In this second part of the “The Essential Accessories for Landscape Photography Why We Should Always Use Them” we will talk about filters and other small accessories that will make a difference in your images.
If you missed it, check the Part 1 of this article
The first and most undervalued accessory we all should have in our camera bag is the Circular Polarizer filter.
When we use this filter we have the power to control how light rays will hit our sensor with the benefit of removing unwanted reflections, gaining saturation and contrast, improve the overall look of our photos.
But how does a polarizer filter? I will not discuss a lot about this matter, because if I do, this article will lead to more scientific purposes. The important thing that you should keep in mind when you use a polarizer is to try to use it always with the sun at around a 90-degree angle from you. This will allow the filter to work at 100% and give you the best polarizing effect possible.
What are the differences between using a polarizer and not using it?
With the help of some images, I’ll explain to you better what the advantages of this filter are. I kindly grabbed an image from one of the leaders in filter production (HOYA filters) to show the exact difference.
As you immediately notice, the photo on the left side has very soft contrast and poor colours, Especially in the sky. When instead, we observe the image on the right side, we immediately see how big it’s the difference. The polarizer amplified contrast and colours by simply removing reflections on the elements in the frame.
This filter can be used for a lot of situations and it’s a reliable accessory we need to consider if we shoot waterscapes and landscapes. It can be used to remove reflections on the vegetation and give them a new life in terms of colour rendition, or for architecture shots, to remove reflections on the windows. There are many advantages a polarizer can give you, but most of all, it’s a filter that cannot be replaced in any way in post-production.
The second accessory I will talk about is the Shutter release control
If you are really into landscape photography and you like long exposures, I always suggest using this little remote control in conjunction with a good steady tripody. The less you touch your camera with your hands, the fewer possibilities you have to capture a blurred image. Micro-movements are common when we use the touch-button release for focusing and shooting a photo, to avoid this, this control is what you need.
There are other cheaper ways of avoiding using a shutter release control, which is to set the camera with the timer option, in this way, you can decide to delay the shutter release a couple or more seconds after you press the shooting button on the camera. On Canon cameras, you can set the timer at 3 or 10 seconds; this will allow the camera to be more stable after you touch the button.
There are many third-party shutter release controls you can buy online if you don’t want the original to match your camera body brand, but remember to check the compatibility before you buy. Some of them also can override the 30 sec. exposure time limit of your camera (many cameras now allow us to set the bulb timer as long as we want, but in the past, this option was available only with a few of them).
I always carry with me a release shutter control in my camera backpack
Having a shutter release control in your camera backpack will not affect much the weight and it’s very light. Having the possibility to manage my camera from this little remote will make me focus more on the picture I want to take.
These, are just a few accessories that can make your life easier as a landscape photographer, but the more you shoot, the more you will find yourself finding which other of them you want to add to your camera gear collection. I have many different things I can list, such as special plates for tripods, graduated and not graduated ND filters, arms to hold steady the vegetation for your macro subjects, macro flashes, reflective panels, flash diffusers, and many others!
I will not analyze these because I think that they are part of the path every photographer will take, based on the subjects he wants to capture.
As you have seen, there is no need to spend a fortune to improve the quality of our photos and obtain professional results
All the accessories that I have listed do not necessarily have to match the brand of our camera, we can easily find tripods, remote controls and more by looking for products of less emblazoned brands and saving something. The only accessory that I think deserves a greater expense is certainly the polarizing filter; it would be advisable not to save on what we will put in front of our lenses because it could adversely affect the performance and quality of our images.
A note would also go on tripods, but I wrote this guide, especially for those who approach the world of landscape photography and do not want to spend a fortune.
I hope you enjoyed reading this article and I hope to keep following my blogs for more stories about photography, with reviews and stories about my photo travels.
