Using your camera gear in the field safely.

It is obvious that as Landscape photographers, we take our gear out in all types of weather and conditions, going on long hikes, travelling in various types of vehicles, which brings me to the first piece of kit I want to talk about. The Backpack.

Your camera bag is the first line of defence. Chose one designed for the type of shooting you do.

• padded compartments

• weather-resistant materials and it must have a good rain cover.

• Comfortable straps and waist-belt to reduce fatigue.

  I cannot recommend f-stop gear packs enough, I personally own the Ajna and the Tilopa, and they have been excellent, i have also had a few other packs from other brands which have been very disappointing.

  My safety tips:

• Always zip up your bag, I have had a gust of wind blow my heavy pack across a beach and half my gear ended up in the sand, if it had been zipped up, my gear would have been fine, I was lucky that it was sand, and my gear only needed a good clean. Also if you have to make a run for it as a large wave approaches, you can just grab your pack and go, so make it a habit of always zipping up.

The tripod is another piece of gear that is very important for the Landscape photographer, and it is always recommended especially for the Landscape photographer to buy the best tripod you can.

What to look for:

• Stability - don’t forget you will be shooting in all types of conditions and weather, an unstable or flimsy tripod is a useless tripod, I cant understand how some people spend thousand on camera gear, only to skimp on a tripod, the one thing that is holding all your gear.

• Weight, Portability, and Durability - consider the material the tripod is made from, carbon fibre is my go to as it is light weight, strong , and doesn’t corrode.

• Tripod Head, I would recommend a ball-head with an arca Swiss attachment.

  Always make sure that your tripod is stable and all legs are securely fastened, make it a habit to double check. also make sure that your tripod is level, as the weight of the camera can topple your tripod if there is a large enough imbalance.

  Another important thing is to make sure you have attach your camera correctly to the Arca Swiss attachment, as sometimes you can fasten it just at the lip outside of the grove, and it will give you a false sense that you have attached your camera correctly.

• Tripod Feet, you can get various types of feet for your tripod, I personally like the claws, and the stilettos, but lately have veered more to the claws as they are suitable for a vaster type of terrain than the stilettos. when you attach them i would recommend applying a little lock-tight just to make sure you don’t loose them on one of your adventures.

  The Camera and Lenses

  I have had a few hairy moments in my many years and many adventures as a Landscape Photographer, I have had my camera fall of my tripod while it wasn’t securely fastened (my error) that was a costly repair of my lens. My tripod toppled over in strong winds (which I moved away from for for 2 seconds, I Iwas lucky I was close enough to fling my camera bag under it to cushion the fall, which thankfully only damaged my filter holder. and the most scary, is when my camera, agin fell of my tripod in the Faroe Islands and thankfully bounced off a guard rail to my feet and not the other way down the cliff into the ocean. (I had hastily fastened my camera to my tripod with heavy gloves on, and couldn’t fasten it properly, I now always double check everything is fastened and attached properly), I still have nightmares of that day. as you can see all these problems were all due to improper use of my gear, and I live in hope that I have learnt from my mistakes.

  Some tips:

• Many high end modern cameras have very good weather sealing, but I would still recommend covering your camera with a shower cap or some kind of cover during a downpour.

• Try not to change lenses in very dusty or wet conditions, try to shelter the sensor as much as possible.

• Always keep multiple good quality lens cloths at hand to wipe away any moisture or dust.

• Try and dry your gear as much as possible, before putting it back in the bag, having a micro fibre towel comes in handy for such situations.

  And lastly take care of yourself, always be mindful of your surroundings.