photographing waterfalls, the mist generated by cascading water can be challenging to manage. A shower cap can act as a shield, allowing you to capture long exposure shots without worrying about water droplets on your lens. In snowy or dusty conditions, a shower cap can keep your camera clean and free from debris. It's a simple yet effective way to maintain the quality of your shots. Shower caps are lightweight and take up minimal space in your bag, making them a convenient addition to your photography gear. Finally, they aren't hard to come by. The next time you stay in a hotel, pick one up, pop it in your bag, and it's there for when you need it.
Small Three-Legged Stool
Long hours of standing and waiting for the perfect shot can be physically demanding. A small three-legged stool can provide much-needed comfort and stability during your landscape photography outings. Setting up your stool in a picturesque location allows you to sit and relax while you wait for the right lighting conditions or the perfect moment to capture your shot. This reduces fatigue and allows you to stay focused on your creative vision. It's better than sitting on wet grass and can also help you ergonomically. Having one doesn't take up too much space and can fit in the often neglected side pocket of your bag or even in the top section should you have that option.
Duct Tape: The Photographer's Best Friend
Duck tape is a versatile tool that should never be underestimated in landscape photography. Its adhesive properties and durability can be invaluable in various situations and can end up being your best friend. The number of photographers that I have interviewed on my podcast that mention this as being their V.S.P. (very solid product) is huge, so take their advice.
If a tripod leg becomes loose or a part breaks during your photography expedition, duck tape can provide a temporary fix to keep your tripod operational until proper repairs can be made. Duck tape can be used to secure cables and wires, preventing them from tangling or getting in the way while shooting. You can use duck tape to label your camera gear, making it easy to identify your equipment in a crowded or shared photography space. In wet conditions, duck tape can seal the seams of your camera bag or protect vulnerable parts of your camera and lens from moisture.
Lightweight Poncho
As we know, weather can be unpredictable, and being caught in the rain during a landscape shoot can be disastrous for your camera equipment. Carrying a lightweight poncho can help protect both you and your gear from unexpected rain showers. A poncho not only keeps you dry, but can also be used to cover your camera and tripod in a pinch. It's an excellent tool for shielding your gear from rain and moisture. Modern lightweight ponchos are compact and easy to carry, making them a convenient addition to your photography gear. They can be folded and stored in your camera bag. When the weather takes an unexpected turn, a poncho can be quickly draped over your camera and tripod, providing instant protection without the need for elaborate setups.
5-Cent Coin
And finally, this very unlikely hero arrives. I have many times been out with my camera, and I need to tighten or loosen my tripod plate. When this happens, it is always very handy to have a 5-cent coin ( or your local equivent ) in my bag, ready to make that adjustment or tighten the plate to remove the fear of it falling off. This makeshift tool can be especially handy when you're on the go and don't have time to search for a screwdriver or purchase a replacement. It's a budget-friendly solution that requires no additional investment, as most photographers have spare coins lying around.
Conclusion
In landscape photography, thinking outside the box and utilizing unconventional tools and accessories can be a game changer. The shower cap offers protection from the elements, the small three-legged stool provides comfort and stability, duct tape becomes your best friend, a lightweight poncho weatherproofs your gear, and a 5-cent coin serves as an improvised tripod tool. These seemingly ordinary items can enhance your photography experience, solve unexpected challenges, and ensure that you're always prepared to capture the beauty of the natural world. They have, on many occasions, come in handy for me and for people that I have shared them with. I hope that they will end up being equally as helpful to you. Feel free to also share these with your friends as not only are they useful, they are also inexpensive, unlike all the other gear we end up having, most of which is rarely used.
Have you any other unlikely photography heroes to add to my list, or have you used these exact items for the reasons I've mentioned above yourself? I'd love to see your additions in the comments below. Let's chat.
A light plastic bag has proven invaluable for wildlife photography. I mean the cheap throwaway bag like they put your items in at Walmart. The really thin ones that have been (sadly) outlawed in states such as Washington, Oregon, and California.
When I am close to a wild mammal such as a Bighorn ram or Whitetail Deer, and the critter is so accustomed to people that it will not look up, no matter what, I find that taking the bag out of my pocket and shaking it will get the animal to snap its head around and look my way. This is because it is so used to all the noises that people usually make to get it to look that it has become desensitized to those noises. But the plastic bag will work on any animal at least one time.
But I better get the shot I want on that first shake of the bag, because after that the critter may not look at me again no matter how many times I shake the bag or how vigorously I shake it.
John Williams wrote:
"..... macaques ..... have been known to attack women and children ....."
Now that's the wildlife behavior that I want photos of! That would sell better than the typical wildlife portraits. Of course getting releases signed by the attackees may be difficult.
Getting releases signed by the macaques would be more difficult.
Disturbing or scaring wildlife should be avoided.
The banning of cheap plastic bags is necessary considering the damage they can do to to the environment and wildlife and there's nothing sad about it.
You are so right, John. In the states that have banned the cheap thin plastic bags, they now give you a thicker, heavier plastic bag instead. So more plastic is being used. People still toss the bags away and I still see them littering the landscape. Making a heavier bag and charging 8 cents for it does not stop or limit the wanton and careless disposal of plastic bags. It just provides more money to the companies making and distributing the bags.
Are you trying to say you are unaware of the huge environmental impact of plastic bags and the damage they cause? I find that hard to believe. Clearly people aren't 'good stewards of the earth' because staggeringly huge volumes of plastic bags are thrown away and end up in landfill and the sea every year. It takes the ocean 100's of years to break down plastic bags. Claiming people will harm the environment anyway is a pretty poor excuse to keep those cheap plastic bags.
I use and re-use those chap thin plastic bags for lots of things. The heavier thicker bags that they now give you at stores in those states do not work as well for the things I use the thin bags for. So they are using more plastic to make the new bags, and I throw most of them out because they are not very useful for other things. I like to "recycle by repurposing", and the old thin bags were great for that and the new thicker bags are not. So what you assume about plastic bags and their environmental impact is not as straightforward as you seem to think it is.
The point I was making is that the thin plastic bags have been banned because they do end up in landfill and even the sea, regardless if you and others reuse them. Thinner bags break very easily and lots of people had been using them once to bring shopping home and then throwing them away, or worse, dumping them in the street. Arguing against the thicker bags isn't really an argument for thinner bags because I personally think all plastic bags should be banned because they also end up in landfill eventually. Waving a bag and disturbing an animal just to get a photograph isn't a good enough reason to go back to thin bags. All plastic bags should be banned. Some shops have already stopped giving out or selling any plastic bags.
I repurpose the thin plastic bags for many different uses:
I put my shoes in them when traveling (I road trip many months during the year and take several pairs of shoes and boots with me).
I use them as trash bags in my car for all of the food wrappers that accumulate as I drive. Fill one with trash about twice a week as I practically live in my car.
I use them to tie extension cords to things when I am at work, to keep the cords from being unplugged (construction sites, heavy duty cords for power tools).
I keep a few in my camera bag and backpack to use in case of sudden rainfall, to keep my gear dry.
I use them to pack my lunch and snacks in on an almost daily basis.
I use them at home as trash bags, instead of buying bags to use for trash.
When packing a spare set of clothes for an outing, I use them to put the clothes in. Usually an extra pair or two of socks, a pair of shorts or pants, and a tee shirt.
These thin repurposed plastic bags are a part of my everyday life, whether on the road or living at home. The states banning them has been a big inconvenience because it forces me to buy plastic bags, which creates unnecessary waste. Thank God I have been in Pennsylvania for the past several months, which does not ban them. I am stocking up on them so I should have at least a few month's worth when I return home to Washington where I can't get them anymore.
They still should be banned because they are an environmental hazard. You still contribute to that hazard when you eventually throw them away and by using them as trash bags.
So in your opinion I should buy plastic trash bags and use them instead of repurposing the ones I get my merchandise in?
You contribute to the environmental impact of those plastic bags regardless what you use them for. And you do state more uses than just trash bags.
The norm is to use a bag once and then throw it away. That is what humans do with bags, whether they are the thin plastic ones or the thicker plastic ones. I, on the other hand, use each bag two or more times before throwing it away. So my personal impact on the environment is less than half of the average person's impact, because I am so unusually conscious of my actions. No need for you to retort; I've read enough of your argumentative responses.
They still end up in the bin like everyone else's bags, even if you reuse. them.
Of freaking course they do. No one ever said or implied that they didn't. Why in the world do you continue to state the painfully obvious?
The point I keep making, that you don't seem to get, is that because of the way I repurpose them, I do not need to buy boxes of plastic bags to use for other things. I just use and re-use the cheap free bags that I get with my groceries and other purchases. They are the only ones I use ... whereas most people use the cheap free bags PLUS buy lots of other plastic bags and use each one only once and then throw it away. BUT, now that my home state, Washington, has outlawed those bags, they give us heavier thicker plastic bags instead. And those bags are not as good at many of the things I re-purpose for, so I throw more of them away and get less usage out of each one.
It's just an odd argument to keep continually making. You collect and reuse thin bags and throw them away less frequently and that is better for the environment or makes you morally superior to people who throw bags away after one use? Try using bags not made of plastic that are better for the environment. I carry my own non-plastic bags to the supermarket, including a rucksack. I have no need for even the thicker plastic bags. I can't claim I am totally waste free as it's very hard to buy all goods without some waste packaging but not using a load of plastic bags that get thrown away eventually is an easy one.
There is nothing moral about throwing stuff away into a landfill or not throwing stuff away into a landfill. Morality has to do with how you treat people directly in here and now situations, not in things that have an indirect or delayed effect on the Earth's ecosystem.
My point was that when there are thin giveaway plastic bags available, I personally generate less plastic waste than I do when such bags are banned. There's nothing "superior" or "moral" about that. It is just a simple fact. I like generating less waste, but only if doing so does not come at any inconvenience to me. Those thin bags allow me all the convenience I demand, while also enabling me to generate less waste than I would otherwise. So for me and my m.o., the ban on such bags isn't working at all because I generate more plastic waste when they aren't available than I do when they are available.
I'd add a Wera 454HF Hex Plus 4mm x 100mm T-handle hex wrench. This one fits the two screws on my L-bracket as well as the screw on top of my RRS BH-40 ball head, if you can find one of these wrenches. And rather than duct tape, I'd prefer gaffer tape which leaves no residue
I suggest a bean bag. It is a bag that can be filled inside with beans. The bag was created specifically to place a camera on it, and to carry instead of a very heavy tripod.
The Bean bag is very cheap, can be done by yourself or by a taylor
You can easily fill the bag upon arrival with materials such as beans or rice, available in shops and even in hotels.
The bean bag can be filled with different materials such as beans, corn kernels and peas. I fill the bean bag with expanded polystyrene (EPS) or polystyrene, as the plastic filling is very light to carry and does not deteriorate and can be used for a longer period of time.
The bean bag can be used on many surfaces: on the ground, on trees, fences, but also on an open window from your car.
Yes, bean bags are quite useful. But I do not find them to be inexpensive. The better name brand ones that are made for photography hold up well, but makeshift ones do tend to fall apart (or absorb moisture) when used in rugged conditions in the field.
Cordura nylon (or similar) is the material of choice, with double-stitched seams a must. And the thread must be a heavy duty synthetic thread. Quality beanbags usually sell in the $70+- range, but every now and then you can find a bargain for $30 to $40.
I should note that bean bags are NOT a makeshift item. They are a highly specialized item specifically made just for outdoor photography, and sold by companies who specialize in photography gear, such as B&H, Naturescapes, etc.
https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/search?q=bean%20bag
https://store.naturescapes.net/skimmersack-ii-camera-beanbag-support-for...
https://thevestguy.com/products/10305-bean-bag-camera-support
Unroll some of your duct tape/gaffer tape around a pencil so that you don't have to carry a big roll of the stuff.
Leveling up I see :-) 👏
I prefer gaffa tape over duck tape, it doesn’t leave any residue when you remove it. I’ve got some length of gaffa tape wound round one of the tripod legs , doesn’t take up any space.
For years I have seen gaffer's tape recommended as a useful item to keep handy. But I have no idea what it is useful for, from a still photography standpoint.
If, like most of us, one only uses a camera, lens, tripod, and head, then what is this gaffer's tape useful for? I have always assumed it was more useful for people who do odd types of photography that requires gadgets like flashes and transmitters and monitors and tethering and whatnot. But for normal, basic camera-and-lens-only photography, what do you use gaffer's tape for?
I have been doing a ton of photography for many years now, and I cannot recall any time when I ever could have used tape of any kind for anything. That is why this suggestion of gaffers tape confuses me every time I see it.
I used the tape to fix my speed lite in position when I was shooting mushrooms, I used to tape my phone to the tripod when I used triggertrap. I did a temporary repair when one of my tripod legs got loose. I also carry bandaids in my camera bag , never used those
Thanks for the explanation. As one who does not use "gadgets" or accessories for any of my photography, I do not see any use that I would ever have for such tape.
There might come a time that you’re out in the field , something breaks , and you think to yourself “ I wish I had some tape to fix this” ( like carrying bandaids around for years without use) ;-)
Hmmmmmm. I honestly can't think of anything that I take into the field with me on photography ventures that could be fixed with tape if it broke.
I sometimes take sewing needles and thread (spiderwire) with me, and have used those on several occasions when things broke on me.
But among the things that I use, what could possibly be fixed with gaffer's tape or duct tape?
Maybe a loose tripod leg, a lens hood
I suppose those are possible, but extremely unlikely.
I have broken tripod legs two times, and neither time would duct tape or gaffers tape or tape of any kind would have been useful at all for a temp fix.
I have never broken a lens hood, and if I did I would just shoot without it because hoods are not at all necessary. Besides, I use collapsible rubber hoods for all but one of my lenses.
I had one of my tripod legs come loose at the top. I would still stand stable but the leg would fall out when I picked the tripod up. Gaffa tape did the trick to keep it connected until I permanently fixed it at home. I also never broke a lens hood and always use them (my Zeiss lens has a steel hood, hard to break that)
Dental floss. It's great for "grooming" - tying back a stem and its leaves in the foreground that are interfering with a distance shot. It's strong, comes with its own cutter, doesn't change anything, and leaves no residue.
Red cellophane (a few inches square) and a rubber band. The red cellophane is the type of stuff you see packaged with gift fruit baskets. To maintain my night vision, I wrap it around the light of my regular flashlight. Much cheaper and easier to pack than a dedicated red flashlight.