Cameras and lenses usually get all the attention, but some of the most useful photography tools barely get noticed — until you desperately need them. They help you reach a dawn wildlife hide safely, keep your gear powered out in the field or stop glare from ruining the perfect shot.
These accessories aren’t flashy, but they protect your gear, streamline your workflow and sometimes even make shots possible that would otherwise be out of reach. Once you start using them, you will wonder how you ever managed without them.
1. Portable power bank
2. A headlamp
Beyond the night sky, headlamps are also helpful for wildlife photographers in low light. Whether you’re hiking to a dawn hide or packing up after sunset, having both hands free while navigating terrain makes a big difference.
Compact, lightweight and easy to keep in your bag, a headlamp is one of those small pieces of gear that can make your time out in the field safer and more efficient.
3. A lens hood
A lens hood might not be a particularly exciting or sexy accessory, but it quietly does a lot to improve your shooting experience. It’s lightweight, easy to carry and usually comes with the lens, yet so many photographers leave it in their bag.
Its main job is to block stray light and reduce glare, which can be a problem when shooting towards the sun or under bright light. But it also adds a bit of protection when you’re out shooting. While a lens hood won’t make your lens weather-sealed, it’ll help keep rain droplets off the front element so you can shoot for longer. And if you accidentally knock your lens or even drop it, the hood often takes the hit instead of the glass. The only downside is that in strong winds it can act a bit like a sail, so you’ll need to be mindful of the conditions.
4. Lens filters
Lens filters often get overlooked, but they can completely transform the outcome of your shots. For astrophotography, light pollution filters can help cut through the orange glow or urban areas, revealing more detail in the night sky. Wildlife photographers can benefit from polarizing filters, which reduce glare (specifically on water and shiny surfaces like wet rocks) and it can appear to deepen colors. They may also benefit from neutral density filters, which uniformly darken the frame and allow for longer exposures without overexposure. Even a simple ultraviolet (UV) filter can serve as a layer of protection for your lens, saving you from expensive repairs if something scratches the lens.
Filters are small, lightweight and easy to slip into your bag, so there’s really no excuse not to carry them. Just remember that poor quality filters can actually degrade your image quality, so it’s worth investing in the best you can afford. We would recommend glass filters over plastic ones because, on the whole, they transmit light better for clearer shots.
Every lens has a filter thread size, measured in millimeters, usually marked on the front or side as a number with the Ø symbol, like Ø77mm. This is how you know what size filter to buy, as most screw onto the front of your lens. The downside of using filters is that each lens has a different filter thread size, so you might need to buy multiple filters to accommodate each lens, which can get expensive. That said, you can get around this by purchasing step-up/step-down rings or investing in a square bracket mount setup that can fit various circular filters.
5. Smartphone apps
Not technically an accessory, but smartphone apps can be incredibly useful for photographers. For astrophotography, night sky apps like Stellarium are a must-have. Stellarium lets you view the location of the stars, planets and Milky Way in real time and in advance, making it easier to plan your night shoots and frame your shots. PhotoPills is another game-changer, helping you plan shots precisely, from the Milky Way alignment to the sun or moon’s path. Clear Outside also shows information on cloud coverage in the area, making it great for planning astro shoots.
Wildlife photographers will find the Merlin Bird ID useful — just point your phone at a bird, and it helps identify the species while offering details on its calls, behavior and habitat. Beyond these, weather apps, tide charts and moon phase trackers can help you time shoots for optimal conditions.
