Essential Gear For A Nature Photographer

What accessories-and other stuff-should you bring for a successful excursion into the wild? We asked more than a dozen of our favorite pro nature photographers to tell us what they just can't do without, and we were surprised by their creativity.

Your Must-Haves

Trekking in the Badlands of South Dakota or the wilderness of Yosemite can yield hundreds of great photos. But first you have to pack.
Start with:

[1] A compass to keep your bearings Scoutstyle. (Silva Type 7 ER (discontinued). Current model: Silva Polaris 177 Type 7, $15, www.silvacompass.com.)

[2] GPS dongle to geotag your shots. (Nikon GP-1 GPS Unit, $220, www.nikonusa.com.)

[3] Energy bars to keep you going. (Clif Bar, $2 each, www.clifbar.com.)

[4] Gaffer tape, which can hold an entire shoot together. (Shurtape Gaffer Tape, from $8 (depending on width/length), www.shurtape.com.)

[5] A hot-shoe flash for fill or for a main light for insects and flowers. (Canon 580EX II, $420, www.usa.canon.com.)

[6] A bubble level to keep horizons in line. (Hama Camera Spirit Level, $30, www.hama.com.de.)

[7] An LCD loupe to nail focus. (Hoodman HoodLoupe Professional 3.0, $80,.) www.hoodmanusa.com

[8] An ultrawideangle lens to get the full landscape. (Nikon 14-24mm f/2.8G ED Nikkor AF, $1,830, www.nikonusa.com.)

[9] A collapsible reflector/diffuser to tame direct sun. (Creative Light Reflector Deluxe, from $46 (depending on size), www.creativelight.com.)

[10] A supertele lens with [11] teleconverter to bring you eyeball-to-eyeball with faraway fauna. (Sigma 300mm f/2.8 EX DG HSM APO, $3,300, www.sigmaphoto.com and Sigma 1.4X DG EX APO teleconverter, $250, www.sigmaphoto.com.)