Shoot First, Ask Questions Later

Heading out into the tame wilderlands of the Australian landscape, I’m always loaded down with a bag full of camera goodies to get me through my photographic day no matter what comes my way.

From must-haves like the trusty DSLR to the just for fun Lens Ball, here’s some of what’s loading me down on days out.

Camera

My weapon of choice is the Canon EOS 80D, a fantastic high-end mid-range DSLR. It’s got a tonne of great features such as a 45-point focus system and 24-megapixels, but one feature that I love is a bit more mundane: The vari-angle screen. It is something I use very often and is very convenient, especially when doing shots that are low to the ground and have awkward angles. I choose this camera over another I was considering because that one didn’t have this feature that I had so much admired from my previous camera.

Lens

Yes, I have a kit lens (cue pre-meditated shock sequence). Apparently, they are the taboo of photography and any photographer worth their clicks wouldn’t touch them with a ten-foot pole, but not everyone has deep pockets.

My go-to lens is one the Canon 18-135mm f3.5-5.6 IS USM lens that came kitted with the camera. It’s super versatile and is used 90% of the time.

I also have a Canon 50mm f1.8 STM which I love to use when I dabble in the portraiture photography. A fantastic prime lens that creates stunning results.

Lastly, the newbie in the family is the badass Canon 70-300mm f4-5.6IS II USM telephoto lens. It takes a big chunk out of the hip pocket but it’s fantastic for grabbing shots of animals and doing close-ups.

Tripod

The tripod is a cameras best friend and is an absolute necessity for the landscape photographer.

The Manfrotto MKC3-H01 might be a bit old and scratched up the wazoo but it’s small, lightweight, functional, reliable and easy to use. The ball head and quick release are its best features and make adjusting and setting up super easy. While it’s great for most applications, it wouldn’t be suitable for heavier combos.

Flash

I’m never without my trustyand durable Canon 430EXIII-RT Speedlite, a powerful piece of equipment that I use as a fill light or main light.

Go Pro

The Hero 5 Black is the pocket rocket of video making. For something so small, it’s a fantastic little camera with amazing quality video, even though its wideness sometimes becomes an issue. The number of times I’ve underestimated its girth and walked into the shot is embarrassing!

Bag

Holding all my photographic goodies together when heading out into the wildlands is the purpose-built Mindshift Backlight 26L Backpack. This backpack, which is the smaller of the two sizes is built robustly and opens fully at the back, preventing theft, while having three traditional front pockets with plenty of room for a laptop, tablet, phone and jacket and then some.

The aforementioned adjustable compartmented backside snugly fits all the items listed here as well as my old DLSR with an 18-55mm lens, my cleaning kit, batteries and several square and circular filters and still has room to boot to fit a few other odds and ends. It even comes with its own weather jacket should the sky start getting teary-eyed.

Filters

As I primarily shoot outdoors, my circular polarising filters are pretty much fixed to my lens and not only serve to reduce glare, reflections and to deepen colours but also to help preserve the integrity of the front lens glass.

I also stock some graduated neutral density filters and the appropriate attachments to reduce to the contrast between the sky and the land particularly when shooting during golden hour, and they work like a charm.

Lens Ball by Refractique

The mysterious crystal ball of the photography world isn’t essential to the kit and kaboodle but it’s a fun little tool to create some unusual snaps. It’s also good if you come across some creatures from the realm next door or hear some whispers of the night, then you can use this nifty little glass ball asan old school witch communication device. My little puppy is the 60mm but there’s also 80mm version available.