How to Choose the Best Gear for Landscape Photography

1. Introduction: You want to take gallery worthy landscape photographs, but are unclear about the exact gear that you need in order to do so. Hi, My name is Meredith Fontana. I'm a naturalist, photographer and outdoor educator based in beautiful Denver, Colorado. Throughout my career, I've led countless hiking and backpacking trips throughout some of our country's most stunning natural landscapes. After hiking thousands of miles with camera gear on my back, I've learned the hard way with gear is better left at home and what gear you really need to have with you if you really wanted to take amazing quote graphs. There's a lot of advice out there on photography gear. And the truth is, it is just trying to get you to buy stuff that you don't really know. It's not going to make you a better photographer. In this course, you're going to learn how to choose the essential gear that you need to take stunning landscape photographs on your next hiking or backpacking trip, or maybe just sightseeing trip from your car. You also learned how to choose the best gear for you based on your own unique needs as a photographer. And also how to avoid a lot of the mistakes that people make when they're trying to figure out what gear The thing. By the end of this course, you'll have a framework that will help you understand exactly what you need to take on your next adventure. So that you can save weight in your pack. You can save money. You can streamline your workflow and even help you become more creative. This course is for anyone who wants to take amazing photos on their next outdoor adventure. But it's especially for people who want to spend more time hiking and backpacking with their camera equipment. If you're a beginner new to landscape photography, you'll gain a deeper understanding of how to put your first year kit together. More experienced photographers who want to spend more time exploring the outdoors by foot will gain a lot from this class by learning how to lighten their path while also maximizing their creative freedom in the field. It's important to know that you don't need to own any of it discussed in this course in order to take it. I won't be discussing specific brands, makes, and models of gear. Rather, I'll be helping you to understand how to make your own decisions based on what you need out of your gear. After taking this course, you'll be able to make more informed decisions when purchasing here in the future. Won't need to worry about wasting time and money on accessories, gadgets and gear that you just simply don't need to take amazing photographs. I want to thank you so much for being here. And let's jump right into the class. 2. How to choose a camera body: In this first lesson, we're going to talk about how to choose the best camera for landscape photography. Now, before I go on, I just want to say that you don't have to spend a lot of money to buy a fancy camera to take amazing landscape photos. So don't feel like you have to go out and buy something really expensive. You can use the camera on your phone. If that's all you have, you can still take amazing photos that way. Now, the topic of how to choose a camera and really cameras in general, a huge topic and we're not gonna be able to cover everything about cameras in this lesson, but I'm going to show you the most important things to look for if you plan on shooting landscapes. So there's a few features of cameras that are particularly important if you want to get the most out of your camera for landscape photography. In this lesson, we're gonna be talking about digital cameras because that's what most people use these days and it's likely what you're going to be using, especially when you start out in landscape photography. There are two main types of digital cameras that most photographers use these days. And those are DSLR cameras or mirrorless cameras. And we're going to go over what those types of cameras are. The pros and cons of each of those cameras, DSLR cameras, which stands for a digital single lens reflex. They've been around for awhile and they're still widely used by professionals and amateurs alike. They're still a really great option for landscape photographers. And I personally use a DSLR. They're really great because they have a lot of options when it comes to lenses. So because they've been around for awhile, you can virtually find any lens that you need for a DSLR camera. Dslr cameras also tend to be a little more robust and durable. So they're a great option for people who spend a lot of time outdoors and have to worry about the elements like rain and snow and stuff like that. Mirrorless cameras use a more modern technology, so they haven't been around as long as DSLR cameras, but in recent years, they've really gotten just as good as DSLRs. The great thing about mirrorless cameras is they tend to be much lighter and more compact than DSLR cameras. Dslrs are pretty bulky generally, so mirrorless cameras are much easier to pack in your backpack if you're traveling distances, if you're doing a lot of hiking, having those lighter, more compact cameras you'll find to be much more convenient. You will, however, end up spending more money on a mirrorless camera than a DSLR. So it really comes down to how much you want to pay for a camera. They also have a more limited selection of lenses. So unlike DSLRs or there's a huge selection of lenses out there, you have to consider that you might not have as many options. And if that's okay for you, the next thing you're going to want to consider is the sensor size of your camera. The sensor is a piece of hardware inside the camera that captures light information coming from the scene and converts it into a digital image. Think of the image sensor of your camera, like the film inside a camera, how it used to be in the old days. So instead of having a piece of film that detects light coming in and creates an image, the image sensor is going to collect the light and digitally turn that information into your photograph to show you what an image sensor looks like and where it is inside the camera. I've got my personal camera here. This is a full-frame DSLR, and I'm just going to pop the lens off here. Now I don't recommend that you do this. At least very often. You're going to expose your sensor to dust and that's just not a good thing. So real quickly here, the image sensor is just going to sit right behind the lens, collecting light through the lens. It's a little square, or not really a little square, but 35-millimeter square. And let's see if you can take a look in there. I can get that guy into focus. But that's where your image sensor is going to live. In general, the bigger the sensor of your camera, the better the image quality is going to be. So what I mean by that is typically when the sensor is larger, you're going to have better detail in the image, especially in the shadow detail. And you're also going to have higher resolution. So you're gonna be able to blow your photograph up to a larger size without it getting pixelated and grainy looking. Larger sensors also perform well in low light. Because they can capture more light per time that the shutter is open. They're going to capture more data. They're going to capture more information coming in from the scene. And this is going to really improve the quality of your images. For landscape photography, this is really important because a lot of the time you're going to be shooting in low light situations. So think like sunrises, sunsets times when light on the landscape, during golden hour, when it's really beautiful, really warm the times you really want to get out and shoot. This is when the sun is gonna be lower in the sky and you're going to have lower light coming in from the scene. So a bigger image sensor is going to be able to capture more light information, especially in these low light situations. And your images are just going to look so much better because of that. Another one of the benefits of having a larger sensor is that larger sensors generally have a higher dynamic range. Now what does that mean? Dynamic range is really the difference between the brightest point in your image and your photograph and the darkest point in your photograph. So the better the dynamic range of your camera, the more you're going to capture from bright to dark in your image. And this is really great at sunrise and sunset when you have the sun, which is super bright, and you're going to have some dark shadows as well. So the dynamic range or the spectrum from bright to dark is gonna be really big and sunrise and sunset photography shoots. So these are situations when the light is best and you're going to want your camera to be able to capture that large range in tones. But first sensor size is called medium format. So you'll hear a medium format cameras as they're called. And this is the biggest sensor size of the three. Now, I'm not gonna get too much into medium format cameras because they're really big, they're really expensive, and they're simply not practical if you're doing a lot of hiking and backpacking. Medium format cameras are also not beginner friendly, but know that they're out there. And at some point you may want to explore medium format cameras as you progress in your photography career. The second type of sensor is called a full frame sensor or full-frame camera. Full-frame sensors are 35 by 24 mm and dimension, which is the exact size as the traditional 35-millimeter film used in film cameras, full-frame cameras are most commonly used by professionals today. A great option if you want to take your photography to the next level. The third type of sensor is called a crop sensor. And crop sensor sizes can come in various dimensions. Depending on the make model of your camera. That crop size might vary slightly. But in general, crop sensors are the smallest of the three. They're going to be smaller than full-frame sensors. As you might have guessed, since full-frame sensors are larger and therefore usually produce better quality images, you're going to have to pay more for them. And this is one of the main reasons why full-frame DSLR or mirrorless cameras are so much more expensive than cropped frame sensors. Because the sensor is so important to the final image. I really encourage you to invest in a camera with the biggest sensor that you can afford. Even if you're a beginner photographer, you can grow into a camera that has a full frame sensor. Once you advance your skills. The other thing worth mentioning about sensors is that DSLR and mirrorless cameras with full-frame sensors are usually much bigger than cameras with cropped frame sensors. So there's one advantage of having a cropped camera is that they're going to be lighter, so they're going to be easier to carry and hike with and go on your adventures with. But if you want to produce photos that have that real professional look that just have that extra high-quality punch to them. You're going to want to invest in a full frame camera. And full-frame cameras are really, they're not that much heavier than cropped, in my opinion, it's worth the extra weight. Full-frame DSLR mirrorless cameras are really like the perfect balance between weight and performance. Another recommendation I have for you in choosing a camera is to look for one that's weather sealed. My Nikon D85 is whether sealed. And the other thing I want to point out that I've got on this guy is a silicone cover. And you can find these for really cheap on Amazon. You just type in your camera, camera model, but that's just a little bit extra insurance. The camera itself though, does have whether resistance. So that's going to protect your camera from the elements. Really going to extend the life of your camera, especially if you're using outdoors and doing a lot of hiking, backpacking, stuff like that. Finally, you might be wondering which specific camera brands I recommend. This isn't something that I want to get into a really think is that important? Camera brands really comes down to personal preference. For each price range of camera. For each brand. Cameras are going to be very similar. E.g. crop sensor cameras on the low end of the spectrum are usually going to be very comparable, no matter what camera manufacturer, camera brand that you want to buy from. Same goes at the other end of the spectrum we're looking for, say, full-frame DSLR or mirrorless cameras. They're really going to be so close that you're not going to tell a big difference between final image. The most important thing is what you have as a photographer to offer your skill set. At the end of the day, the most important thing is not the brand of camera equipment that you have. It's your skills. So focus more on building your skills rather than going down the rabbit hole of which brand is better than another. Just go with your gut. I got an icon because someone gave me some Nikon lenses and I needed a camera body for it for those lenses. And I really love my camera. I'm glad I went with that decision, but it's really personal. So go with your gut and don't overthink it. And focus on becoming a better photographer yourself. And that's where you'll see the most improvement in your photographs. 3. How to choose camera lenses: Welcome back. In this lesson, we're gonna be talking about another big topic, which is lenses. Other than your camera body. Your camera lenses are arguably the most important pieces of gear that you'll have as a photographer. Even if you have a full frame, mirrorless or DSLR, high-end top of the line camera. If you put low quality lenses on that camera, you're not gonna get the performance, the image quality that that camera is capable of. Light camera bodies, lenses are a huge topic and again, we're not gonna be able to cover everything about lenses in this lesson, but I'm going to show you the most important things to look for when you are choosing a lens. Personally, my goal is to carry the fewest number of lenses possible while maximizing the flexibility I have with regard to the types of compositions I can shoot. I also want to carry lenses that give me high image quality and sharpness so that I can get the most out of my full-frame DSLR, which you want out of your lenses will be unique to you. So take into consideration the following when deciding which types of lenses you really need. Before I go on, I want to mention that if you have a lower budget to spend on lenses, I recommend that you invest in one or two high-quality lenses rather than a whole bunch of low quality lenses because you're really going to notice the difference in your final images. And as you advance as a photographer, you're going to wish that you had invested in better lenses upfront because at some point you're going to have to do so. Anyway. This might seem obvious, but the fewer lenses that you have, the less you're going to have to carry with you when you're out in the field. So this is something to consider, especially if you're a backpacker. I only carry one to two lenses with me when I'm on a backpacking trip. And I'll talk a little bit more about what those lenses are. But keep in mind that you don't need a whole arsenal of lenses to be a good photographer, a great photographer, and to take really incredible images. Here are some of the most important things to take into consideration when you're choosing lenses for landscape photography. The first and one of the most important things to take into consideration is which focal lengths do you like to shoot at? Do you like taking photos of grand landscapes and need wide angle lenses with short focal lengths? Or do you like to really zoom in to a location, say, like a mountain peak and create a portrait of certain aspects of the landscape. You might like a telephoto lens, a long focal length lens. In that case, if you're a little unclear about what focal length means, I encourage you to go check out a guide on focal length. I can link one of those in the class description and learn a little bit more about what focal length means and how to use it to improve your compositions. If you're a beginner and you're not sure which focal lengths you like to shoot at. I generally recommend starting with a wide angle lens. So something from like the 14 to 24, 30 millimeter range is a great place to start. This lens will allow you to capture the entire scene in one shot. So imagine a beautiful landscape with flowers and mountains in the background, maybe lakes in the mid ground and wide-angle lens will allow you to capture all of that. And that's usually a great place to start when you're new to landscape photography. The wide-angle lens that I typically shoot at is 14 to 24 mm. And this I'd say I use about 25% of the time, but it's always in my camera bag because usually I always wish that I had it on me if I don't. So I want to avoid having FOMO and not having my wide angle lens on me when I see a perfect grand landscape where I wanted to capture everything in the scene. The second lens that I almost always have on me pretty much 99% of the time is a telephoto lens, focal length of 72, 300 mm, and this helps me take photos of really distant objects. The next thing I want to consider is whether you want a lens with manual or autofocus capabilities. Most photographers up for autofocus, which allows you to focus in on a focus point within seconds. And you don't have to do anything manually to dial in your focus. With manual lenses, you have to manually dial in your focus. While this is more time-consuming, some people prefer it just because you have complete control over the focus of your image. The good news is that these days most lenses come with the capability of switching between autofocus and manual focus mode. And you'll see a button on these lenses. On the side, you'll see a m or m. And you can see right here, there's a little switch where you can switch back and forth between autofocus and manual. This in my opinion, is the best way to go having the option to switch between autofocus and manual focus. Because you can set it to autofocus most of the time. It's the faster, easier. It's also much more beginner friendly option. But if you're finding that you're having trouble focusing, say, if you're doing night sky photography or macro photography when you need more control over the focus, the autofocus doesn't work well in those situations. You can just flip the switch over to manual and dialing your focus that way. Sometimes also when you're focusing in the field, you use auto-focus but it doesn't get it just right. So one thing you can do is use autofocus to get it 99% of the way there really quickly. And then just use your focus ring in the field. Use your eyes to dial that focus in exactly the way you want it. The third thing you want to consider is whether or not you want a zoom lens or a prime lens. Now, this topic is often highly debated. You could ask 100 different photographers, whether they prefer Zooms or primes, and you might get 100 different preferences. So the first thing you need to understand is, what's the difference between a Zoom and a prime lens? The main difference is that zoom lenses can zoom in and out, which means that they have variable focal lengths. Now, e.g. this lens is 72, 300 mm. That means I can go from 70 and then zoom in all the way to 300 mm. That is what you call a zoom lens. Then you have prime lenses, which are sometimes called fixed focal length lenses. What this means is that, like the name suggests, they can only shoot at a single focal length. They can't zoom in and out. So e.g. this lens I have on my camera right now, this is a 50 millimeter prime lens. That means there's no way for me to zoom in or out. If I want to zoom in, I'm going to have to walk closer to my subject. And if I want to zoom out, I'm going to have to walk further away. You can see right away for hikers, landscape photographers who do a lot of outdoor adventure. Sometimes this is not gonna be practical to zoom in and out with your feet, which is why zoom lenses are, in my opinion because of their flexibility. They are the most practical lenses to have. If you do a lot of outdoor adventures. Sometimes when you want to get a shot, you can't hike off trail or maybe there's allege that you're going to fall off if you move to the left or all kinds of things that might inhibit your ability to change your location relative to your subject. This is where it zooms, come in super handy. They allow you to change your composition, get closer, get farther away, and you can stay in a single location. The downside to zoom lenses is that they tend to be bulkier and heavier. It also actually more expensive. So if you're getting a high-end zoom lens, It's gonna be a lot more expensive than a high-end fixed focal length prime lens. To show you what this looks like. I have my wide angle zoom lens here, 14 to 24 mm and then my 50 millimeter prime lens on my camera. And you can just see just the size difference there. The main reason the zoom lenses are so much bigger is because they require more optical elements to be able to zoom in and out. They are essentially the same level that you get the same image quality from both of these. But this is a lot heavier to carry on a hiking trip. It really weighs you down. However, I always need it when I'm on a backpacking trip. This prime lens is just not practical most of the time for hiking, sometimes I'll bring it with me, but even though it's a great little lens, I just don't get the versatility out of it that I need. So at the end of the day, I still have to go with my zoom lenses. The other thing about primes is you might hear that they produce sharper or crisper images. And this is true to an extent. If you compare a prime lens to a low-end, cheaper zoom lens, you're definitely going to see a difference in image quality. So with the low-end zoom lenses, you'll see more distortion. And it's just not going to look. Quite as sharp and as crisp, but with newer modern high-end zoom lenses, they've gotten so good that you're really not going to notice a difference, especially at a zoom lens is sharper apertures, which is usually two or three stops above the widest aperture of that lens. You're not going to notice, really the common person isn't going to notice a difference. So don't worry about image sharpness, especially if you take my advice and invest in one really good zoom lens rather than a whole bunch of lenses. These days, sharpness is really not that big of a deal between the two. The next really important thing I want to mention is aperture size or maximum aperture size of a lens. You'll see the maximum aperture size listed usually next to the focal length of the lens. So e.g. on this camera, the maximum aperture is 4.5 to 5.6. That means as I zoom in the aperture, the maximum aperture is going to change from 4.5 to 5.6. Thing you need to know about maximum aperture is it has to do with the lens speed. In landscape photography, lens speed isn't that important? What I mean by lens speed is how much light is let through the aperture. So the wider the maximum aperture, the more light is going to be let through the lens. Here's the thing you need to know about maximum aperture for landscape photography. Wider apertures are better for photography where you're holding your camera and you need to minimize motion blur. It's also great if you're shooting subjects that are moving quickly. This is great for wildlife and sports photographers. When you're shooting landscapes. The landscape isn't going to be moving. So you don't have to worry as much about having a fast lens. Lenses that have wider maximum apertures. Usually you're going to have to spend a lot more for. But if you're shooting landscapes, it's not worth spending the money to have wider maximum aperture. It's better to get a smaller maximum aperture. Pay less money, and just use your tripod. You should really always have a tripod on you if you're serious about landscape photography and if you're using a tripod, you don't have to worry about having a really fast lens, a wide maximum aperture. As a final note on lens speed, you'll see prime lenses usually have wider maximum apertures than zoom lenses. So another reason that primes aren't the most practical is sometimes you're paying a lot more to have that faster lens speed when you just don't really need it. The last thing I want to mention about choosing a lens is like with camera bodies, it's a really good idea to choose. A lens that is weather resistant, has some kind of weather protection. And you'll see this in the lens description online. But again, this is important because it's going to extend the life of your lens if you spend a lot of time hiking and backpacking or outside in nature. 4. How to choose a tripod: Alright, welcome back. In this lesson, we're going to talk about tripods. Tripods are likely the third most important piece of gear after your camera, body and lenses. A sturdy tripod is absolutely essential for landscape photography. So it's definitely a piece of gear that you're always going to want to have on you. Even if you're hiking. A tripod is unnecessary tool for shooting landscapes for three important reasons. First, a tripod allows you to take longer exposures while maintaining image sharpness. As a landscape photographer, you will ideally be shooting during golden hour, meaning sunrise and sunset. When the sun is low in the sky and the light on the landscape is at its best. During these times, there's less available light to capture the scene. So the shutter speed of your camera must be slowed down in order to capture enough light data to get a proper exposure because you have to slow your shutter speed down during these low light situations, you're going to need something to keep your camera really, really still so that there's no motion blur, shaking things that cause a blurry image. And this is where your tripod is going to be so important. It's usually impossible to hand hold the camera is still enough in low-light conditions while keeping the aperture small enough for adequate depth of field. And the ISO low enough to prevent noise, which is why a stable, sturdy tripod must be used. If you're unsure about why you need a smaller aperture when shooting landscapes, or why you want to have a low ISO. I'll link a guide in the class notes so that you can understand the exposure triangle and how that relates to landscape photography. If the concept of ISO, shutter speed and aperture size is a little unclear to you. I really highly recommend you fill in some of those knowledge gaps because exposure and the exposure triangle is one of the most important parts of photography. A lot of times in landscape photography, finding that perfect composition takes a lot of time. So having a tripod is gonna be really, really helpful when you finally find that perfect composition. And you want to just hold it in place. You want to keep that frame safer hours. So say you get to a location, you find your composition, dial in and get it perfect. Then you can use your tripod to set that composition up perfectly and then wait until the best light of the day hits, say golden hour, sunrise or sunset. The third most important reason to have a tripod on you is that it allows you to shoot multiple exposures from a fixed point, which you can then go and blend and merge using post-processing techniques in programs like Photoshop. As you progress to more advanced landscape photography techniques such as focus stacking, HDR or high dynamic range photography and panoramas. You will need a tripod in order to successfully create photos using these techniques. The key here to know is that many of these techniques require your camera to be extremely still. Stay in a perfectly fixed position for all of the exposures that you take. A tripod allows you to keep your camera exactly in the same position with the exact same composition for an extended period of time. Now that we've talked about why you need a tripod, let's talk about how to choose the best tripod. The most important thing that you should know in choosing a tripod is that you don't want a lightweight flimsy tripod. You want a sturdy, heavier, more robust, stable tripod. This was a mistake that I made when I was first starting out. And even after that, I used just this cheap lightweight tripod, thinking that it was doing the job I needed it to do holding my camera. But it really caused more problems than the problems it's solved. So I thought it was easier to carry. It was lighter weight. It was cheaper. I didn't think it was that big of a deal. But the truth is, I'd invested all this money and really expensive camera equipment. And then this really light flimsy tripod was actually introducing motion blur, vibration, things that are not good, That kinda negated all of the money that I spent on my camera gear. The other thing about lightweight, cheaper tripods is that they can more easily tip over. So the last thing, obviously you want is for your camera to be mounted on the tripod and a gust of wind or maybe. Moving rocks, water, stuff like that. Tip your tripod over in. Your camera goes tumbling down a mountain side. Now, if you're a hiker or a backpacker like me and you really want to save some weight. What you can do is invest in a carbon-fiber tripod. And these are gonna be more expensive in the few hundred dollar range. But you will save a lot of weight while still getting a robust, sturdy tripod. And if you can afford one, it's definitely the way to go. If you don't want to invest in a more expensive carbon-fiber tripod or you really don't care about weight. I don't get a tripod that's aluminum, really lightweight plastic materials. You'll be able to use your best judgment to determine whether a tripod is too flimsy or not. So experiment with your gear. Use your best judgment and when in doubt, go for the heavier tripod. I know it's not the most fun to carry around, but if you're serious about getting the most out of your images, then it's gonna be worth it, I promise you. Here's some other tips I have for you. When looking for a tripod. You're going to want a tripod that doesn't have a center column. So a lot of tripods have a column that comes out of the top of the tripod. And I'll show you my tripod here, which does not have a center column. But you'll see this column that comes up and out of the tripod and it's usually adjustable. So there's usually a knob where you can lift it. And this is so that you can adjust the height of your camera really easily. The problem with these center columns is that they reduce the stability of your camera on top of the tripod. You want to look for a tripod like this, where the camera is going to sit directly, where all of the, on top of the tripod where all of the legs meet together. And that point is the most stable point where where the camera is going to have the lowest likelihood of vibrating and motion blurred due to camera shake. The next feature it's important to look for in a tripod is a mount at the top of your tripod for something called a ball head. We're going to talk about what a ball head is in later lessons. But essentially, it's a, an apparatus that sits on top of the tripod and that's what you're going to attach your camera too. So as you can see here, this is not what you attach the camera to. The camera is going to be attached to the ball head. And the ball head is going to screw on top of the tripod. And we'll talk about why that setup is a better way to do it. But for now, just know that when you're looking for a tripod, look for ones that you can mount the ball head on top of, and some tripods you'll find even come with the ball had already attached. You may or may not be able to remove it. So every model is a little bit different, but just to show you what mine looks like, that's a pretty typical setup right here. The next thing to look for in a tripod is to look for one that when you fully extend the legs out like so that when the tripod is fully extended, you want the camera, when it's all set up, you want your camera to be at eye level. Keeping in mind that you don't want a camera with that center column. You want a, excuse me, you don't want a tripod with a center column. You want to be able to extend the legs so that the apex of the camera is say about chin height. There, excuse me, again, the apex of the tripod is about where your next set so that the camera is about eye level. So I'm pretty sure I'm only five foot two, so I don't need a tripod that's super tall. If you're say a foot taller than I am. When you're searching for tripods, make sure you look at those specs you look usually manufacturers will tell you how high the tripod gets when all of the legs are extended out. And finally, my last tip for looking for tripods is to get one that has three legs instead of four. This will reduce the weight of the tripod without significantly affecting the stability. And it's also one last leg means one less thing that can go wrong and break. So look for one that has three legs just like this one, and you'll be good. 5. How to choose a ball head: Welcome back. In this lesson we're gonna be talking about a ball head. So talk a little bit about this in the last lesson. And what this is, is a device that you put on top of your tripod that fixes your camera on top of the tripod. So I'm going to show you what that looks like. I've got my tripod here. It's just going to screw right on top there. I can get that on. Then. I grabbed my camera here. You'll fix your cameras directly on top. And what's great about this is you can loosen this lever here. And it essentially acts like a ball and socket where you can have like 360, 60 degree range of motion when you're setting up your composition, It's really the fastest and easiest way to dial in your composition and move your camera around on the top of the tripod. These things are pretty easy to use. I really straightforward, but there's a few things you should look for when you are looking to get a ball head for your tripod. And the first thing that I would recommend is getting one that has this quick release lever. Oops, tighten it back up. This is the fastest way to pop your camera on and off of this plate here. So some, some of these will have a knob that you'll screw and unscrew in those. Take a little bit longer to get your camera on and off. This is really the easiest. If you have the option to opt for that quick release lever. The second thing you'll look for is this knob on the side here. And this is what will release the ball and socket mechanism. Once I loosen this, you'll see that the plate where the camera is going to sit on top of here, you can move the camera in all directions. One of the great things about this is that you can go from landscape to portrait mode just by dropping it to the side. So lot of times saying like a pan and tilt type tripod head. You have to change the entire position of the camera and you lose your composition. This, you can go from landscape to portrait relatively easily without really shifting your composition very much. Alright, so let's tighten that guy back up. The third thing to look for here is this second knob and loosen this. What will happen is that you can rotate the camera on the horizontal plane, 360 degrees. And this is great for panoramas. It'll keep your camera in the exact same vertical position and just shift horizontally from side to side. So there isn't much of a change there in terms of moving the camera up and down. One last thing I want to mention is when you're looking to buy a tripod and ball head, you might see some variations of this gear online that come together. So when you purchase the tripod, it already comes with the tripod. The ball head built-in or already attached. You might, may or may not be able to attach it. But my recommendation is if you can purchase each one of these separately so you can get the exact tripod that you want with the features you want and the exact ball head that you want. And that way you won't have to make any compromises. And the other thing is you can upgrade each piece separately. So say you want to upgrade your tripod, you don't have to go and buy a whole new, a whole new ball head. You can use the one you already have on your upgraded tripod. So I hope that helps you choose that piece of gear and I will see you in the next lesson. 6. How to choose an L plate: In this next lesson, we're going to talk about a tool called an L plate or sometimes called an L bracket. And this is a tool that's used to attach your camera to the ball head. And it's used as a replacement to the traditional plate that attaches to the tripod head. So to show you what that looks like, I have an L plate attached to my DSLR camera here. And you can see that there's this metal metal plate that as the name suggests, it's shaped like an L. So it comes around the left side, wraps around, and then comes down the bottom. So the benefit to using an L plate is that it allows you to attach your camera on the bottom to the lawsuit, attach your camera to the tripod, either here or here. And that allows you to switch from landscape to portrait mode really, really quickly. Alright, so I've got my tripod here for demonstration, like I showed you before. The camera is going to sit right on top of the ball head. And I'm just going to secure it on there using that quick release bracket. Now, say, I'm shooting a composition and I realized, you know, the lights, great. And I realized that the last minute, I think this would look better in portrait and in portrait orientation. So what I can do is quickly release the camera with the camera on its side and immediately tighten that that camera to the top of the tripod once again. So what happens here is the composition changes minimally. It's the fastest, easiest way to switch from landscape to portrait mode without really screwing up your composition. Once you start using this, if you've never used it before, your mind will be blown. How much, how much better it is and how much flexibility you have in terms of the compositions you'll create because you won't have to go through all the steps of resetting your entire composition up. And the other thing is that it is so easy to pop in and off of the tripod that it's just kinda make your life so much better. Now, this L bracket is specific to the model of my camera. So when you're looking for an L bracket, you're going to have to do a Google search. You know, L bracket for make and model of your camera, e.g. this is a Nikon D8 50. You would search for L bracket for Nikon D a 5D. The reason that's important than you might find some generic L brackets out there that can be used on all different types of cameras. But the way they're designed is so you can still use all of the features of the camera so it doesn't interfere with, say, the buttons and the ports. You don't have to take the L bracket off really ever. And it's kind of a pain to tick off, which is why I haven't taken it off to show you because it's pretty easy to just see how it wraps around the camera there. But just so you know, once you put it on you really you're never going to take it off. The other thing you're going to want to look for when choosing an L plate is, you're going to want to make sure that it's compatible with your ball head. So most L brackets are what are called archetype. So these are going to fit into all ARCA type. Ball head receivers are mounts and this is the most common type of L bracket or traditional tripod plates style. So archetype. Look for that. You're always going to want to do your research in advance just to make sure that it's compatible. But if your ball head receives an archetype, I'm L plate or tripod plate, and the L bracket is ARCA type, you're gonna be fine. Again, always double-check. 7. How to choose memory cards: In this lesson, we're gonna be talking about memory cards. Depending on the type of camera you have, you'll have the choice to choose between three different types of memory cards. An SD card, a CF card, and an x cubed dy card, kind of an alphabet soup of names for memory cards. Your camera might only take one type of card, but we're professional level cameras sometimes take two different types of cards. And the reason for that is to back up your photo in the field. So my camera right here, my Nikon D at 50. If I open this memory card port, you'll see it has the option to choose from or the option for both a x QD card and an SD card. So what I'll do is I'll use both of those cards at the same time. One will be to write all of the photographs, and then one will be used as a backup. Choosing a memory card really comes down to how much you want to spend on a memory card and what type of card your camera take. So if it doesn't even take an x Q D card, you don't even have to worry about that. Here's what you need to know in order to choose the one that's best for you. The first type of card, the SD card, which stands for secure digital, is the smallest, lightest, cheapest option of the three. There, little less durable and reliable than the other types of cards. So there's nothing necessarily wrong with them. You will save a lot of money if you choose to go the SD Card route. But they do tend to malfunction more easily than the CF cards or the x cubed d cards. The second type of card, a CF card, which stands for compact flash card, is another great option. Spend more money for them, and they're a bit more durable than SD cards, so they're great option if your camera takes them, my camera doesn't take a CF card, so I don't have a CF card, but if your camera does, it would be an upgrade above a SD card. So they're definitely worth looking into if you have the option of getting one. The third type of card is called an x cubed d cards. And these cards are, as you can see, they're bigger than the SD cards. There are a lot thicker than the SD cards, and they don't necessarily, these two cards hold the exact same amount of memory. So the size doesn't necessarily mean that it's bigger in memory. The thing that's so great about x d, x cubed d cards is that they're more resistant to data corruption. They are less likely to fail, they're more robust, they're likely to last a lot longer. And the data, the photos, you're less likely to lose them. And this is especially important if you spend a lot of time outdoors. And you're dealing with all kinds of elements and things that can cause data corruption in your memory card. The thing about these execute d cards is that there are a lot more expensive. So if you have the money, they're, they're, they're definitely worth upgrading from SD cards because you're investing in some extra insurance to protect your photos. A last thing you want is to lose your photos in the field. But really, that's, that's the main difference. You're not going to see a difference in image quality between the SD and the x cubed d cards. It really depends on what your camera takes and how much money you want to spend when choosing a memory card. The other two things you're going to want to look at are how much data that the memory card can hold. So the capacity, and also how fast the read and write speeds are. The amount of data that you need on your memory card really depends on how many photos you're planning on taking on your trip and also the file size of those photos. If you're shooting in RAW, really high resolution photos that take up a lot of memory. You're going to want a bigger memory card. And if you're going on a longer trip, you're also going to want a bigger memory card. On the low end, you'll see memory cards with like 32 gb. I find that for my trips. Anything 120 gb up is enough for me. You can also take multiple memory cards with you, or I should say it's a really good idea to take several memory cards with you on all of your trips. This will give you more memory, but also if one of them fails, then you'll have another card to use to continue shooting. The other thing worth noting is what's called the read and write speed of the memory card. And what this refers to in simple terms is how fast the data that is collected on the image sensor is transferred onto the memory card. Now, for landscape photography, the speed is not that important. It's not as important as if say you were like a wildlife photographer or a sports photographer. And you have to get off photos really, really quickly. You're pressing the shutter speed over and over, like within seconds. That's when you're going to want a faster read and write speed. For landscape photography, you're usually not taking that many photos in quick succession. So you'll see anything above 100 mega, megabytes per second is usually fast enough for me personally. These x cubed d cards, they have really high read write speeds. So e.g. this one is 400 and you'll see some way higher than that. It's really unnecessary, but there isn't even any lower that I could find that was lower than 400. So you are paying for that faster speed, which you don't really need. But at the same time you're also paying for the durability. So don't worry too much about the read write speeds. If you are a landscape photographer. The last thing I want to mention here related to memory cards is another piece of gear which is totally optional, but I find it to be really helpful to have with me on trips is this little memory card box. And you'll find these really cheap ones all, all over the Internet for say, ten bucks. But this little case is completely waterproof and you'll see it holds all kinds of memory cards. This is a great way to have some extra insurance and the field so that when you are out doing river crossings and hiking and all of the things, you have a way to protect all of your memory cards in a way that's better than say, like a plastic bag. So recommend getting your hands on one of these definitely optional. But in order to protect your memory cards, it's a really good idea. And with that, I will see you in the next lesson. 8. How to choose lens filters: In this lesson, we're gonna be talking about lens filters, specifically a type of lens filter called a circular polarizer filter, or CPL for short. Lens filters can be used for many different purposes in photography, but they're mostly used in landscape photography to deal with tricky lighting situations and to manipulate shutter speeds. Now, I'm not a huge fan of using lens filters, mostly because they add extra weight to my pack and they can add extra complexity to my workflow. The only type of filter that I do think is essential is called a circular polarizer filter, or CPL. These are the only type of lens filters which effects they have on the image can't be reproduced using post-processing techniques. And we'll talk a little bit about what polarizing filters due to an image. One of the main benefits of using a CPL is that it can remove reflections on shiny surfaces. Reflections that you may or may not want on surfaces like water. So think e.g. a. Lake on a really calm day, you're getting reflections of clouds, but you really want to see the rocks at the bottom of the lake. A CPL is really great because it's going to remove those reflections. And it's going to allow you to get more detail in the bottom of the lake if you want, if you want that, you may actually want the reflection of the clouds or say maybe a reflection of a mountain or a tree or whatever in the water. And in that case, you wouldn't want to use a CPL. The other great reason to use a CPL is that it can darken your skies and make them more, more of a deep Richard blue color. It can also bring out the colors in your images so it can make those colors really pop, look more vibrant and saturated, and that can really enhance the look of a landscape photograph. I mentioned, CPL is so essential to a landscape photographers gear kit because the effects that they have on a final image cannot be reproduced using post-processing techniques using software like Photoshop. A lot of lens filters that landscape photographers use, like neutral density filters. The effects they have on final images can actually be reproduced using post-processing techniques. If you know the specific techniques in the field, the specific exposures you need to take in order to do so. So there's, there's workarounds in ways that you don't have to use those filters. This is why I never really carry those filters and my pack. Because once you know the techniques and the field and the exposures you need in order to work around not meeting those filters. It's one less piece of gear that you need to carry with you. Once you understand and learn the techniques you need in the field in order to work around and not needing other types of lens filters, then you can really lighten your pack and not have to worry about carrying all these extra filters with you. I do pretty much always have a CPL on me because there's really nothing you can do to take away reflections and increase the vibrance of the colors in the field using post-processing techniques. Depending on the type of lenses that you own, you may or may not be able to use one CPL for all of your lenses, e.g. this is the CPL that I use for two of my lenses. This one will fit on both my zoom telephoto lens, and it will also fit on my 50 millimeter prime lens. The way these things work is really simple. All you do is put the, put the filter on the top of the lens and just screw it right on. And when you're looking for a CPL, you want to look at the size of the diameter of the front of your lens and that'll be listed in millimeters on, usually on the front of your lens somewhere. This lens is 58 mm in diameter. So the circular polarizer in order to fit has to match that. So this is a 58 millimeter CPL. Now, this lens will not fit on my wide angle lens. For that lens, I need an entirely different CPL, and that one doesn't even screw onto the front of that lens. You have to use a lens, a filter holder, attach it to the front of the lens, and then attach the circular polarizer. So certain lenses might not have the capacity to have a CPL or any other type of filter screwed onto the front, you'll have to attach a filter holder which will then hold the filter in place. And these are a lot heavier, they're a lot more complicated. And so that one I don't always carry with me. I do always have this one because it is so light and easy to use. 9. How to choose lens cleaning tools: In this lesson, we're going to talk about lens cleaning tools which are essential for any landscape photographers geared. At the very least, your lens cleaning kit should contain three items. One, being a really good lens cleaning fluid. Second, you should have a really good microfiber cleaning cloth. And third, you should have one of these bulb air blowers. And these are used to blow small particles of dust off of the front of your lens. Typically all store all three of these items in a Ziploc bag to keep the microfiber cloth dry, and also to keep them together. Ziplock bags are great for storing everything, especially for hiking trips. I keep things dry and they keep things organized. I've got some tips for you in how to choose the specific items. So first, when you're choosing a lens cleaner, I would choose one from a reputable brand. So a company that makes lenses or eyeglass lenses, camera lenses. And I would order it directly from the manufacturer. This way you know that you're not getting something That's counterfeit. Lot of times on marketplaces like Amazon, you can get a product that might be totally fake. And the last thing you want to do is to spray this on your lens and not actually have it be lens cleaning fluid. So that would be my first tip. Same goes for choosing a microfiber cloth. Don't skimp on these because you don't want to accidentally scratched your lens with a low quality microfiber cloth. This is just a cloth that I got from the brand of glasses that I wear that works. And he kinda camera brand, eyeglass brand will work great. So just be careful when you're getting these items because when you're putting things on the front of your lens, especially if you have a really expensive lenses. Like I said, you don't want to use products that could potentially ruin damage or scratched the surface of those lenses. These bulb air blowers, you don't have to worry so much about getting fancy ones. You can get them for really cheap online. And there's really, I've noticed no difference between any of them. The way they work is you just put your thumb or finger on the back and you squeeze it to let air out. What you'll do is before you start cleaning the front of your lens with a microfiber cloth, you'll use these to take all of the dust off first. So you're getting as much dust and dirt off without touching the lens is possible. 10. How to choose camera batteries: In this last lesson, we're gonna be talking about camera batteries. So obviously the type of battery you choose will depend on the type of camera you have. Depending on the make and model of your camera, you'll have to use a very specific type of battery. And when you purchase your camera, it'll come with one battery already included. So you may be wondering whether or not you need to bring a camera battery charger with you when you're on a hiking or backpacking trip? And my answer to that is no, I do not think that you need to bring a charger and I personally do not carry any type of battery charger with me. I don't find that ways to charge when you're out in the field. So e.g. using a solar charger, I don't find that those charges are very effective. So what I've found is that the better alternative is to bring one battery for each day of your trip. And this usually lasts me for the entire trip. I'm shooting photographs every single day. And it does add a little bit more weight to my pack. But it is a lot more efficient than trying to charge your batteries out in the field. You might be in a situation where if you're trying to use a solar charger and you don't get any sunlight because it's cloudy for your entire trip, then you won't be able to charge your battery at all. And so that's why you always want to bring at least two or three fully charged batteries with you when you're doing especially extended trips, but even on a day hike, if you're looking to buy spare batteries, it's pretty easy to find online. All you have to do is look on the battery that came with your camera. And you will see a modal number likely on the back. And just do a Google search for that battery model number. Say it like a camera gear site, somewhere where you trust. And when you're purchasing extra batteries, they don't have to be the exact brand that your camera is. My camera is a Nikon. All of my spare batteries are some generic brand. They're not Nikon and i've I've had no issues with them, so I wouldn't worry about that. The last thing I want to mention here is how cold weather can affect your batteries. So if you're going out on a trip in the winter and it's really cold outside. You might want to bring even more spare batteries, fully charged spare batteries with you because cold drains the charge in your battery very quickly even when they're not in use. So in addition to maybe considering bringing extra batteries with you, I would also carry your batteries in a pocket of your jacket that's close to your core. So something like this. You could put a few extra batteries in there, keep it close to your chest all day. And that will prevent the charge from draining out of your batteries quite so quickly if it's really cold outside. The other thing you could do if it's at night and you're on a camping or backpacking trip, you can put your batteries in a Ziploc bag and tuck them at the bottom of your sleeping bag. If you keep them inside your sleeping bag, again, they won't drain as quickly overnight, especially because if you're camping, sleeping outside, when it's really cold outside, those batteries are going to start to drain really quickly. Well, that's it for this course on how to choose landscape photography gear. I hope you got a lot out of this course and I'd love to hear from you. I'd love to hear your thoughts and I'd love to know what type of gear that you use on your photography adventures. Take care, and happy adventuring.