Instant like just for the lightroom preset thing!

"You buy nice, or you buy twice!" I really like that! That's going to stick!

Great stuff Nick. We say ‘Buy cheap - Pay dear’ over here in Scotland.

You really knocked the ball out of the park, and I couldn’t agree with you more on each and every point! And, it is great to have a “somebody” say it, since several of your recommendations run counter to what we see in the vlogs by many “old school” landscape photographers (not that their results aren’t typically stunning).

Thank you !! Such honesty, I've never understood why so many KZfaq Photographers push their presets and yet they NEVER use them in their workflow. And the half grad filter debate, so many online pros appear to use them and yet I agree bracketing would seem to be a much better approach.

Love breakthrough photography filters are great! Well made! Bags are an area I spend too much on. Always a pain trying to find the ‘perfect’ bag. Great vid!

Excellent guidance... found you through Photography Daily podcasts and totally enjoying/learning/improving from your videos.

Spot on once again Nick... Thanks for the perspective.

Appreciate the comments on Grad ND...been considering one for awhile (in addition to screw on ND) so definitely was timely. Thanks!

I bought dirt cheap presets out of curiosity...and they were like $5. I have to say they opened my eyes to what's possible processing my images. I still sometimes roll through them when I get in a rut but haven't applied any for a long time. Great vid!

Been waiting for a video like this! Thanks for sharing!

Thanks Nick, great advice. I've the same thinking about filters but I'm an enthusiast and not a pro, so listen this from you make me happy !

Good advice Nick. I purchased a more expensive RRS tripod and ball head almost ten years ago, they’ve never let me down and still work perfectly.

excellent video, I just ordered KimTech wipes on Amazon and bought a Colorado ballhead last summer, great piece of equipment. thanks!

Amen on the drone thing and thanks for the tip on the wipes. Moisture is almost always an issue in Florida.

I'm so glad you verified my logic on graduated filters

Excellent guidance and communicated thoughtfully through experience. Good points about the filters and drones.

Was definitely expecting the Wacom tablet to get a mention. I absolutely love mine for post production. 👍

I’m a rookie and have been looking into filters, I didn’t know about the step up adapters...THANK YOU!

Used is always a good option :-) seeing as I'm a cheap bugger who also suffers from GAS, lol. Good one Baron!

Getting that Kimtech wipe now 💪🏽💪🏽💪🏽 Thanks for the sharing.

This video just pumped me right up I’ve been Getting into photography for the last eight months and I’ve had drones for the last six years (just finished selling my last one Canadian laws are ridiculous). In the very beginning I did fall for purchasing Tony and Chelsea‘s training books (don’t get me wrong they are well-made) before my KZfaq learning adventure If you spend enough time you can learn all of it on KZfaq. I never fell for presets and I have Only purchased quality items including the L bracket. Soooo in conclusion you made me feel smart so now I’m gonna follow your channel LOL thanks big fella!

I bought those KimTech wipes wafter watching your Lightning photography video a year back. They’re great!

You saved me a S&*$% load of money as I was going to buy some ND filters. All you guys use them so I thought to get to the next level, I better buy. But now that I know a lot more on LR and PS I think I'll stick with post. Thanks so much for saving me heaps of cash and also investing in the right areas. Your channel is so great.

Great video, great advice, I went 'oh yeah why didn't i do that' so many times its embarrasing. Thanks so much.

Great advice! Another money sink is getting the wrong storage and backpacking gear for your expensive camera gear. Or, even worse, damaging a lot of gear by not having adequate protection for your gear. OBTW, I have that ballhead and love it.

I think my Really Right Stuff L bracket saved my camera today, right in the middle of my photography holiday. D850 and my beautiful Tamron 15-30 lens fell off the tripod and on to the concrete. The camera screen is badly cracked but still working and the lens casing split open so that lens is out of use for the remainder of the trip but I can still shoot with the other lenses. I never knew that it was possible to feel so sick and relieved at the same time!

A great common sense lesson for me at least! Thanks so much for telling us of your experience of Drones, I was just on the point of getting one but listening to you, you're 100% right - where are you allowed to fly them, and the hostility you get from those around you? Forget it. Thanks so much for just this - not to mention the ( expensive) waste of money 'graduated filter scam' advice for those too lazy to simply bracket a tricky shot. Duly subscribed...

Agreed with all the examples. One of the best purchases I made in photography was a subscription to Kelby training. This was a bunch of years ago, so I’m not sure how they are nowadays… but the knowledge I got from that site has paid back immensely for me.

Great advice Nick - really enjoyed the video. I'd add Photoshop and Lightroom to the list; there are much cheaper alternatives out there that do just about everything a landscape photographer needs without the hassle of monthly subscription fees or paying for upgrades.

Didn’t realize this was a year old but still great tips. L bracket was definitely a game changer, and I feel you on the drones. It’s not getting easier in the USA...

By far my worst purchase was the dumb crystal ball I thought I would get artistic with. First of all: stupid. Second of all, if you leave it in the back seat of your car and the sun shines on it, you might light your car on fire. So yeah, that happened.

Totally agree on the drone. I have a Phantom 4 Pro as well and it's not nearly as freeing of a creative tool as I thought it would be. I am selling mine or trading it for something that will help me more...like more LR presets ;)

I actually had more fun making my own presets. I always found it interesting how others would want the photos to look like someone elses anyhow. Good tips, i know your the only one im aware of that was honest about the preset thing. Kudos to you.

I actually laughed out loud on the presets. I was totally guilty of that very thing when I first started with LR. RRS is without a doubt worth the investment. It stings a little on the initial cost, especially if you get the legs, the ball head, and the “L” bracket, but once you buy it you never have to worry if your gear will hold up. A good, sturdy tripod and head are a must have. Great video with solid advice. Thanks for sharing!!

Love, love, love my SmallRig (inexpensive, well-made) L-bracket. The first L-bracket I've ever purchased, and every time I use it I'm reminded of what a great investment it was.

Awesome advice for those of us starting out. Thank you

Nick, I totally agree! I took the advice of a pro photographer friend of mine and laid out @$1100.00 for an RRS tripod, $160.00 for an RRS L bracket and $450.00 for an RRS BH-40 ball head. I am glad I did this because even as an amateur I can tell these are the last I will need to buy. RRS is very expensive but you can't beat the quality. I really enjoy your videos, they help me out. Thanks.

Nice video. The tripod / ball-head is so true and so typical. I am in search of my final one now.

Dang Nick, I wish you made this vid $10,000 ago... I had the ball-head issue with my tripods. I bought way too many trying to cheap-out, but finally pulled the trigger on a high quality one. Now its zero worries.. Nice vid man, keep em coming!

Great list Nick. I was waiting for the "chinapods" to make your list and was surprised you focused more on the ball heads. You're the main inspiration to my RRS legs and ballhead purchase I made about a year ago. I went through 2 chinapods first. :-(

I agree with everything you mentioned especially graduated filters. It's just more gear to carry if you get the really expensive ones with the larger holders.

I'm the opposite, I suffer from analysis paralysis when it comes to laying out cash.

Spot on Nick. I think I get asked so many gear questions on workshops or lectures, I may just send them the link to this video! You might send Gavin the link to those wipes, he apparently needs them often for more than his gear.

Holy crap. A step-down ring. What a fantastic idea!

Great tips Nick...these are really great advice for when you’re starting in photography. But ND filters do have their use, especially for Long exposure during the day. The Lee Big Stopper or Haida 10 stop are great filters for making those blurry motion on your pics. Another useful tool for beginners is Remote shutter/infrared remote/wireless trigger

Great advice, you hit it on the head. For some reason Break Though filters are not on B&H. They are much better than any other...easy to put on great optics and the tip about adapters so true.

Great advice! I think it's also important to get to know your equipment really well. Just like successful writers that write every day, take photos every day.

That was nice, alway thought the same about LR presets, something that works for someone and for some photos, will never work for others and the time you spend editing the prest to make it suit your picture you can actually just edit it from the start and have complete control of what is going on in your image. Nice video and good tips!

I am so glad that Nick mentioned drones. I sold my drone last year because I never used it. Every place I wanted to go was restricted. Wasn't worth it. Use that money for a lens or other useful landscape gear.

I'm with you... no presets, orange L bracket, I do have Lee filters but want to try exposure blending! I have a Mavic Pro and you're right can't fly them in the great places!

Very good information. Thanks Nick.

You nailed the drone comments!!

Yes I agree with you, I take it you advice before one year about taking different exposure the bland it that give me a lot of experience and great work. Thank you for sharing your experience and thoughts.

Also, the drones, you nailed it. It’s the one reason I didn’t buy a drone. I know the novelty would wear off quick.

Great tips, thanks! Personally I combine the L bracket with an additional mounting base on a good fluid head, instead of the ball head. Either way it's a good investment.

It’s funny flying drones for a living got me into photography. Just sold a P4P today always loved the obsidian.

Totally agree on the presets. Out of a few hundreds of presets I've purchased (which luckily has amounted to no more than $100 total and most came in preset-packs of maybe 100, so I purchased maybe a few various packs) I maybe used about 10 of them on a semi-regular basis. But for the most part, they were a waste. The thing I think people forget about presets is that they are a starting point most of the time, and you have to tweak them for the specific image / set of images. They are NOT a one-click and you're done like they are advertised to be. That is very rarely the case.... and you still have to know a bit about what the program is doing. Again, they can be helpful but they are only a start and not a one-click solution. Your better off spending money on a video course or book on learning Photoshop/Lightroom (or whatever RAW processor you have) IMO. That way you can learn about the RAW processor's features to help you edit your photos. That would be my suggestion over using presets because as you said, they are like a crutch but you never really learn anything with them and half the time, I've seen some pretty bad stuff be posted online with people who sear by presets. Another Item I feel I wasted money on initially, was cheap filters and cheap tripods. Thom Hogan has a good article on tripods, and I can attest to his comment about if you're serious about landscape photography for example, you will end up spending $1000+ on a good tripod and ballhead system. Either through buying a bunch of junky ones and upgrading every few years, or doing the more direct route and buying a good tripod and ballhead to start with (spend the money up front) and have it for many years. Unfortunately, I've probably spend now about $2000 on tripods, with the latest one being about $1200 for the ballhead and legs and L-bracket, but it's among the best I've found and according to tests, and hopefully one of the last setups I buy for a long time). Now I will say that I did go with the RRS system (not the tripod legs as I went with FLM for those as they were a little cheaper but just as sturdy and durable). But I do have to say getting the BH55 and the L-brackets was the best thing I did for my landscape photography. I remember tyring to screw around with my other tripods getting the camera level using the side notch found on some tripods because I didn't have an L-bracket at the time, and it was tedious and time consuming. Now it's much easier, and I'm glad I made that investment. With filters, I only use ND and CPL filters now. I tried graduated filters, but with technology these days (meaning post processing) it's the one time I might say "you're better off taking care of that in post" and not at the time of capture. Mainly because I don't want that stuff baked into the image and I would rather like to have more control over the graduation of the filter in post production. Because once it's in the recorded RAW image, it's there and it's very very hard if not impossible to remove or correct. That being said, some filters you have to use at the time of capture, like ND to get smooth silky water because trying to do that in post just looks bad and you don't get the same effect. Same with some uses of CPL (reflections), although with a CPL you can overdo things and destroy your image too.

Hello, great video with really useful information, I think those understood who already had been in some situations you mentioned. 200% agree with the drones. Keep going doing good job Nick. Regards

THANKS FOR THE INFO,IT'S SO EASY TO SPEND A LOT OF MONEY ON CAMERA ACCESSORIES...

6:52 Amen to that. I bought some last year based upon your recommendation. Amazingly good.

Followed your recommendation for Kimtech wipes some time back and they are very useful. Also purchased a BH-40 ball head with the lever clamp and absolutely no regrets. Did this after my camera fell out of the clamp on my "cheap" ball head while on a hike. I was lucky that my camera was fitted with the RRS L-plate at the time and the camera was not damaged. Thanks, Nick.

Just moved from M43 to Sony A7RIII. Earlier this evening purchased circular Polariser and 10stop ND filters, bought for the largest filter size and a £4 step-up ring so they would fit on the smaller lenses. Glad to see that one was in your list, made me think I was doing something right with my money for a change.

I bought a Mavic Pro shortly after they were released. I've flown it maybe half a dozen times. So yeah, totally agree with the drone comments.

Great advice Nick. I see you didn"t mention camera backpacks :-) I truly respect your work and that you are a self-made business person and photographer. Everyone has their prefered workflow. Some don't do much editing, others prefer LR and others like to go all in with PS. To me it depends on the subject and the quality of the original. Perhaps it is that I don't see the potential in my images, or that I'm just not good at it and can't spend hours getting frustrated with editing. Oh, and as for GAS.... Hahahaaaa I have had lots of practice.

Super helpful, thanks so much for the advice!

Dude I wish I saw this years ago. Totally agree, I did learn something about the kimtech ill have to order some now. Cheers man

I wholeheartedly agree with the buying a great ball head idea. I ended up getting a Pro Media Gear ball head and it’s pure awesomeness. It does everything I need it to do without even the slightest hiccup. Their tripod is amazing too, but my God, super expensive.

L-bracket is/was a *gamechanger* for me! Also, the PD capture clip for my backpacking! I kept putting it off, saying I don't need it, less bits & bobs to remember...but I was happily proved wrong in their usefulness!

Very true and very good advise. 👍

Another f4 fan. Simply a very insightful video, but all of yours are.

Great Great Great advices ! Thanks Nick

Thanks a lot for this great video! I really appreciate your channel! Best regards from Germany, Peter

Amen on the awesomeness of the BH-55! I've had mine for 8+ years now and it's held up great despite multiple drops, whacks, salt spray, sand, water, etc. I could probably use it to fend off a bear if the occasion arose--it's a beast! Heavy for sure...but it's a joy to use.

Post processing learning on LR or PS and at home is a must!

Yet another brilliant video. Thanks

Hilarious - I'm a cancer researcher and I use Kimwipes all the time in the lab. I should use them in photography too!

Thanks a lot for the wonderful feedback!!

I fortunately decided against GND filters just in the past two months. Decided to go with Breakthrough circular filters. My first foray into long exposure photography was a success. :)

Sound advice. Thanks very much. Great as always

The drone thing is so valid. I always pack my Mavic 2 pro with extra batteries and the smart controller, but I almost never use it. Thanks for the push Nick, I'm gonna sell it and book a trip somewhere cool instead!

Funny, almost the only thing I bought new was a mini ball head from Colorado Tripod...that they don’t even sell anymore! Good tips, especially for those of us not currently making any money from photography.

oh man. . . drones. . . So I bought, and brought, my Mavic Air with me to Scotland recently and I took it out 3 maybe 4 times. One of the times I couldn't fly it because it claimed I was 5mins from an airport/helipad - I was in the middle of nowhere and there wasn't an airstrip on the map. The rest of the time we were dealing with very high winds and the drone was having issues with that. It was a bulk and weight that I regretted having strapped to my back the entire time. I hope to use it more this coming storm season out on the southern plains, but as for international travel it may not see the inside of my camera bag again, unless there's very specific trip which I would absolutely need it and I know I would use it completely.

Coming from a country where 99% of photography equipment is sourced from overseas, and comparing our currency exchange rates, I don't have much choice but to look for cheap options or used... I am glad to see you not the only one who has advised on filters. I have been toying with the idea of getting, but I will settle with blending, and I did see a really cool set of circular filters that seem pretty decent for a decent price as well... Thanks for the tips ;)

Thanks for sharing Nick.

For me, it's every single piece of photo software that comes down the street. Luminar, Adobe, Capture one, Nik, Topaz, Skylum, and the list goes on. Your right about Breakthrough Photography filters, I've bought them all and the circular filters are the winners. I have a $600 set of Schneider square filters I have never used...

I really love the video and the content .. More videos like this pls .. Thank you very much

Nick “Wisdom “ Page…Thanks Nick

planning to get a drone, now go for the plan B……… computer up grade! thank you Nick!

You should have an own vlog just for people doing astrophotography! Man, have I wasted a lot of money on that. I have a huge telescope, a eq-mount, cables, software, different stuff to get rid of coma, a chair to sit on, battery to run the scope, bags to carry the scope, trackers, modified camera, hiking equipment for long nights under the stars. And the list goes on. I just hope and pray that my wife never asks me what it REALLY costs?

Wow you've just said about four things I have done to blow money in the past 12 months. I'm still a newbie to all this.

Yep. Same adage but put differently - buy once cry once.

"Don't buy gear, buy plane tickets", Yvon Chouinard

GAS isn’t always bad. Sometimes you learn more from an impulse purchase than you do from a logically thought out one.

So funny you described my experience with ball heads to a T! I bought a neweer brand $25 ball head then a $75 ball head then a $200 now I’m wanting to buy a $500 one! I wish I had seen this sooner, and I’m stealing the buy nice or buy twice lol

Haha, I don't own any drones but otherwise couldn't agree more! A great piece of gear that I can whole heartedly recommend is the peak design capture camera holder. There is nothing worse than an old fashioned camera strap on your neck. On a hike i just carry my camera on my backpack straps which makes the whole experience so much more ergonomic.

Buy nice or buy twice - good advice

I always take my camera and drone when I'm out shooting and try to use both of them if it's legal to fly. So far the people who have approached me were curious and friendly. Sorry that anyone would give you a bad time when you fly if you are legal. The one thing you pointed out that I really need is a good ball head. Good video Thanks

Honestly my basic Induro ball head and tripod has lasted great for 9 years already... no need go spend $$$ but I just changed to a more Arca-Swiss compatible mount from Benro.

Well done Nick