There’s no denying: I am 100% a gadget person. I love tiny tools, handy apps and more-useful-than-expected items that help you in such an ingenious way that you don’t even stop & realise how convenient they actually are. And the best thing is that they don’t have to be expensive at all! With the holiday season just around the corner I thought it would be a fun idea to list up some of the tools I use very regularly, some even on a daily basis. I’ve used the tools on this list for a long time and can’t think of a photography life without them.
Disclaimer: This article is not sponsored in any way. However, when you make a purchase using the link in this article, I may earn a small commission. All opinions in this article are my own. If you (dis)agree, I invite you to open a discussion in the comment section.
The best items you can bring a photography trip are those you barely notice, while still providing you with a real, useful value to your workflow.
1. Peak Design Capture Clip
The Peak Design Capture Clip is probably the most used photography “gadget” I own. It’s essentially a clip, which sits on your bag’s shoulder strap, to which you can attach your camera when you’re not using it. The plate, which slides into the Capture Clip, is also Arca-Swiss compatible so you can easily switch between the Capture Clip and your tripod head, for example.
I bought it for the first time in 2019 when I travelled to Svalbard. I figured it would be a good way to be quick on my feet so I wouldn’t hold up the group when taking photographs during hikes. Since then, I’ve religiously used it and recommend it to many, many people.
Buy the Peak Design Capture Clip: https://geni.us/jvn-pdcapture
This Peak Design Capture clip has been serving me for more than four years now. It’s scuffed but still works exceptionally well without ever having needed maintenance.
2. Smallrig Multitool
This small and light-weight multitool from Smallrig has been travelling in my photography backpack for the last year or so. It has come in handy countless times – especially on photo workshops – for example to fix loose tripod legs, detach tripod plates and L-brackets. It literally has every possible tool on it that you might need as a photographer when on the road. It also comes in a hard case which has room to keep the spikes for my tripod too.
Buy the Smallrig Tool: https://geni.us/jvn-smallrigtool
It’s small, pocketable and lightweight. I’ve used this little Smallrig multitool on many photo workshops to help out clients with tripod plates and tripod legs.
3. Microfibre Towels
This one may seem silly to some people but I am 100% convinced it needed to be on this list. Every photographer, whether you’re focused on landscape or not, uses some kind of microfibre cloth to clean their lenses and equipment. I have a drawer full of them. I was using them almost religiously until someone pointed out to me that it’s a lot more convenient to carry microfibre dish towels instead. Not only do they fulfil the same role as the small microfibre cloths, they also have the ability to soak up a lot more water. This makes them much more useful in the conditions I often shoot in: moist or cold outdoors, near the ocean or rivers. On top of that, they are a lot bigger which means you can use them longer.
Buy microfibre towels: https://geni.us/jvn-microfibretowels
These microfibre dish towels are by far the best thing I’ve used to keep my camera clean and dry.
4. Peak Design Anchor Links
Perhaps unsurprisingly Peak Design is on this list twice. Over the years they have produced a lot of photography equipment but their small gadgets are still the ones I use most. The small but useful Peak Design Anchor Links are probably some of my favourite. Because the Peak Design Anchor Links are used as a way to quickly attach and detach a strap, you can attach them to anything you might want to carry around at some stage. This means you only need one strap which can be easily, and quickly, reused on all your gear. In my case, I have them on my drone case, my camera bodies and my internal camera units. I even have an attachment point on my backpack which I sometimes to hang a small water bottle from. They’re small, cheap, sturdy and super convenient.
Buy the Peak Design Anchor Links: https://geni.us/jvn-pdanchorlinks
These Peak Design anchor links are attached to every possible bag and accessory I might ever want to put a strap on. They make things ridiculously easy and quick.
5. PhotoPills
The final tool on this list isn’t an actual item but one of the most useful apps I have come across as a landscape photographer, PhotoPills. If you are like me, and you like to prepare when and where to shoot, you need to buy PhotoPills. Not only does it show you useful information in regards to everything related to light (twilight, sunrise, sunset, moonrise, moon phases, …) but it also shows you on a map where these will occur in relation to where you are standing. The most useful feature though, is the way the app can show you with augmented reality where the sun or moon will be in your location at any given time. This helps a lot in planning and scouting locations. In addition PhotoPills also has tools to help you calculate timelapses, hyperlocal distance, depth of field, and much much more. Highly recommended for any serious landscape photographer out there!
Get PhotoPills (available on iOS & Android): https://www.photopills.com/
I use the PhotoPills app on every photography trip to determine what locations I should visit and when I should visit them.
What About You?
Which photography related tool can’t you live without these days? Let me know in the comments! I’d love to learn from other photographers.
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