Essential Photography Gear and Safety Accessories for Nature Photography
- Shutter Nonsense
- Jun 10, 2025
- 9 min read
Updated: 4 days ago
What we carry and recommend for lenses, filters, rain protection, backups, remotes, first aid, and communication in the field.
In episode 2 of Shutter Nonsense, we talk through the photography gear and field accessories we actually carry, from lenses and filters to batteries, memory cards, rain protection, first aid kits, and communication tools. The episode came right after our Smoky Mountains workshop, so a lot of the advice is grounded in real things that happened in the field.
This isn't a checklist built around owning the most expensive gear. It is about carrying the right mix of practical camera equipment, small backups, and safety items so a lost battery, missing tripod plate, surprise rain shower, or lack of cell service doesn't end the day.
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Photography Gear and Safety Accessories: What We Cover
Photography gear advice can get complicated quickly. There are always more lenses, more filters, more accessories, and more clever little things someone swears will change everything. In episode 2 of Shutter Nonsense, we tried to keep the discussion grounded in what we actually carry, what we have seen go wrong in the field, and what has helped us keep photographing when something unexpected happens.
A lot of the episode came out of our Smoky Mountains workshop, where several small gear issues turned into good teaching examples. A battery ended up in a stream. A tripod plate was left behind. Rain came and went. Cameras got used around water, slick rocks, and damp conditions. None of those things were disasters, but each one showed why a practical field kit matters.
The goal isn't to carry everything. The goal is to carry the right things for the way you photograph, the places you visit, and the amount of risk you are comfortable taking.
Camera Bag Gear for Nature and Landscape Photography Trips
The most useful camera bag setup usually starts with flexibility. For us, that means covering a practical focal length range without making the pack so heavy that photography becomes a chore.
Michael carries Canon lenses that cover 14mm to 500mm, with a 14-35mm, 24-105mm, and 100-500mm setup. One of the major benefits is that all three lenses use the same 77mm filter size. That means one filter system works across the full kit, without needing step-up rings or multiple filter sets.
Jeffrey works with a similar three-lens approach on Nikon: 14-30mm, 24-120mm, and 100-400mm. His setup covers nearly the same practical range, though he uses step-up rings to work with larger filters across lenses. That isn't a major problem, but it does add a little more fiddling in the field.
Choosing Lenses for Landscape Photography: Range, Weight, and Filter Size
One of the biggest takeaways from the lens discussion is that the best lens kit isn't always the fastest or most expensive lens kit. Both of us have used heavier f/2.8 glass in the past, and both of us now lean toward smaller f/4 lenses for most landscape and nature photography.
Fast lenses still make sense for certain work, especially night photography, events, portraits, or situations where shallow depth of field and low-light performance matter. But for a lot of tripod-based landscape photography, the size and weight savings of f/4 lenses can be more valuable than the extra stop of light.
If we had to leave one lens behind, both of us would usually leave the widest lens at home first. If we had to carry only one lens, the midrange zoom would probably be the most flexible choice. That doesn't mean it would be the most exciting choice, but a 24-105mm or 24-120mm range can cover a lot of useful ground.
Camera Bag Essentials: Towels, Batteries, Memory Cards, and Tripod Plates
Some of the most important gear in a photography bag isn't glamorous. Microfiber cloths, small towels, spare batteries, memory cards, and extra tripod plates are easy to overlook until something goes wrong.
When photographing around waterfalls, streams, rain, or snow, microfiber cloths and small towels become essential. The microfiber cloth handles the front element. The towel can wipe down a camera body, dry gear before it goes back into the bag, or sit over the lens between shots when mist or drizzle keeps landing on the glass.
Spare batteries are equally important. During the Smoky Mountains workshop, one participant slipped near a stream and the camera battery popped out into the water. That could have ended the day if there was no backup battery. Instead, it became an inconvenience, not a trip-ruiner.
Spare memory cards solve a different problem. A card can fill up, fail, or trigger an unexpected camera error. Michael also uses a card case system where cards with files that need to be protected go on one side, while clean cards ready to format go on the other. That kind of simple organization helps avoid the stomach-drop moment of formatting the wrong card.
Extra tripod plates are another small item that can save an outing. We have both seen workshop participants show up with a tripod but no usable plate attached to the camera. If the plate is proprietary, the problem gets worse. Carrying a spare Arca-Swiss plate, along with Allen wrenches for tightening plates, brackets, and tripod legs, is cheap insurance.
Photography Filters: CPL, ND Filters, and Magnetic Filter Systems
Filters are one of the few accessories both of us use constantly. A circular polarizer is almost always on our lenses, especially for water, wet leaves, foliage, glare, and reflective surfaces. Even when the effect is subtle, having a CPL ready makes it easier to respond quickly.
We also both use magnetic filter systems, and the efficiency is hard to overstate. Screw-in filters work, but magnetic filters make it faster to add, remove, or stack filters when conditions are changing. Jeffrey uses Maven filters, including color-coded options and a combined ND plus CPL filter that is especially useful for waterfalls. Michael uses Kase magnetic filters and appreciates the clean color and simple handling.
The specific brand matters less than the larger idea: filters should help you work, not slow you down. If a system is too awkward, too fragile, or too hard to identify quickly, you will probably use it less often than you expected.
Rain Gear and Weather Protection for Photographers
Weather protection is another area where a little preparation goes a long way. Both of us use Shimoda bags and carry rain covers, though neither of us uses the covers for every bit of drizzle. In light rain or snow, the bags have handled themselves well. In a real downpour, the rain cover comes out.
Umbrellas can also be useful, especially during workshops. They are not something either of us carries all the time for solo work, but a large umbrella can give someone a few dry minutes, protect camera bags while waiting, or make difficult conditions more tolerable.
Tripod-mounted umbrellas can work in still conditions, but they need caution. Add wind and you have turned the camera and tripod into a sail. Even if nothing tips over, vibration can still ruin sharpness. Sometimes the better answer is simply holding the umbrella or using a towel between shots.
Useful Camera Accessories: Remote Shutters and L-Brackets
Remote shutter releases and L-brackets are not required, but they can make field work easier and more precise.
Michael is a heavy user of Canon wireless remotes. They make it possible to trigger the camera without touching it, which is especially useful at longer focal lengths, in fleeting light, or when a two-second timer is too slow and a ten-second timer is useless. For him, the wireless remote has become one of those accessories he checks for before heading out.
Jeffrey carries a wired remote mostly for situations where timing matters, such as seascapes or water movement. Even if it doesn't get used every day, it gives him another option when camera shake or timing precision becomes important.
L-brackets are another accessory we both recommend considering. They make it easier to switch between horizontal and vertical compositions while keeping the camera centered over the tripod. They also tend to make tripod work faster and less awkward, especially when moving between compositions repeatedly.
Safety Gear for Photographers: First Aid, Communication, and Satellite Messengers
Camera gear gets most of the attention, but safety gear matters just as much. For workshop leaders, first aid certification is often required on public land. Even outside of workshops, having basic first aid training and a small kit is useful. A simple kit with bandages, antiseptic, basic medication, gauze, a syringe for irrigation, and cold packs can cover a lot of common trail problems until you get back to the vehicle.
Communication is another major part of safety. During the Smoky Mountains workshop, Rocky Talkie radios helped us stay in touch when the group split up or when water and terrain made normal communication difficult. They are useful for workshop leaders, but they are also helpful for anyone photographing with another person in areas without reliable cell coverage.
Satellite messengers are the next step. We carry a Garmin inReach device because it gives us a way to send messages, share location, and call for help when there is no cell service. Both of us tested phone-based satellite texting in the Smokies and found it useful in a pinch, but more awkward and less confidence-inspiring than a dedicated satellite communicator.
The phone feature is better than nothing. A dedicated satellite device is still the tool we would trust more in a serious emergency, especially if someone is injured and can't stand there aiming a phone at a moving satellite.
Building a Practical Photography Gear Kit Over Time
The best field kit is personal. A photographer who hikes long distances in the desert needs different gear than someone photographing waterfalls near a parking area. A workshop leader needs different backups than someone heading out alone for an hour at a local park.
The larger lesson from episode 2 is to think through failure points. What happens if a battery dies, gets dropped, or disappears into water? What happens if a memory card acts up? What happens if the tripod plate is missing? What happens if rain moves in, the trail takes longer than expected, or cell service disappears?
You don't need to pack for every possible disaster, but the small items often matter most: batteries, cards, plates, cloths, towels, headlamp, water, first aid, and a way to communicate. Those are the pieces that keep a normal field problem from becoming the reason the photography ends early.
Listen to the Episode Behind This Article
This article covers the main takeaways, but the full episode gets deeper into our specific camera bag setups, lens choices, filter systems, workshop stories, safety gear, and the field problems that shaped these recommendations.
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Related Links
Michael’s gear page: https://www.michaelrungphotography.com/my-gear
Michael’s photo gear Amazon store page: https://tinyurl.com/y5523as7
Michael’s Leofoto tripod review: https://www.michaelrungphotography.com/post/leofoto-tripod-review-lm-324cl-x-version
Michael’s Leofoto geared head review: https://www.michaelrungphotography.com/post/the-perfect-tripod-head-setup
Jeffrey’s gear page: https://jeffreytadlock.com/my-gear
Jeffrey’s FLM Playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLPdd25Q98klnlXydgFeb-NvlG08zOLnNn
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Michael Rung
Michael is a nature and landscape photographer based in Texas, with a deep appreciation for quiet forests and the unique character of trees. His photography often explores the subtle beauty in overlooked scenes, capturing atmosphere and emotion through careful composition and light. Michael brings thoughtful insight, honest reflections, and a grounded perspective to every episode of Shutter Nonsense.
Jeffrey Tadlock
Jeffrey is a landscape photographer from Ohio who finds inspiration in waterfalls, scenic overlooks, and the ever-changing light of the natural world. He enjoys sharing stories from the field and helping others improve their skills through practical, experience-based tips. With a passion for teaching and a love of the outdoors, Jeffrey brings clarity and encouragement to fellow photographers at all levels.
