Gear up cable release

A cable release is essential when carrying out long-exposure techniques. You could use your camera’s self-timer on a short delay for exposures of up to 30 seconds, but if you want an exposure any longer than that, you’re stuffed without a cable release. It’s better not to rely on the self-timer, especially when timing is crucial – for example if you want the shutter to trip precisely when a wave is breaking. When it comes to buying a cable release, I recommend you keep it simple. Camera shops will want to sell you the most expensive, ‘all the bells and whistles’ cable release, but these rely on batteries and tend to be bulky ,taking up more room in your camera bag. Stick with the basic Nikon MC-12B Remote Release Cord and save yourself £100/$130. The money you save can be put towards a polarising filter (below).