Landscape Photography Equipment: The Gear You Need

Are you just starting out in landscape photography? Maybe you’re looking at ways that you can take your photography to a whole new level?

Your camera gear isn’t the be-all and end-all of everything but it can make a large difference to your photography.

If you’re curious about the landscape photography equipment used by a professional nature photographer, then read on to check out what I have in my kit. Just remember that I didn’t start out with everything that is on this list. Over the last two decades, I’ve tried and traded many pieces of equipment to arrive at the gear that works best to suit my creativity today.

I hope that this list will be of some use as you begin to sort out what you need to improve your own photography!

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Camera & Lenses

I own a range of analogue and digital cameras though for landscape photography, I prefer to use my digital SLR. I currently shoot with a full-frame Canon 5DS R.

The lenses that I use most often for landscape shoots are:

Sigma 14mm f/1.8 DG HSM Art Lens (great for astrophotography and photographing Northern Lights)
Canon 16-35mm f/4L IS USM
Canon 24-70mm f/2.8L II USM
Canon 70-200mm f/2.8L IS II USM

Not sure which lens to buy for landscape photography? Learn about the essential lenses that will get you started, whether you’re a beginner or a professional.

Tripod & Ballhead

I use a Gitzo GT2531LVL Carbon-Fibre Levelling Tripod, which is sturdy and light enough to travel with. Instead of rubber feet, I use spiked metal feet on the ends of each leg, which are better for balancing on uneven ground.

Attached to my tripod is an Acratech GPSS ballhead.

Learn more about how to photograph landscapes with a tripod in this step by step guide.

Natural Lighting

I usually shoot landscapes with natural light, though sometimes I will manipulate the natural light to suit what I am shooting. This involves using a small diffuser to reflect light back onto the scene or blocking the light with an object, such as a jacket or the edge of a lens hood.

Filters

I use a range of different neutral density filters to help me balance the exposure when I’m shooting. Sometimes, I’ll stack a few for a combined effect. The filters that I prefer to use are by Singh-Ray and they are listed below:

George Lepp Solid Neutral Density 3-stop
Mor-Slo Solid 10-stop Neutral Density
Galen Rowell Graduated Neutral Density 2-stop hard edge
Galen Rowell Graduated Neutral Density 3-stop soft edge
Galen Rowell Graduated Neutral Density 4-stop soft edge

In addition to the filters above, I also use a LEE Circular Landscape Polariser and filter holder.

I keep all of my filters inside a Mindshift Gear Filter Hive.

Miscellaneous Accessories

There are some miscellaneous items that I just can’t live without for landscape photography. Here is a small list of common pieces of gear that I often get asked about:

LaCie Rugged Mini 2TB and 4TB Portable External Hard Drives (highly recommended)
SanDisk Extreme Pro 32GB CompactFlash Memory Cards
Hähnel Giga T Pro II Wireless Remote Control (useful for reducing camera shake at night)
Black Diamond Headlamp (must have)
Sea to Summit Ultra-Fine Mesh Mosquito Head Net (absolutely required for shooting around bodies of water during summer!)
Sea to Summit Ultra-Sil Dry Sacks (to keep electronics dry in wet conditions)
Quechua Ultra Compact Bum Bag (for fast, easy access to batteries and memory cards)

Do you really need all of these things to get started with landscape photography? Find out here.

Camera Bag

I carry everything around with me in my f-stop Kashmir UL camera bag, which is designed to fit a woman’s body. For longer hikes, I use the f-stop 50L Tilopa and 70L Sukha camera bags.

My camera bag accessories include a medium f-stop accessory pouch, small rain cover and extra GateKeeper straps.