Thomas Baskind on What You Need for Nature & Landscape Photography

If you’re looking to get into nature and landscape photography, you know the importance of picking the right equipment to make sure your photos come out crystal clear and sharp.

Here are five of the best pieces of equipment that will help you take stunning photographs every time from professional nature and landscape photographer Tom Baskind.

• Tripod

If you’re just starting out, don’t let the fact that you don’t have a tripod put you off from taking pictures.

Sure, a tripod will make things easier but in many cases, a good camera is enough to take great pictures. However, if you want to take your photography to the next level then investing in a tripod is well worth it.

A tripod will allow you to take photos with greater precision as your hands are free from any shaking or movement when taking the photo. You’ll also be able to get long exposures without having to use an expensive shutter release button.

• Camera with Interchangeable Lenses

A camera with interchangeable lenses is the most important piece of equipment that you can use to take better nature and landscape photos.

The best way to get started is by purchasing a full-frame DSLR camera. You will be able to produce high-quality images because there are many different lens options to choose from.

The other two pieces of equipment are your filters and a neutral density filter. Filters allow you to change how colors appear in your photographs while the neutral density filter allows you to reduce the amount of light coming through your lens, which is especially useful when shooting landscapes during sunrise or sunset.

• Wide-Angle Lens

Wide-angle lenses are ideal if you want to get a sense of the surroundings from your subject.

They have a wide angle of view (hence the name) which captures more in the frame and can create some beautiful depth-of-field effects. The widest type is called a fisheye lens, which produces images with an extremely distorted perspective.

This is one case where it’s important to know what you’re trying to achieve with your image: if you want something that feels natural, then using a wide-angle lens will give you that; but if you want something unnatural or abstract, then it’s worth experimenting with different types.

• Telephoto Lens

A telephoto lens can be helpful when shooting wildlife, photographing birds from afar, or getting up close to the landscape.

The telephoto lens will allow you to capture images where you are far away from the subject but still in focus. A good rule of thumb is to shoot with a focal length equal, or greater than 300mm.

A quality telephoto lens will also have a fast aperture, which will allow you to photograph in lower light situations such as dawn or dusk or even indoors without using any additional lighting equipment.

• Polarizing Filter

A polarizing filter is an essential piece of equipment to have in your bag. It will make skies bluer, remove reflections from water, saturate green foliage and reduce atmospheric haze.

This will result in better photographs with a greater depth of field. Be sure to consider the quality of the filter before purchasing it because cheaper filters might not work as well as you would like them to.

Conclusion

Tom Baskind photography specializes in nature and landscape images. Nature photography is an amazing way to relax and enjoy nature. If you want to get the best photos, there are some basic pieces of equipment you should invest in.

A good starting point is a DSLR camera with interchangeable lenses, a tripod, wide-angle lens, a filter set (UV filter), a polarizing filter, ND filters, or GND filters. This equipment will be enough to start your journey as a nature photographer!