You don’t need a lot of expensive gear to make good photographs, but having the right equipment for the conditions makes a difference. This page covers the clothing, photography gear, and accessories I recommend for my workshops. Check the Workshop-Specific Gear section for additional recommendations based on your workshop destination and the conditions we’ll encounter.

I may earn a commission if you purchase through the links below. It won’t cost you anything extra.

Equipment Checklist

For photography gear, bring a wide assortment of lenses and the normal gear that you’d bring. Bring rain gear, camera rain cover and a rain umbrella! The umbrella is handy when or if it rains. Also, bring sturdy hiking boots or hiking shoes. We will hike into several location and the trails are rocky and rugged.

The following checklist is a list of the suggested equipment that you could bring. The list is comprehensive and not everything on it is required.

• Workshop Equipment Checklist

Clothing

We often stand still outdoors for long stretches, including before sunrise, so you’ll get colder than you would while hiking. Dress in layers you can add or remove, and bring one more insulating layer than you think you’ll need.

You’ll warm up while hiking and cool down quickly when we stop to photograph. The goal is to stay comfortably cool while moving, then add layers to stay warm while we’re photographing. Check the Workshop-Specific Gear section for additional clothing recommendations based on the season and destination.

• Base layer: Wool or synthetic. Avoid cotton, which holds moisture and stays cold when wet. A polar explorer friend once told me that the secret to staying warm in the polar regions is wearing multiple base layers. It works.
• Insulating layer: Fleece, down, or a synthetic insulated jacket. In colder months, I typically wear a fleece and a down jacket under my rain shell or a parka designed for the arctic or mountaineering above 6,000 meters. It’s nice to be toasty warm while waiting for sunrise or sunset.
• Outer shell: A windproof, waterproof jacket and rain pants.
• Hands: Warm gloves or mittens, plus thin liner gloves you can operate your camera in. Bring a spare dry pair and hand warmers. I’ve found that insulated leather work gloves over thin liners work best for me.
• Feet: Comfortable boots or hiking shoes with good traction, along with wool or synthetic socks. Waterproof footwear is useful in wet conditions. Bring an extra pair of socks to leave in the car. For winter, I wear insulated boots with 600g of insulation.
• Head: A warm hat that covers your ears.

Rain gear. Bring waterproof rain gear and consider bringing an umbrella, too. I prefer waterproof, breathable gear such as Gore-Tex, but inexpensive options like Frogg Toggs↗ work well if you only need rain gear occasionally. They generally don’t last as long as higher-end gear, but they get the job done.

For more, see REI’s guides: How to Dress in Cold Weather and Layering Basics.

Tripods

A sturdy tripod is an important piece of landscape photography gear. It keeps your camera steady for sharp images, long exposures, focus stacking, and working carefully with composition. The inexpensive plastic tripods sold at big-box stores often aren’t stable enough for serious photography and may not hold up to regular use.

You don’t need to spend $1,000 on a carbon fiber tripod from Gitzo or Really Right Stuff, but if you don’t already own a good tripod, it’s worth investing in one. A well-made tripod can last for years. I love my carbon fiber Really Right Stuff tripod and BH-55 ball head.

An affordable tripod option

If you’re looking for a good first tripod without spending a fortune, consider the Vanguard Alta Pro 263AB. It’s a versatile tripod for under $200, with a multi-angle center column that allows for vertical, horizontal, and downward shooting. The downside is its weight.

Want a budget upgrade? The SIRUI AM-324 with the G1 ball head is another good option. It uses carbon-fiber legs, weighs less than the Vanguard, and doesn’t have a center column, which is my personal preference. The design makes it easier to get low to the ground for macro photography and foreground compositions. It’s typically about $50 more than the Vanguard and is my recommendation if you’d like to step up to carbon fiber without spending a fortune.

The ball heads included with the above tripods use Arca-Swiss-style clamps, which makes them compatible with L-brackets.

L-Brackets

An L-bracket is one of the most useful accessories you can add to your camera, and I highly recommend getting one before the workshop. It attaches to the bottom of your camera and has mounting plates on both the bottom and the side, forming an L shape. This lets you switch between horizontal and vertical compositions without tilting your ball head sideways. Your camera stays centered over the tripod, making the setup more stable and making it easier to compose vertical photographs. Once you see how quickly and easily an L-bracket lets you change orientations in the field, you’ll understand why I use one on every camera.

I use L-brackets from Kirk Photo, which makes excellent, camera-specific brackets that are made in the USA and usually run around $180. I highly recommend Kirk. If you’re just getting started, you can often find a more affordable option on Amazon by searching for your camera’s make and model followed by “L-bracket.” Make sure the bracket is designed for your specific camera, with access to the battery door and ports where needed, and that it works with your tripod’s quick-release clamp.

I strongly recommend getting one before the workshop. Participants who see me using one often want one themselves, and it’s much easier to learn to use it before we’re out photographing.

The tripods I use

I’m often asked which tripods I use. These are my current setups:

• Main tripod: Really Right Stuff Versa TVC-34 Series 3, 4 Leg Sections with a Really Right Stuff BH-55 and a Lever Release Panning Clamp
• Lightweight travel tripod: SIRUI AM-254 and ballhead.

Filters

Camera filters let you capture images closer to your artistic vision in a single shot: balancing exposures, cutting glare, and blurring motion in ways that are difficult or impossible to replicate in post-processing. This page walks you through building your kit one step at a time. Product names link directly to the product for easier shopping. I earn a small commission on purchases, at no extra cost to you.

Why I use filters

I use filters because I like the challenge of capturing an image as close to my vision as possible in a single shot, and because working this way helps me reach a state of flow, which leads to more evocative work. Some effects, such as those from a polarizer or a neutral density (ND) filter, can’t be reproduced in the digital darkroom at all.

If you hesitate to use filters because you want to capture reality “as is,” remember that photography already interprets reality. Framing, lens choice, camera settings, and sensor limits all shape the result. Filters are one more tool for expressing your vision.

Only three types matter for outdoor photography:

• Graduated ND filters (“grads”) are dark on one half and clear on the other. They balance a bright sky against a darker foreground, keeping detail in both without HDR or heavy processing.
• Polarizers cut glare and reflections, deepen blue skies, and enrich colors. They can reveal what’s beneath the surface of water or reduce glare on wet leaves and rocks.
• Solid ND filters darken the whole frame evenly, like sunglasses for your lens. They let you use long exposures to blur water, clouds, or crowds, or use a wide aperture in bright light.

Starter filter kit

Start here. Two purchases that get you shooting with filters right away.

Step 1: Get a filter holder

Rectangular ND filters don’t screw onto your lens. They slide into a holder that attaches through an adapter ring, so buy the version that matches your lens’s thread size. (Look for a symbol like ⌀77 on the front of your lens. That’s your thread size.) You want a holder that accepts 100mm-wide rectangular filters.

Haida M10-II Filter Holder Kit with polarizer and adapter ring

Additional adapter rings: https://amzn.to/3TXWcSD

See “Holders, adapter rings, and sizing” below for adapter ring sizes, lenses without threads, and cheaper holder options.

Step 2: Get your first graduated ND filter

A graduated ND filter is dark on one half and clear on the other. You position the dark half over a bright sky to balance the exposure between sky and foreground, one of the most common problems in landscape photography. The 3-stop Medium Grad is the easiest to learn and the most versatile. Start here.

Haida Red Diamond 100mm 0.9 3-Stop Medium Graduated ND

Building the full kit

Add these when you’re ready. Each one expands what you can capture in the field.

Step 3: Add a polarizer

A polarizer cuts glare and reflections, deepens blue skies, and makes colors richer. Unlike the rectangular filters above, polarizers screw directly onto your lens. Buy one for your largest lens thread size and use step-up rings to fit it on smaller lenses. The Haida M10-II kit from Step 1 and the Enthusiast Kit both include a polarizer you can use instead.

Haida NanoPro CPL Filter: get the size that fits your largest lens thread, or buy one for each thread size you have.

Polarizers are great around water and reflective surfaces, such as leaves during fall color. If you shoot with a wide-angle lens and a lot of blue sky, be careful: a polarizer can create lopsided color in the sky. Lenses 35mm or longer don’t have this problem.

Step 4: Add a filter bag

Once you have a few filters, you’ll want something to carry and protect them in the field.

Kinesis Gear F169 (save 15% with the code Hansel15): my favorite. It holds the full kit plus the holder, clips to your tripod, opens easily, and keeps everything secure. Buy direct and use the code.

MindShift Gear Filter Hive Storage Case: slightly larger, and it also holds round filters. I like it, though I wish the zipper opened on the opposite side from the holder.

Round out your graduated ND and Solid ND set

These three filters build on the Medium Grad from Step 2. Together, all cover nearly every lighting situation you’ll encounter. I personally carry all these filters, but the majority of the time when using a graduated ND filter, I only use the 3-stop Medium Grad from Step 2.

5a: 6-Stop Solid ND. Uniformly dark across the entire frame with no graduation. It slows your shutter speed enough to blur moving water, waves, clouds, or crowds into smooth motion. I use it mostly at sunrise and sunset to blur wave action on the Great Lakes or the ocean. The Enthusiast Kit includes a 10-stop version, which also works for blurring clouds but is less flexible and results in around 8-minute exposures at sunrise and sunset.

Haida Square ND Filter 100 x 100mm Red Diamond ND 1.8 (6-Stop)

5b: 3-Stop Reverse Graduated ND. Darkest at the horizon, fading upward, the opposite of the Medium Grad. It’s designed for shooting directly into a sunrise or sunset where the brightest part of the scene is right at the horizon, and has a more dramatic effect than the Medium. The Red Diamond version uses more durable glass than Haida’s budget option, which is worth the extra cost.

Haida Red Diamond 100mm 0.9 3-Stop Reverse Graduated ND

5c: 3-Stop Soft Graduated ND. Similar to the Medium Grad but with an even more gradual transition. It works best in softer, more diffuse light, when shooting away from the sun, or when the horizon is uneven (trees, mountains). You can also combine it with the Medium or Reverse to tame a very bright sky or when shooting in the mountains. Haida makes a budget version in less durable glass if you want to save money.

Haida Red Diamond 100mm 0.9 3-Stop Soft Graduated ND

Specialty filters

Some filters have specific purposes. Only add these if you’re planning on photographing these subjects.

Step 6: For waterfall workshops, add the waterfall polarizer

For waterfalls, a standard polarizer isn’t enough. You need a much darker one, around 5 stops, which slows your shutter enough to blur the water without a separate ND filter. My own Waterfall Polarizer, designed with Singh-Ray, combines a polarizer with a 3-stop solid ND (plus a little secret sauce) and gets you shutter speeds of around 1 to 2 seconds on overcast days. That’s what gives waterfalls their silky look.

Options, in order of preference:

1. Singh-Ray Bryan Hansel Waterfall Polarizer. The filter I originally designed with Singh-Ray. Use code hansel10 to save 10%.
2. Breakthrough Filters X4 Dark Polarizer. The closest alternative I’ve found. Reliable availability and good quality. Also available at Adorama: Breakthrough Filters X4 CPL Dark.
3. NiSi Dark Polarizer. A lower-priced option, but very dark. Available at Adorama.
4. Haida M10-II Drop-in Nano-Coating CPL + ND 1.8 (2-in-1). Convenient if you already own the Haida M10 or M10-II holder.

Step 7: Add the night sky filter

Only needed if you’re shooting the Milky Way or stars from a light-polluted location. It filters out the orange glow of artificial lighting to bring out more stars and color in the sky. Skip it if you’re not doing night sky work. You don’t need it for night workshops in Grand Marais.

Haida Clear Night Filter

Haida has an Amazon storefront that can make it easier to shop for all their products.

Suggested filters by workshop

While not required, I suggest the filters in this chart.

Workshop	Split ND Grads (100x150mm)	ND Filters (100x100mm)	Polarizers (round threaded)	Specialty
Winter Workshops	3-stop medium, 3-stop soft	5-, 6- or 10-stop ND Filter	Neutral
Waterfall Workshops	3-stop medium	5-, 6- or 10-stop ND Filter (optional if you have a Waterfall Polarizer)	Neutral (optional if you have a waterfall polarizer)	Waterfall Polarizer
Night Workshops	For sunsets, 3-stop medium (optional)			Clear Night Filter (not needed for the workshop but is nice for areas with light pollution)
Macro Workshops			Neutral
Fall Color Workshops	3-stop medium	5-, 6- or 10-stop ND Filter	Neutral	Waterfall Polarizer (nice to have but not needed)
November Workshops	3-stop medium, 3-stop reverse (optional)	5-, 6- or 10-stop ND Filter	Neutral	Waterfall Polarizer (nice to have but not needed)
Destination Workshops	3-stop medium, 3-stop soft, 3-stop reverse	5-, 6- or 10-stop ND Filter	Neutral	Waterfall Polarizer (Black Hills, Smokies, Bluff Country, Glacier)

Holders, adapter rings, and sizing

Threaded and rectangular filters

There are two main filter types, and most landscape photographers, including me, use both.

• Threaded (round) filters screw onto the front of your lens and stay there. They’re convenient for filters you use constantly, such as polarizers.
• Rectangular filters slide into slots in a holder attached to your lens by an adapter ring. They’re more flexible, especially for grads, because you can position them anywhere in the frame. They also stack easily and let you change filters quickly without unscrewing anything. Buy 100mm x 150mm (sometimes sold as 4×6-inch) for grads and 100mm x 100mm for solid ND.

The holder I recommend

After testing numerous options, I highly recommend the Haida M10-II Filter Holder Kit with polarizer and adapter ring. If you can find the older version 1, it’s equally good and may cost less. When purchasing, select the version with an adapter ring that fits your main wide-angle lens thread size.

Other options:

• Sioti 100mm Square Z Series: the best cheap holder I’ve tried. It comes with only one adapter ring, so choose the size for your wide-angle and mid-range zoom.
• Lee100 Filter Holder: if the Haida doesn’t appeal to you.
• Kase K9: works well if you plan to use only glass filters. It’s hard to use with resin filters.

Adapter rings

Adapter rings let you use one holder on lenses with different thread sizes.

• Common sizes: 95mm, 86mm, 82mm, 77mm, 72mm, 62mm, 58mm, 52mm.
• Product naming convention: “XXmm Adapter Ring for M10 100mm Filter Holder HD4251-XX,” where XX is your lens thread size.
• Specialty adapters are available for lenses without threads (for example, the Nikon Z 14-24 f/2.8 S): specialty holder.
• Order the correct ring size for each of your lenses.

Sizing round filters

Round filters fit a specific lens thread size. If your lenses have different thread sizes, you don’t need a filter for each one. Buy for your largest thread and use step-up rings. For example, a 52-77mm step-up ring lets a 77mm filter fit a 52mm lens, which saves money, space, and weight.

Filter care

Handle filters by their edges to avoid fingerprints. Clean them gently with a microfiber cloth or lens tissue and a small amount of lens cleaning solution, using a circular motion from the center outward for stubborn marks. Store them in a case or pouch, don’t stack them, and keep them cool, dry, and out of direct sunlight. Check them regularly for damage or debris.

Demo filters

I have three sets of demo filters. Each set includes:

• Split ND grads (4×6-inch filters): 3-stop reverse, 2-stop soft
• ND filter: 5-stop Mor-Slo
• Polarizer: LB Neutral Polarizer

If you’d like to use a demo set during the workshop, let me know. The number is limited, so the first three people who ask get dibs. If you plan to use a demo set, you’ll need to buy a 4×6-inch (100mm) filter holder and an adapter ring to fit your wide-angle lens and any other lenses you want to try filters on.

LCD Loupes

LCD loupes are a nice product that can help you see your LCD screen better in the outdoors. You hold it over your camera’s LCD, and it cuts glare. The Hoodman loupe also has a built-in diopter, so you can adjust it to your eyes. If you need reading glasses, it acts like reading glasses. These are great to help review your images in the field. This isn’t required, but it can be nice to have.

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