There has been a rise in tourism and exploration of our natural world and with that, a rise in interest at photographing these beautiful places. Of course, with that rise, we have also seen an increase in accidents as more and more people venture off the trail hoping to capture even better images.
I’ve been hiking and camping since I was able to walk, and most of my fondest memories come from time spent in the woods with my father. He taught me the importance of being prepared and how to deal with the unexpected when out in nature. These lessons have carried through to my everyday life in many ways. For instance, every bag I own, especially my camera bags, have a small first aid kit in them, something that always seems to surprise people when I inevitably need to use it.
I see more and more people looking to adventure further into the wilderness both to get away from the crowds at hotspots but also to experience that feeling of capturing a unique image of a moment in time that only you witnessed. It’s great that more photographers are taking an interest in this type of photography, but it is important to take a little time and research how to deal with the things that can go wrong even on something as simple as a day hike.
Coming from the always amazing nature photographer Morten Hilmer, this video examines some of the gear used when he goes on his photo expeditions. Hilmer recently released a series of videos from his most recent 10-day expedition to Svalbard to photograph landscapes and wildlife. A trip like this requires carrying an assortment of gear a lot of nature photographers might not be familiar with having to carry. It’s important to see all kinds of different types of levels of gear that one might need off the trail, and it makes it easier to scale back to fit your specific needs. You may not need a rifle where you are going, but a knife is always handy, and a lot of people don’t think to bring one.
What are some things you always bring when photographing out in nature?