Field Photography Tips
Choose your Equipment and Accessories Wisely
Shooting outdoors can present many challenges but will also have great rewards. In our third class on nature photography our instructor talked about what to watch out for and what to carry when you are shooting in the field.
Some of the problems you encounter would be issues with controlling the light and the wind. You also might find wet and muddy conditions. When packing for a trip keep these things in mind so that the gear that you pack will help you to overcome any obstacles. If it looks like rain be sure to take rain gear and if light will be low don't forget a tripod.
You will also need to consider what type of photos you will want to take so you carry the right lenses and filters with you. You certainly don't want to be bogged down with trying to carry everything with you. Think carefully about your outing, pack your bag with that in mind and you will enjoy your shoot much better.
On this page, I will share with you what I took on my last outing and some of the photos that resulted.
all photos are my own-mbgphoto
Packing your Bag - just what you need
When you pack your bag to go on a hike or on a photo shoot that is away from your home or car you need to think carefully about what equipment you will need. Here are the items I carried in my bag on my last outing.
- Zoom lens- 18mm to 70 mm
- Zoom lens-75-300mm
- Polarizing filter
- lens cloth
- heavy trash bag- to sit on
- extra battery
- extra memory cards
- small pop up reflectors
Lightweight and Easy to Use Camera Bag
I love my Slingshot camera bag. It is great for carrying all of my needed supplies and it is lightweight and easy to carry. It also has a front pouch that I use for things I would normally carry in a purse. This makes it much easier if I only have one bag to carry.
One mistake photographers often make when going on an outing is to take too much equipment with them. Remember take what you will need but don't overload yourself.
Class Assignment - Outdoor Shot at Remote Location
Our assignment for our third class was to go to a remote location where we would have to think ahead of time what we needed to carry with us. My friend and I chose a park that has a nice lake and some good trails. We went in the early evening.
Along with the items that I list above that I had in my bag, I also carried my tripod with me. Since the sun was low in the sky I knew I would need the tripod for the low light.
In the photo above I was sitting on a bench and had my camera on a tripod when I shot the irises by the side of the lake.
Fountain Shots
In the series of photos below, I took several shots of the fountain in the lake using various setting on my camera. The sun was starting to set and you can see the difference with the low light rays in the one photo and non in the others. The photo that is a bit grainy is shot using the flash on my camera. It was not my best effort but I wanted to see what it would do.
These photos are shot using a f18 aperture.
Fountain at the Lake
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Photographing the Ducks
Over a period of an hour or so I watched the ducks swimming around the lake. I kept waiting for them to get closer. The white duck was photographed by zooming out to 300mm and setting the camera at aperture f11.
The three ducks got a bit closer to me so I was able to use a 100mm with a f6.3 aperture.
Ducks at the Lake
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Do you have a recommendation for something that is a must in your bag?
