All photographers have their favorite accessories they couldn’t imagine their lives without. In this video, Steve Perry suggests eight of those accessories that could make your life much easier if you’re a nature photographer and often use big lenses. Most of them are pretty affordable, and some are even DIY, so you won’t spend a fortune on them, yet you could really find them handy.
1. Disposable lens wipes
When shooting outdoors, having some disposable lens wipes can come in handy. Steve uses Nikon or Zeiss lens wipes and always has a couple of these in his camera bag. They are useful whenever need a quick way to clean a lens when you smudge it in the field.
2. Dirt-cheap window lens support
There are all kinds of gadgets for stabilizing your camera. But Steve has a handy and super-cheap trick up his sleeve for keeping his camera stable while shooting through a car window. He uses a short piece of polyethylene pipe insulation. He cuts it, snaps it onto the car window and leans the lens against it. Even changing the height requires you to do nothing more but bring your car window up or down. DIY all the way.
3. Teleconverter pouch
If you shoot wildlife, you probably like to keep a teleconverter handy. Steve likes to use a little pouch from Running Buddy called the XL Buddy Pouch. You can attach it to your belt and keep the teleconverter inside it. This way, you don’t have to keep it with the caps on, so it’s always handy, yet you’ll keep it protected and scratch-free.
4. Big glass lens cap
A soft cover for large lenses can be bulky and it might not fit into your camera bag. Steve solves this by using an AquaTech Soft Cap that squeezes in right over the lens and makes it easier to pack.
5. Compact backpack
A compact backpack that folds into itself is small and easy to pack, yet it can really come in handy in the field. If you walk around with your camera and tripod and don’t want to carry all your gear around, you can use a small and compact backpack like this to pack any extra items you may need, such as a bug spray, lens wipes, water, and the like.
6. Tripod shoulder rest pad
If you walk around with your tripod over your shoulder and there’s a camera and a big lens attached – you know how painful it can get. Heck, I get shoulder pain even with a Nikon D7000 and a 50mm lens. To overcome situations like this, you can buy a tripod shoulder rest pad. It will make carrying the tripod much more comfortable.
7. Handy Allen wrench
If you use Arca-Swiss-Style QR Plates, you know that you need an Allen wrench. They’re small and easy to lose, so you can try with this one. You can attach it to your camera bag, release it when you need to use it, and then put it back in place so it’s always around when you need it.
8. Foldable lens hood
If your lens hood doesn’t fit in your camera bag, it can be a problem, especially when travelling by plane. Steve suggests using a foldable lens hood such as the LensCoat travel hood. It’s the most expensive item on the list, but I guess $120 isn’t all that much when you compare it to the cost of that big lens.
[8 Awesome Accessories For Nature Photographers | Steve Perry]
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