MacGyver-ing my Wildlife Photography Kit
There’s a certain thrill in wildlife photography that goes beyond capturing the perfect shot. It’s the adventure, the unpredictability, the satisfaction of finally making the image you’ve worked so hard for. But it’s also the thrill of being in the outdoors.
Like any outdoor pursuit, preparedness comes into play. Whether you’re deep in the rainforests of Panama, on the side of the road in Yellowstone, or trekking the tundra, things can and will go wrong. A strap will break. A battery will die faster than expected. A shoelace snaps.
Over the years, I’ve curated a list of lesser-known but absolutely essential pieces of gear that always live in my camera bag. This isn’t your typical photographer’s gear list of the obvious camera and lenses or first aid kit, InReach, and headlamp—this is the gear that helps me MacGyver my way through whatever challenges nature throws my way and makes the difference between salvaging the trip or heading home frustrated. It’s also gear that is enormously helpful if you are any kind of outdoor guide - guiding birdwatching trips, kayak trips, or even if you volunteer for scouting groups, etc.
Gaff Tape
This is the gold standard in the photo/video work and for good reason, and I have a small roll of it in my pack at any time. Duct tape is great, and I keep a bunch of it wrapped around my water bottle as a way to have it on hand, but gaff tape offers some advantages that work especially well for our work. It’s highly water resistant and heat resistant, making it a great option in all temperatures. You can easily tear it by hand. It’s cloth-like and flexible. In the studio, thousands of people can walk over it all day every day and it won’t wear down, so the durability it phenomenal. And the best part? It’s easily removed without residue. This makes it a great option for fixing tripods, taping down a battery latch, etc. Personally, I love the Pro Tapes brand, as it’s what I’ve used my whole career and it works great, but there are other brands, too.
I use this for fixes in the field, but I also keep a couple of rolls other places, too. I have a small roll of one color, which I use as a sticker to mark my gear. On workshops, a lot of clients tend to have the same (or similar-looking) tripods, heads, or other gear. Jared and I have a lot of the same or similar stuff that lives together in our gear closet, too. So a small strip of Gaff tape applied to mine in my own color easily denotes it’s mine. I use this over other stickers that I see in the field (address labels, etc) because it is simple, durable, and holds up to weather.
Shaving Brush
The shaving brush concept was first recommended to me by Jared when we first started dating years ago, and I don’t know how I went so long without having one in my kit. This is for external use only, and it’s a master at making sure every grain of sand and every spec of dry dirt is removed from every nook and cranny on the outside of my camera bodies and lenses. It’s also helpful for getting grit off the outside of tripod legs before collapsing them. Don’t use it on wet stuff, just the dry. My must-have for anyone who loves to photograph on the beach.
Blaze Orange Vest
I did a Reel about this last year when I was working in an area where rifle hunting was also happening. Yes, it’s important for safety when working during hunting seasons. However, it’s also a two-ounce invaluable piece of safety gear.
As wildlife photographers, we wear a lot of neutral colors that blend into our environments. Great for photography, TERRIBLE for search and rescue. If you’re ever in need of assistance, and let’s hope that is never the case, being able to pull a vest like this from your pack and toss it over you, or a branch above you or drape over your pack makes you stand out. Being highly visible gets help to you, or someone in your group, much faster. It’s cheap, it’s ultralight, has more surface area than just a hat, and can potentially be lifesaving. Just have one in your pack. Bonus tip: keep a small plastic whistle zip-tied to your vest to help you be more easily heard, as well.
LifeStraw Peak Personal Filter
LifeStraw is a fairly well-known name these days and for good reason. This water safety solution is used the world over. I keep a LifeStraw in my pack at all times in case I need filtered water. Not every outing requires me to bring more than my usual water bottle for hydration.
While I was on assignment in Ghana, Africa, I needed emergency hydration, as did the rest of the team. I had already been through my 2L of water, and had a journey ahead. I had my fill, then passed it around. Though livestock sit in this water and it was otherworldly dirty, I did not get even a touch sick from this water (nor did anyone else) thanks to my LifeStraw.
But the LifeStraw Peak is newly designed for backcountry use, with extra reduction of sand and silt for better flow rate. It protects against 99.999999% of bacteria, including E.coli and Salmonella, as well as parasites including Giardia and Cryptosporidum. It also filters out 99.999% of microplastics, silt, sand, and cloudiness. It also has an unlimited shelf life, and it can be attached to water bottles (like threaded onto a bottle from the gas station) and standard gravity hoses.
This one is good for 1,000 gallons (4,000 L) of water, which means you get a helluva a lot of bang for your buck (it’s under $20!). And it weighs just 3.5 ounces.
I’ve used my LifeStraw in an emergency hydration situation in the field (see photo on the left) and I didn’t sick, and neither did anyone else on the team who used it after me.
They also make the gravity filter I take to places where I can’t drink the water. The gravity filter version filters viruses (Hep A, Rotavirus), so I can refill my water bottles, brush my teeth, etc. It’s a great way to stay safe while also avoiding additional contribution to the plastic in countries that lack the infrastructure for better disposal. In my NGO work, I’ve seen toddlers help burn plastic water bottles (breathing in that smoke!) next to their homes, and once you’ve seen that kind of impact, you never unsee it. Hence, I like to reduce my contribution to plastic waste as much as I possibly can, both home and abroad.
Plus, the company that makes these products does a lot of great work with public health around the world, especially around making these kind of lifesaving tools affordable and I like supporting that.
Zip Ties
As a working, field-based photographer, I often have to check my gear. I know, I know, for most this is a cardinal sin. But when you are heading someplace that requires camera gear, sound gear, sometimes off-camera light gear, and everything else in between, you don’t have the luxury of NOT checking gear.
And you know what? This is how every major news org, field studio, and other group does it. I did it like this for my work at Habitat, and I do it now, too. My gear goes in my bag, all snug and tight. My bag goes in my Pelican, and is padded with other things coming with me to make it all snug and tight, and then my Pelican is zip-tied shut (and yes, an AirTag is inside, too). I travel to places where hand luggage (carry-on) is often weight restricted or only very small size allowed. The last thing I want is to be heading to a small country and have only a soft-sided camera backpack thrown in the belly of the plane. This way, I know my gear is properly packed for handling. Watch the video on how I pack my gear here.
Here’s the thing, though. On the inside of my Pelican, I have a note with extra zip ties asking airport security/TSA to please re-tie it if they have to open it. I’ve only had my cases opened twice and both times they’ve been re-zipped with my included zip ties.
I use one color zip tie on the outside of my Pelican, and a different color on the inside. That way, when I pick up my luggage, I can instantly see if my case has been reopened and re-tied. If it has, I open everything up before I leave the airport in case I need to report a missing or damaged item. Knock on wood, I’ve never had any issues and I’ve traveled with my gear this way to more than 25 countries and never had an issue. I keep my multi-tool in my suitcase to easily clip the ties when I arrive, and have a nail clipper in my backpack I carry on as a backup option.
Zip ties also come in handy for other small things in the field, too. I’ve used them for securing keys to the inside of a camera bag and tying down a tripod leg that was giving me an issue with balance in my pack. The most uncommon ways I’ve used them? Once to secure the sole of a client’s shoe when it came off in bear country - wrapped a couple around the toe box and that kept it on until we got back to lodging and the shoes could be replaced. Another time I used them as replacement for a shoelace that broke (a small piece of paracord works well for this, too).
Mini Multi-bit Magnetic Screwdriver
Small but mighty, this little tool has bits and tips far smaller than my multi-tool, which make it great for tightening up the screws on my lens mount, fixing loose screws on my sunglasses, and those tiny little things that people don’t often have a tool for at home, either. It lives with my Allen wrench set in my bag. I love that the magnetic aspect doesn’t mean my clumsy fingers are constantly dropping it.
So there you have it—obviously non-exhaustive, but a handful of the things I always have with me when I go into the field. Some of these I’ve picked up from other photographers along the way so I’d love to know —what is your favorite piece of unconventional gear you never leave behind? Drop me an email—I’m always looking for new and improved options for my kit!
The links in this article do go to my Amazon store where I earn a small commission if you purchase something (at no extra cost to you). However, these items are all things I personally purchased, own, and use and actually do keep in my kit at all times.