What are the camera shooting equipment?

A complete guide to natural photography equipment from well-known photographers

Introduction: What photography equipment do we need to bring when shooting natural scenery? Below I will share an article by a well-known photographer in nature. What equipment do you need to bring when taking photos?

A complete guide to nature photography equipment from a well-known photographer

Take a look at my photography backpack. When I'm shooting short distances, I keep most of my gear in my backpack because I don't know in advance what gear I'm going to be using. If I take less or miss the tape, I will have to worry. If I'm going on a long, arduous trip, I'll only bring the most important gear and use it 90% of the time. Take a look at the list to the left and you'll see which gear is suitable for nature photography and detail photography—plus a long focal length, high-speed lens, and you're all set. (Photo taken by: Sandra Batocha)

1. Nikon D700

2. Nikon macro lens 2.8/105mm

3. Nikon lens 2.8/20mm

4. Nikon lens 2.0/35mm

5. Nikon lens 2.8/24～70mm

6. Kenko close-up lens Circle

7. Nikon lens 4.5～5.6/80～400mm

8. Meier-Grlitz lens (Meier-Grlitz) 2.0/100mm

9. Transcend notebook hard drive 320GB

10. Microfiber cloth

11. SanDisk memory card

12. Lee filter Mirror bag, filter and adapter ring

13.VisibleDust sensor cleaning kit

14.Gitzo carbon fiber tripod GT3530LS

15.ReallyRightStuff spherical Gimbal BH-55

16. Storage bags for various tools and remote shutter release cables

Mentioning photography equipment at the beginning of this book may give people the impression that photography Equipment is more important than observation and composition, but that is not the case at all. Rather than saying that photography equipment is very important, it is better to say that taking photos must use a variety of different equipment. In this section, you can take a rough look at some of the photography equipment we commonly use to make shooting easier. If you have similar equipment, of course you should know how to use it correctly, but having this equipment does not guarantee that you will take successful photos.

From a historical perspective, since photography replaced painting and became an important means of documentation, the role of photography technology has been overstated. Some of the latest features of the camera show that it is getting smarter: the camera can automatically track the primary subject it wants to photograph, and the shutter release button can only be pressed when the subject is smiling

Many After seeing an excellent photograph, the first question people will ask is what kind of technical means were used to take the photo. When explaining this issue, I often compare it with painters and their brushwork when painting, but after seeing a painting, people rarely ask what brushwork the artist used when painting.

The technical values ??used in the shooting are noted next to each photo in this book, but this information alone will not help you take good photos. You can use it as a clue, and after properly analyzing it, you can better understand the relationship between the technical means and aesthetics contained in it. Speaking of equipment, first we have to talk about how to use these equipment. Because when we use our own intuition to observe, compose, and use light, we must ensure that we operate the camera in a subconscious state, so that we can open our eyes, open our hearts, and invest all our emotions. to filming.

Preliminary considerations

Nature photography is a very broad field, and it is very difficult to conduct an in-depth and comprehensive discussion on it. The purchase of photography equipment and its later expansion need to be carefully considered. Underwater photography requires different tools from ground photography; photographing microorganisms requires relevant technical instruments, but it is not suitable to use these instruments for bird photography. This raises a question: As a nature photography enthusiast, what do you want? What to shoot?

If you have figured out the subject matter you want to shoot, then you need to prepare the relevant shooting equipment. Most people who are interested in nature and nature photography want to buy as much shooting-related equipment as possible, but no matter what, you should still have a focus so that you can find a rational reason for purchasing shooting equipment. Intersection—The gear you buy can be used for both landscape and plant and animal photography. If you are new to photography, it is best to think clearly at the beginning: which subjects are most attractive to you, how much money you can invest in photography, and how much time you plan to spend.

For a real photographer, in a very short time at your disposal, taking a macro lens to shoot a small wonder on a piece of grass is far better than taking an expensive telephoto lens. lens, it’s more fun to hide in a tent and wait for a rare bird that disappears for hours.

If you have thought through these issues rationally during the preparation stage, then this feeling of disappointment later can be avoided. Finally, as time goes by, you will find that nature photography and animal photography are excellent topics that can be explored in depth. You don’t have to rush, and you can slowly and step by step equip your own shooting equipment.

Tripod

A good tripod should be highly stable even in harsh conditions—it should be windproof, waterproof, and able to hold the camera and lens in place. There are many cheap tripods on the market. It is not so much a support stand for the camera as it is just a stand for the camera. So when buying you should think carefully about whether you really don't want to invest a little more money - and you will be rewarded with clear photos. (Photo taken by: Iboha Gis)

A tripod is an indispensable tool for photography! A good tripod can make the photos you take clearer and the imaging effect more ideal. Of course, you may encounter this situation when shooting: although you can have your hands free to work during the shooting, you must use a tripod due to limitations of external conditions. As for which kind of tripod to use, it depends on what kind of scene you want to use it in, and what kind of lens needs the tripod to be fixed and supported to prevent shake.

The longer the focal length of the lens, the more important it is to equip it with a tripod that is heavy and stable. Of course, you can also choose different types of tripods depending on your primary subject. Using a wide-angle lens to shoot natural scenery is different from using a heavy ultra-telephoto lens—500 to 1000 mm focal length, the so-called "cannon"—to shoot animals. The requirements for the stability of the tripod are different. If you're only going to buy one tripod, get one with three legs and a head that can support even the heaviest lenses. In addition to stability, the impact of climate on the tripod and whether it is easy to clean are other things to consider when purchasing. Each leg of your tripod should be smooth when open, yet they tuck tightly when closed. Finally, there is the issue of material. Choosing aluminum alloy or carbon fiber is not only a difference in price. Generally speaking, a carbon fiber tripod of the same weight is more stable than an aluminum alloy tripod.

PTZ

Which type of PTZ you choose depends on your personal feelings. You'd better look at different models and styles of gimbals first, and try them out if possible, so that you can feel which one is more suitable, a spherical gimbal or a three-dimensional gimbal. If you are photographing particularly active animals, you will need to use a specialized gimbal, such as a Wembley (American brand, Wimberley) cantilever gimbal. You can master virtually any piece of equipment, but only if you have a good feel for it from the start and trust your work equipment.

Clear photos require a stable and vibration-free tripod and a fixed cloud head—lenses with tripod rings (all telephoto lenses) should be placed on a vibration-free tripod and a fixed cloud head. on the table to produce as little vibration as possible. For a 500mm telephoto lens, the flipping of the camera's mirror is enough to cause it to vibrate, which can impair the sharpness of the photo. Therefore, a tripod system is often only as good as its weakest part.

Camera

The same rule naturally applies to the selection of camera systems. Like pixel count and shutter response speed, the design of the camera's other buttons must satisfy the user. Beyond that, even if you don't specifically study the anatomy of a camera, you should be able to operate it intuitively, since you'll often have to fumble around and use the relevant operations in a matter of seconds while shooting. The level of camera pixels depends on your financial strength on the one hand and how you want to use these photos in the future on the other. A 12-megapixel camera can fully meet our needs in most cases. Only large albums or specialized landscape photography require a camera larger than 20-megapixel. This is in order to be able to reproduce the wonderful details of the scene clearly and meticulously.

For animal photography, non-full-frame cameras with crop factors have more advantages than full-frame cameras because the imaging area is smaller, so it limits the angle of view of the lens. When using this camera, you will feel as if you are shooting with a longer focal length lens - a 400mm lens "becomes" a 600mm lens. There are many different types of cameras, and while DSLRs are best for animal photography, other types of cameras can capture similar photos. This requires you to be fully aware of the limitations and possibilities of your camera when shooting.

Lens

The lens is the decisive factor in photography equipment. The quality and results of your lens have a much greater impact on your photos than your camera does. In terms of animal photography, telephoto lenses are of extremely important significance. Like I mentioned before, when photographing animals we have to keep a certain distance from them. The longer the focal length of the lens, the further away you can be from the animal when photographing it. For photographers, this means that you don’t have to worry about how to get to a suitable shooting location while disturbing the animals as little as possible while still taking clear photos of the animals.

But the lens used by the photographer must also meet the shooting needs.

When photographing animals, if you want to shoot in a waiting area or move within a few meters of the waiting area, you should choose a 500mm or 600mm super telephoto lens. But if you have to climb mountains or go on long walks during the shooting process, the weight of the super telephoto lens is likely to exhaust you and affect your shooting. At this time, a 200mm or 300mm telephoto lens is a good choice - thanks to the camera's crop factor, this kind of shooting is possible.

If you prefer photographing small things rather than birds or mammals, then a macro photography lens is essential. But even when shooting insects and amphibians, you have to keep a certain warning distance from them. Therefore, it is much easier to shoot with a 200 mm macro lens than with a 60 mm macro lens. Although this short macro lens can Very good at capturing details of plants and animals.

In fact, you rarely use a wide-angle lens when photographing animals, because the distance between you and the animal is never close enough. If possible, a wide-angle lens can help you get a completely different picture of an animal, but this does not make a wide-angle lens the first choice for animal photography - although using a wide-angle lens can be quite creative for photographing animals, there are some limitations to using this lens. Strict restrictions.

Nature photography equipment will continue to increase with the needs of photographers. When starting out, maybe a standard 50mm lens will suffice. Later, as your investment in photography, financial situation and other factors change, various lenses will be continuously added.

Photography accessories

You can put a small flat reflector or silver foil in your backpack so you can quickly deploy it when needed to illuminate your subject in the shadows .

In addition to cameras, lenses and tripods, there are also a variety of useful or useless photography accessories. Some can help you shoot successfully, while others will only increase the weight of your photography equipment for no reason. . In the macro field or long-range field, various flash systems provide photographers with more possibilities for creative use of light. In addition, polarizing filters are also indispensable in photography equipment. For grayscale gradient filters or other filters, a rectangular socket system is available. There are many brands of filters for you to choose from, such as Cokin, Lee, Singh-Ray, etc.

Using an inversion ring, you can also achieve macro effects with ordinary lenses or wide-angle lenses. In addition, the close-up lens ring can also reduce the distance between the lens and the subject when shooting, so that ordinary lenses can be used for macro photography.

On long-distance photography journeys, mobile storage devices are very meaningful, as they can save your daily photography results. If you attach great importance to the security of stored data, you should prepare two storage devices. In addition, if you also need to write articles or emails, then a small netbook is perfect. In this way, the data you store can be stored on a small mobile hard drive instead of an expensive mobile storage device.

Other equipment

Only by wearing appropriate clothes can we cope with different weather conditions and allow photographers to devote themselves fully to shooting. This applies whether it’s a cold winter day or when it’s windy, rainy or snowy. It’s not about aesthetics, it’s all about practicality. The clothing worn by photographers must be durable enough to give you peace of mind even when lying in a muddy field. When it comes to quickly packing equipment and items, large bags will show advantages. (Photo taken by: Dr. Martin Mildenberg)

In addition to cameras, lenses and other equipment, nature photography also requires other equipment. First, photographers need to wear versatile outdoor clothing. Secondly, sometimes you have to walk on rocky roads, so a pair of shoes with good grip is also crucial. And if the shooting location you go to is relatively humid, or the grass is covered with morning dew, then wearing a pair of waterproof shoes will be more comfortable. In this case, rain pants or a waterproof suit will also give you a better shot. This way, your attention can be focused on your primary subject, blocking out all the distractions of photography. When shooting in winter, you should also consider warm equipment such as gloves, hats, and scarves. When shooting in summer, you should prepare sunscreen, sunglasses, and sun hats. When you are shooting in a field of orchids, you may ignore the strong heat. The harm the sun can do to you. If you need to stay on the ground for a long time when shooting, a small moisture-proof mat or a gardening cushion is essential. Of course, knee and elbow pads can also come in handy.

If you are shooting in rainy or muddy conditions, you have to wear a pair of rubber rain boots. Reasonable equipment not only makes the photographer feel comfortable, but also has a positive effect on the final shooting result.

When purchasing some equipment, you should check out other professional supply stores. For example, stools and umbrellas are usually cheaper in other professional supply stores than in nature photography stores, and other useful equipment is often more available there. The military supply store will also have some nice surprises waiting for you, such as camouflage netting that smells a little like rubber. It is very practical when setting up a camouflage location, sometimes just under the cover of a camouflage net, you can enjoy shooting.

Waiting for a photoshoot is indispensable without a high-quality camouflage tent—it must be able to be set up quickly and provide enough space for the photographer. When purchasing you should note that the tent should neither be too tall nor too large. Although a larger tent can protect the photographer from being noticed by the animal, it is an easy target to the modern eye. This can cause unnecessary distractions during your shoot. A lower camouflage tent can provide a comfortable and flat viewing angle for your shooting. With the help of the camouflage net, you can blend in with the surrounding environment.

If you have already inspected the shooting location, then the camouflage tent should play its role. It will help your photography to properly integrate the tent into the scenery. For example, setting up the tent in the bushes so that the tent visually blends into the green background.

Every nature photographer will encounter various problems in the process of photography activities. Fortunately, in most cases, solutions to these problems can be found in markets or supermarkets. plan. It always pays to pay attention to "edge gear" from time to time.

Photography equipment is generally divided into digital cameras, four-corner soft boxes, octagonal soft boxes, quartz lamps, remote controls, light meters, reflectors, and at least two assistants and a makeup artist, and then at any time A car that works.

What photographic equipment must a professional travel photographer prepare when going out?

When it comes to travel photography, you need to do your research and pack only the essentials for your trip, no need to lug around equipment and accessories that can weigh you down and make the experience less than joy. If you're considering your first travel photography trip, here are the essentials you'll want to bring with you.

1. Camera

You have many choices when it comes to the camera you carry. However, you'll want to opt for something lighter and more compact, such as a mirrorless, point-and-shoot, or pro version.

A camera remote that comes with the camera, this will allow you to take time-lapse photos, please make sure it is compatible with the camera you are carrying.

2. Lenses

You can choose to bring multiple lenses, but what you really want is at least one prime lens (16mm-35mmF/4 or 24-70mmF/4< /p>

Lens). These types of lenses will give you the widest range of uses and are generally more compact. If you know you'll be shooting a specific type of photography on your trip, such as landscapes, then you'll want to bring a lens suitable for the task, such as a 70-200mm F/4 lens.

3. Tripod

Tripods can be large and cumbersome to pack, so this is completely optional. You may want to consider compact and mini tripods, which can help stabilize your camera for beautiful landscape photos, or just for those photos where you want to include yourself.

4. Gear Bags

Camera bags come in all shapes and sizes, but are 100%

necessary for keeping your gear safe while traveling. You may want to consider at least two types of camera bags, one that you can carry with you when hiking on different terrains, and one that is more convenient to carry when walking around city streets.

5. Memory Cards

Since you will probably want to leave your computer at home or at least in a hotel, you will need to bring some extra SD cards with you when you go out shooting

. While you can most likely find these items in many stores on your trip, they will usually cost more. Use Class10SD cards as they are faster and have greater capacity.

6. Filters

Bringing some filters can help you achieve more effects with your images. Polarizing filters, neutral density filters, and graduated filters can all help balance exposure and color in different settings. You can easily find a kit that gives you all three, and they're small so they take up very little space.

7. Hard Drive

An external hard drive is always ideal to ensure you have a backup copy of your images. It's not uncommon for SD cards to be lost or damaged while traveling. A hard drive can help you reduce the anxiety of accidentally losing all your wonderful photos while traveling, with a portable hard drive that can hold large amounts of data and is easy to take with you.

8. Batteries

When traveling, extra batteries are a must. Just be sure to put them back in your carry-on, as many flights don't allow batteries in checked luggage. Also, bring an extra charger just in case you misplace it or anything happens and it gets damaged along the way.

9. Camera Protection

You want to be prepared for any unexpected weather you encounter on your trip. To ensure your equipment is protected, you'll need some lightweight items to keep it running properly and clean.

Rain sleeves (a good alternative is a shower cap, often found at your hotel)

Tilt cloth and lens pen to keep your gear clean and dust-free .

10. Insurance

Travel photography comes with a lot of risks, and you may be carrying expensive gear, and you never know when something might happen that could damage your accessories or camera. Accident, insurance is a must-have for travel photographers.

We hope you have considered this helpful list when packing for your next travel photography outing so that you can travel light.