Gear Checklist - White Sands
Below you will find a list of recommended camera gear and clothing for your photography trip to White Sands, New Mexico. If you're unsure about a specific item, contact me for more info.
NOTICE: There are affiliate links on this page and I may get a small kickback from certain links. Rest assured, that I would never recommend gear or items that I would not use myself.
NEED TO RENT CAMERA GEAR?
LensRentals has just about any type of camera, lens and miscellaneous camera gear that you could possibly imagine. They have reasonable rates and will ship the gear directly to you.
LENSES
• Telephoto Lens: I recommend a telephoto zoom with a minimum reach of 400mm. These lenses are useful for compressing the scene, shooting details and are an an excellent choice for panoramas.. CANON 100-500MM | NIKON 100-400MM | SONY 100-400MM
• Mid Range Lens: A mid range lens can be useful for general landscapes CANON 24-70mm | NIKON 24-70mm | SONY 24 - 70mm
• Wide Angle Lens: A wide angle lens will be useful for general landscapes . |CANON 15-35mm | NIKON 14 - 24mm | SONY 16-35MM | 10-22mm for crop sensor cameras
• 1.4 X Extender: A 1.4 x teleconverter can be a great way to extend the reach of your telephoto lenses. Make sure that your lens is compatible with the extender before renting or purchasing.
TRIPODS & BALLHEADS
A sturdy tripod is important in because the the dunes can get windy at times. In general, I recommend a tall tripod without a center column.
• BEST VALUE TRIPOD: LEOFOTO 72" LS-324CX
• WATER RESISTANT TRIPOD: LEOFOTO 64" LS-324CXPRO+LH-40LR
• TOP OF THE LINE TRIPOD: 68.5" REALLY RIGHT STUFF TFC-34L MK2 Series3 Long-Leg
• TOP OF THE LINE BALLHEAD: REALLY RIGHT STUFF BH-40
• BEST BUGET BALLHEAD: LEOFOTO LH-40
OTHER CAMERA GEAR
• CAMERA BACKPACK: I use an f-stop Tilopa camera bag. I like it because it has a removable insert that all of the camera gear goes in. Mindshift also makes a variety of nice camera back packs.
• NAVIN BAG: I like to remove the main camera unit from my backpack and simply put two Navin camera pouches by fstop gear in instead.. This helps keep most of my gear free from sand since I only take in two camera bodies and two lenses with a handful of accessories.
• SPARE MEMORY CARDS: Don't forget to bring spare memory cards. I prefer a minimum of 256GB per card but I like 512GB cards the best.
Canon & Nikon CF Express Type B
• BATERY CHARGER & SPARE BATTERIES: Bring a minimum of two batteries but three or more is ideal. AVOID USING THIRD PARTY BATTERIES IF POSSIBLE.
• POLARIZER FILER: Helps reduce glare and darkens the sky.
• UV FILTER: Useful for protecting the front of the lens when not using a PL or Nd filter.
• Camera Rain Cover: Iceland has a reputation for inclement weather. It's a good idea to be prepared for rain. I highly recommend a rain cover for your time in Iceland.
• CAMERA STRAP: A detachable camera strap will be very useful during the trip. I really like the Peak Design Straps if you only plan on using a single camera.
LENS WIPES: We'll be around misty waterfalls and sea spray. It's a good idea to have a couple of large lens cloths to wipe the front of your lens while shooting.
L BRACKET (Optional): An L bracket can be very useful if you use a universal arca style ballhead like the ones mentioned above. This device will allow you to easily switch horizontal and vertical camera orientation while improving the stability of your tripod when the camera is vertical. NOTE: L-brackets are made for specific camera models. Simply search for the model of your camera followed by the words L bracket. Really Right Stuff and Kirk and Small Rig are reliable brands to look for. You can also find cheap off brands too. If you buy an off brand plate make sure that it is one solid piece.
LONG LENS FOOTPLATE: Large lenses are most stable when mounted directly to the tripod. Make sure that you have a tripod plate for each large lens that you bring. NOTE: Check your tripod head to make sure that it is compatible with the lens plate.
CLOTHING
• GOGGLES: It's very important to protect your eyes in the event of a windstorm. PLEASE BRING GOGGLES WITH YOU. If you do not have goggles you will not be able to enter the dunes safely in high winds.
• WINTER JACKET: You'll want to bring a warm winter jacket into the dunes. The morning temps can be quite cold. Rab makes some great option for Men & Women
• RAIN JACKET: (Weather Dependent) The North Face makes affordable options for men and women. (You may consider getting a slightly larger rain jacket that will fit over your winter jacket.)
• RAIN PANTS: (Weather Dependent) The North Face also makes affordable rain pants for men and women.
• HAT & GLOVES: Don't forget to bring as knit hat and thin gloves that you can operate your camera with.
• HIKING BOOTS: Please bring a good pair of hiking boots.
MISCALANIOUS ITEMS
• HEADLAMP: We will be heading out to shoot early in the morning and may get back to the hotel after the sun has set. Please bring a high quality headlamp and spare batteries. I really like the Petzel Aktik Core because it comes with a USB rechargeable battery pack.
• LAPTOP: It's important to look at your images during the trip to see how they are coming out. I highly recommend bringing a laptop with Lightroom Classic & Photoshop installed. We will do one post processing session during the trip. During the session I'll broadcast my screen via Zoom.
• LIP BALM
• SUNSCREEN: Thrive makes a very protective sunscreen with one of the safest ingredients list. They also make a specialized face sunscreen.
• TREKKING POLES: (Optional) We will be doing a few short hikes. Trekking poles are not required but can be helpful for folks with balance issues.
• SUN GLASSES
• WATER BOTTLE