What’s in a Pro Landscape Photographer’s Bag

Landscape Photography  •  Photography Tips

We often relate amazing-looking photographs with the gear that was used to take the shots. While there’s only a slight co-relation between the beautiful work and gear, it has to be said that gear does matter when it comes to the quality of the work. After all, professionals don’t have much leeway when it comes to quality. They thus are dependent on their gear and their skills to produce work without any compromise. If you’ve ever wondered what gear professional photographers use, then it’s your lucky day. Professional landscape photographer Mads Peter Iversen shares with you what he packs in his bag for his shoots:

Besides a camera and lenses, a pro’s bag also houses some other accessories to help them get the job done. Each of those accessories however have a particular job to do. Everything has a purpose to fulfill.

Landscape photographers usually carry wider lenses like the 12-24mm or the 16-35mm with them. This comes in handy to photograph the magnificent vistas. But, longer focal lengths like the 70-200mm, or the 100-400mm also come in handy if you want to compress the background. For travel purpose, an all round 24-105mm is a handy option.

If conditions are unfavorable, filters come in handy. Pros have a different set of filters to help them out in different situations. For instance, a variable neutral density (ND) filter for long exposures, a polarizing filter to cut out on glares, and a graduated ND filter to help in high contrast situations.

Pros can’t get around without a stable setup to hold their camera. A sturdy tripod and a quality ball head is what they’ll never miss out on. Since they may need to work in windy conditions, it’s essential that the tripod and ball head keep the camera steady. Systems with good locking mechanisms is essential not to let the camera fall.

As far as cameras are concerned, landscape photographers consider two important aspects: dynamic range, and weather sealing. Since the scene can have a very wide dynamic range, the camera needs to be able to retain all that information. This is where a camera with a good dynamic range comes in handy. Also, since they need to work in rainy and snowy conditions, a camera with a good weather sealing is a must.

Lastly, the camera bag itself is quite important as well. It should be able to fit the gear and accessories, and should be comfortable to carry. The bags should be made of strong and waterproof material. Having a solid base keeps the gear safe if the bag is dropped.

That’s definitely a long list of things to have in a camera bag. But don’t worry. You won’t find the pros carrying all of those things at once. Depending on what project they’re working on, they usually narrow down the items to just what’s necessary. After all, comfort without compromise is what they’ll base their decisions on.