I started many years ago with film and an Olympus OM-1. A few of the images on this site are scanned from that camera.
I have used Canon gear (550D, 600D and 7D) but have just recently moved over to that amazing camera, the Nikon D800. I also have an Olympus EPL1 as a carry-around camera – takes excellent shots, and again some are on this site. I use a good quality zoom lens to enable me to create/crop as I go (Nikkor AF-S 24-120mm f/4G ED VR gives great flexibility and excellent image quality), and have an ultra wide angle as well. A good quality 50mm f/1.8 is very useful (and inexpensive), especially for Depth of Field (DOF) work. I also have several ND (Neutral Density) filters to enable long exposure shots, and a Polarising Filter.
However my philosophy is that the ‘gear’ – the camera – is only half the equation. The other half is the photographer. So – good photography requires both technical understanding but also (harder to achieve) an observant and creative eye. And while it’s true one can ‘happen’ onto good shots it’s probably truer that great images are planned (like finding that special place in the right light!).
I always take my tripod (a portable Velbon Ultra Maxi M) with me, and whilst it is not the most solid or stable option it is a tripod you can always have with you… especially if you are carrying gear or motorcycling. Just have to be careful not to bump anything when shooting! (See other Blogs – a remote release is useful – I have an inexpensive wired remote – or you can use the 2-10 second delay setting on the camera.)
A good compass (for planning sun and light) is useful for landscapes, as is a good topographical map (I use the Geographic Atlas of New Zealand which has detailed topo maps for the whole country). But one can also go on the web (eg NZ Topo Maps or Dept of Conservation info on National Parks). Also – sunrise/sunset times and tide tables! And of course – a favourable weather forecast!
Update – I now use Lightroom and process all my images using RAW. This gives much greater range of adjustment – particularly to tones, light/dark etc. With high contrast landscapes (eg dark foreground and relatively bright sky) Lightroom with the RAW file can give an excellent result – just as good as using HDR in my opinion.
For an already well exposed shot where only minimal adjustment is necessary then using the JPEG image in Photoshop/Elements will do fine.
I do have a large screen linked to my laptop – a great aid in ‘getting the image right’ when using Elements.
SM/Updated 20 September 2015