Accessories of the pros

Graduated neutral density filter

In this age of electronic wizardry most things can be achieved in post production. However, I still like to get things right at the time of shooting and nine times out of ten an ND Grad will help you to achieve a decent landscape image. Granted, some people will still choose to go down the post production route but for me personally there is something very satisfying about viewing the final image on the back of the camera when you are out on location.

Graduated ND’s come in differing system sizes, 100mm being the most common. A variety of strengths (measured in whole stops) are available with a choice of gradation, from soft to very hard. If on a limited budget I would purchase just a 2-stop Hard Grad and a 3-stop Medium Grad. These two filters will cover most landscape shooting scenarios and of course can be combined for greater effect.

Smartphone

There are so many apps nowadays, from sunrise and sunset guides; weather apps with live rainfall radar; tide times; apps for processing your images on the go; star guides for night-time shooting and of course, location guides so that you can go and copy everyone else’s shot. For me though, one of the best apps is What Three Words, a superb tool for navigation and marking locations.

With the way that technology is going, maybe a smartphone will become the only camera you will carry. Certainly, for recording images on a recce and using it as a visual notepad it is an excellent tool. You could of course use your smartphone for emails and, heaven forbid, just making phone calls.

Foam pad for seating

There is one thing that no one can do anything about, the march of time. I am getting older and slower, and I like to make life as comfortable as possible, especially while on location. The days of sitting on cold rocks and damp grass or kneeling on snow or ice are long gone. Many outdoor