Suggested Kit List for Landscape Workshops

 Before any major workshop we usually send out a suggested equipment list. The emphasis here is on the word ‘suggested’. One can always bring more or less on a workshop. Indeed, there are professional travel photographers who travel only with a Fujifilm X100t, an iPhone and backup hard drive. Being geared more towards landscape photography we tend to pack a little more into our camera bags. The kit below is the equipment that Emil would take with him to Madagascar, Iceland or Namibia for landscape photography (an important addition is a Macro lens which is not pictured here).

1. Primary Camera - Our recommendation for the workshops we run is any interchangeable lens camera. Out of preference we use full-frame digital cameras, but the crop frame APS-C and Micro four-thirds (as well as medium format) are all able to be used. We tend to recommend against 1 inch sensor systems as they tend to be at the lower end of the Image Quality scale.
2. Secondary Camera - If you are going to spend the money to travel on a workshop, bring a backup body along in case of breakages or any other unforeseen accident. Workshops can be tough on gear and it isn’t unknown for a camera to die in the middle of a trip. So bring a backup.
3. Tripod-plate - As a matter of preference, many landscape and architectural photographers prefer L-plates to the conventional tripod plate. The plate is essential, it doesn’t have to be an L-plate though.
4. 18mm f2.8 Wide Angle lens - The 18-20mm range is a staple lens length for landscape photographers. The wide aperture is also extremely useful for any night time astrophotography.
5. 24-85mm f3.5-4.5 Mid-range zoom lens - A mid range zoom is great as a walkabout lens that covers the travel genre as well as landscape. Emil and CM’s preference is for the relatively cheap Nikkor 24-85mm f3.5-4.5 lens. This lens is smaller and lighter than the f2.8 equivalents (and arguably just as sharp if not sharper).
6. 12mm f2.8 Ultra-wide Angle lens - Recently ultra wide lenses have become quite popular. Emil has been using the Laowa 12mm for several years and it has become an incredible astrophotography lens for him.
7. 70-200mm f4 Telephoto lens - Most photography websites will proclaim the merits of the 70-200mm f2.8 lenses. We agree with them but for one thing: weight. For a workshop where travel is required the smaller f4 lenses are often easier to deal with. Regardless of the f-stop, this focal length is highly recommended for all of the Nature’s Light workshops.  
8. 24mm f2.8 lens - The 24mm lens is arguably the most important landscape focal length. A separate lens is not necessary, but Emil tends to carry one both as a backup and to bolt onto the backup body in order to shoot timelapses. Another great option is a 24mm Tilt/Shift lens. These are expensive however, fiddly to use and quite heavy.
   
9. 40mm f2 lens - Another option is the nifty 50; a 50mm f1.8 which is usually tiny and cheap. This is a useful lens for any workshop. They are small, good for available light, and fun to work with.
10. Card wallet with sufficient memory cards for the workshop - Make sure that there are enough cards available on a trip that you can handle up to three days away from backing up onto a hard drive or computer, more is even better. A wallet to hold, protect and organise the cards is recommended.
11. Filter Holder System - All of the Natures Light photographers use 100mm filter systems from Lee and Nisi. We chose the 100mm square filter system as it is the most versatile and fits most of the wide angle lenses available on the market at the moment (notable exceptions are the Nikon 14-24, Canon 11-24, Tamron 15-30 which all require the significantly more expensive 150mm square filter system).
12. Filter Holder Adapter Rings - Make sure that you have the right adapters for the filter to holder to sit on any of the lenses that you pack.
13. Set of filters - A full set of filters usually consists of solid neutral density filters (sometimes called ‘Stoppers’, such as the Little and Big Stoppers) and graduated neutral density filters. A basic set is often a 3 stop soft ND grad, a Big Stopper (10 stop ND filter) and Little Stopper (6 stop ND filter). If the horizon is expected to be flat (think coastlines) then a 2 stop ND grad is a useful addition. A full set can consist of up to 10 or more filters or varying strengths.
14. Polariser Filter - The polariser achieves an optical affect that cannot be replicated in computer. It is an essential filter for landscape photography.
15. Cabled Intervalometer - Many new cameras are able to achieve in camera interval timing, but a cabled release is still simplest and most effective way to shoot interval timed images (essential for star-trails and timelapses)
16. TriggerTrap - When TriggerTrap still existed as a company Emil was one of their South African ambassadors which is maybe why he still doggedly uses their release. It is however still a very useful cable release considering its size and versatility.  
17. Lume Cubes - These are extremely useful for lighting landscapes at night. They can also be used as tiny flashes, video lights, and of course as an actual torch.
18. Batteries - As a rule of thumb we recommend enough batteries to be able to shoot for three days without charging. Although all of our workshops allow recharging, it is always a good idea to overestimate the time between charging sessions.
19. Battery Charger - to go with the above. A good idea is a charger that allows charging from a USB point or a car charger.
20. Blower Bulb - Essential for getting dirt and grit off a sensor, or blowing sea-sand out of a lens.
21. Lens clothes and/or microfibre towel - Essential. On any workshop close to the ocean lenses get covered in sea-spray while out shooting. A lens cloth or microfibre towel is the best way to clean and is also available to dry the camera if you get hit by a wave.
22. Eyelead Sensor Stick/Wand - Extremely useful for emergency sensor cleaning.
23. Sensor Cleaning Kit - A full kit consists of several sensor swipe wands, PecPads and sensor cleaning fluid. Some photographers will say that only their local technician should clean their sensor. This might be a problem when you are sitting in the middle of Madagascar, two days drive from the nearest tar road, and you have pollen glued to your sensor.

Of course we need to stabilize as well as carry the equipment mentioned above.

24. Camera Bag - We usually recommend using a camera backpack as they are easier to haul equipment in the some of the locations that we shoot at. Emil uses the F-Stop Gear range of backpacks usually. The Tilopa fits Extra Large Internal Camera Units nicely along with other bits and bobs (including laptop) and will fit in most regional jets (think Boeing 727 or Airbus A319).
25. Tripod - An entire article can be written on tripod choice alone. For this reason we'll update the blog soon with just such an article. For the sake of brevity though, we recommend a carbon fibre tripod that can reach at least to your own head height and take a camera load of up to 12kg minimum.
26. Raincover for the Camera Bag - Landscape photography often means shooting in inclement weather. A rain cover is a good idea.
27. Small Camera Bag - Depending on the workshop we are leading it is often useful to bring along a small bag that can fit a camera and lens and possibly a few other small items. These are great for bringing the camera along to a restaurant, or keeping next to you in the vehicle on travel days.
28. Microfibre Towel - Nick and Emil both consider this an essential item! We use these towels to clean sea spray off filters, protect cameras and lenses in the rain, dry equipment after a storm (or being hit by wayward wave) and yes, even as an actual towel. 
29. Photographer's Vest - A lot of travelers and photographers think these vests are ridiculous, as do we in fact. However, they are the best way of getting your luggage on board a plane with the new weight restrictions that are in place. The capacious pockets on these vests allow you to place lenses, batteries, flashes and hard drives on your person rather than in the camera bag (items 1 through 23 go in the cabin with us, and they certainly weigh more than the allowed 7kg!).

Then we turn to the computer equipment. Traveling as a solo photographer this equipment is certainly not essential. As it is Emil, CM and Chris travel on assignment regularly and don't always bring laptops with. However, photography workshops also entail a fair amount of post-production teaching which is better learned with an actual computer. This is the gear that Emil carts along, with variations by the other instructors.

30. Laptop - All of the instructors with Nature's Light use Apple Macbook Pros during workshops (with CM being a last holdout in the studio with his desktop PC). Any laptop is fine so long as it can comfortably run the editing applications that you use. We teach Photoshop, Lightroom and Capture One on the workshops that we run.
31. Wacom Tablet - For some of us a tablet has become an essential part of the workflow. This is not an essential item...until you have used one and can't work without it anymore.
32. Backup Hard Drive - Essential! All images should be backed up to at least two locations while traveling; one to the computer and one to the hard drive. If possible it is also a good idea to have enough memory cards that you never have to overwrite any (which makes for three copies).
33. Card Reader - Although some laptops have a card reader, it is a good idea to bring a dedicated reader along.
34. Cables - Check that you have all the necessary cables and power adapters required for the equipment that you bring.

Finally there is the macro photography kit. It is easy to simply say, throw a macro lens into the bag. However, if you are serious about your macro photography, chances are the lens is only the start (Madagascar in particular can be a macro photographers delight).
35. Macro lens - a 105mm f2.8 is the most versatile macro lens in our opinion. The shorter focal lengths don't give sufficient working distance to photograph skittish insects, while the longer focal length lenses are really more for a dedicated macro workshop (big, heavy and expensive).
36. Flashguns - These are an essential part of working at 1:1 reproduction ratios. However, careful use of reflectors and ISO can negate the need for these. If you are working in forests though, flashguns are a requirement.
37. Commander Module - this can be swapped out for a flash cable, but is basically the way you are going to control the flashes.
38. Flash Bracket - In this case a Wimberley side arm that holds the key light off the lens axis for better light placement.
39. Mini Softbox - A small softbox for wrap around key lighting of the subject.
40. Flash Foot Stand - This is used for the second flash which works as a fill or background light.
41. Rubber Bands - useful for attaching the second flash to branches etc.
42. Jobo Gorillapod - Used for the second flash when there isn't anything else to attach to.

Nick demonstrating why we think that a microfibre towel is an essential piece of kit to pack.

None of the equipment mentioned above is entirely essential or required. Ultimately the best gear you have is what you bring along. It doesn't matter if it is a state of the art digital camera, or a film camera from the 1980s, what matters are the images themselves, the enjoyment you get out of the workshop and the amount of time spent learning and shooting. This is the kit we bring and recommend photographers when they ask.