Nature Photography Photo Workshop

5.6. CLOTHING AND OTHER ACCESSORIES

When you're shooting outside, the most important equipment is your clothing. If you're uncomfortable you're not likely to make your best pictures.

Cold, wind, sunburn, bugs, sand, rain — anything you can imagine might come at you when you're outdoors. Nature photography requires preparation for the elements.

Dress in layers. When I'm shooting in the cold, I start with Polartec long underwear, over which I wear weatherproof pants and a fleece jacket. If it's really cold I might add a sweater or sweatshirt. On top of the fleece I wear a weatherproof shell. As the day gets warmer I take off layers.

Gloves are a must; finding a pair that's easy to shoot with can be a challenge. I'm currently using a pair from Sirius, which make it easy to manipulate the equipment and keep my hands warm in all but the coldest environments, in which case I have a heavier pair that I take on and off. You can also get gloves with removable finger tips.

Here's a basic list of clothing and accessories you need, and depending on your circumstances you should do more research to find out what else you might need:

• Long underwear

• Weatherproof (windproof and waterproof) pants and jacket

• Lighter rain jacket

• Good boots

• Umbrella and clamp for tripod

• Bug spray

• Sunscreen

If you use any bug repellent with DEET, keep it far away from your camera. For that matter, keep it away from anything ...