There's a bewildering array of cameras, lenses, and accessories out there. They all have their merits and their fans. All of those accessory doo-dads must be useful to somebody, somewhere, sometime. But we really only need a few pieces of quality equipment to do excellent nature photography.

Whenever I get into a conversation about photo equipment, I am reminded of a cartoon that was posted in the back room of the camera store where I used to work. In it, a man festooned with cameras, bags, lenses, etc. says “I don't take pictures. I collect accessories.” Accessory collectors do exist, although most of them do take pictures sometimes. They make great customers for camera stores, but generally they are pretty lousy photographers. Which brings us to another Dangerous Dichotomy: don't become obsessed with hardware, but don't underestimate the importance of quality tools.

There are plenty of disadvantages to hardware obsession. First, photo goodies are expensive. You can spend thousands of dollars on equipment and still be plagued with thoughts like "if I just had that 24mm f2 Spasmachron lens..." Second, this stuff is heavy. How many superfluous fardels do you want to carry to the top of that ridge? Third, the more thingies you have, the more lenses you are juggling, the more difficult it will be to maintain your appreciation of the natural wonders you are trying to capture on film. So, keep it simple.

Speaking of simple, I'll keep this equipment section simple and brief. There are plenty of books out there that cover photo equipment in excruciating detail. In fact, that's my first criticism of most photo books: they wallow in hardware obsession. They become books about how to spend huge amounts of money rather than books about photography. I'll just briefly highlight a few essential things to know about important categories of photo goodies, hopefully giving you a general idea of what you need, what you don't need, and how to make the best use of what you already have. As in the exposure chapter, I'll also introduce some terms and concepts for later in the book.

The Tripod

The most under-used piece of photo equipment is the tripod. Lots of people own tripods, but leave them in their closets when they go on a shooting trip. A tripod does not help your photography when it is in your closet.

Dr. Garth's Prescription for Improving your Photography #3:

Always use a tripod. Always use a tripod. Always use a tripod

Using a tripod will improve your photography in many ways. First, it will improve the sharpness of your photos. The main cause of blurriness in most people's pictures is caused by the slight unsteadiness of their hands. The camera records the movement as a blur. Even with a fast shutter speed, you'll wind up with sharper photos if you use a tripod.

Second, setting up a tripod makes you stop and think instead of just snapping a quick grabshot. How high? Here, or over there? Horizontal or vertical?

Third, using a tripod allows you to use a smaller aperture and get greater depth of field, so that the whole frame can be in focus.

Fourth, you can use long exposures that show the movement of your subject while stationary objects remain sharp.

There's a traditional rule of photography that says you can reasonably hand hold your camera when the shutter speed is roughly equal to, or faster than, the inverse of the focal length of the lens you are using. So, with a 50mm lens, you should get an acceptably sharp image with a 1/60th of a second exposure. To this rule, I say "bullpuckey." What is "acceptably sharp", anyway? No matter how fast your shutter speed, no matter how steady your hands, you will always always always get a sharper image if you use a tripod, as long as you're focussing correctly.

If you need to buy a tripod, you will need to think about what features you consider to be most important. One of the salesmen at the camera store where I used to work had a standard line when it came to tripod selection, ''so, you want a tripod that is inexpensive, lightweight, and sturdy? I can give you two of three. Which two do you want?" Sad, but true: inexpensive, lightweight tripods are flimsy; sturdy, inexpensive tripods are heavy; and sturdy, lightweight tripods are expensive. Life is poop. Deal with it. Get the best compromise for your budget and your back.

When inspecting a tripod, extend the legs. Do they slide out smoothly, or make strange scraping noises? Do the locks that hold the sections in place grip tightly? Will the leg locks reach out and grab passing vegetation when you're walking through dense undergrowth?

Set the tripod up on the floor with the legs extended and the center column down. Place your hand on the platform where the camera would be. Press down with a few pounds of force. Don't try to break it, just simulate the weight of a heavy camera and lens. Does it feel sturdy? While gripping the platform and pressing down, move your hand slightly from side to side. Do the legs flex easily? They shouldn't. Don't worry if the feet slide on the floor a little. If you repeat this procedure with the center column extended, you'll find that all but the heaviest, most expensive, tripods fare rather badly, due to all of that leverage from the center column. In the field, it's best to avoid extending the center column if you can help it, for this very reason.

Now, take a look at the platform. Are the controls easy to find and use? Can you rotate the camera to a vertical position easily? Can you level the camera easily, or do you have to adjust the extension of individual legs to correct for uneven ground?

You should also consider how low to the ground the tripod allows you to shoot. I frequently take pictures with the camera close to the ground, not only for close up shots of small things, but also, using a wide angle lens, for landscapes.

Some tripods have legs that splay out. When combined with a short center column, this enables you to work very close to the ground. Other tripods allow you to either reverse the center column, or mount the camera on the bottom of the column. Either way, your camera is mounted upside down close to the ground. To this approach to close to the ground photography, I say "yuck". Some professional photographers do wonderful work with rigs like this, but I find it totally unworkable. First of all, you wind up either taking a picture of, or trying to see through, one of the tripod legs. Second, all of the controls are upside down, while you remain rightside up. I find this to be difficult and irritating. Third, this approach is totally useless for low to the ground, wide angle landscapes. At least one of the legs will always be in your shot.

One accessory that makes tripods much easier to use is called a quick release. A plate screws onto the base of your camera, and a locking platform mounts on the tripod. Then you can snap your camera into place on the tripod instantly without screwing it on and off each time.

Let's face it, using a tripod is a pain in the butt. It's annoying to carry it around all of the time, and it's time consuming to set up. But once you see how much it improves your photography, you'll never go back to taking grabshots.