My Kit

What do you need to shoot up a mountain? Adventurer Paul Zizka reveals all

I spend a lot of time in cold and remote places – not the most conducive environments for photo gear

as a mountain landscape and adventure photographer, I spend a lot of time in cold and remote places – not the most conducive environments for photo gear. I can’t afford for my gear to fail, so I need to be prepared to keep it warm, have back-ups on hand, and have a comfortable way of carrying it. I also need high-performing outdoor clothing that keeps me warm and dry. My photography gear is essential to creating great images, and I stand by kit that performs well in the extreme conditions I put it under. Whether it’s in an Aquatech underwater housing under the ice of a frozen lake or high in the Canadian Rockies, I put my equipment to the test!

My go-to camera body is the Canon 5D Mark IV; it is reliable, durable and a great piece of all around equipment. I love that I can go anywhere with the one camera and shoot astro, fast action, and landscapes without switching camera bodies. The Canon 5D Mark IV performs very well in the cold, as well as being easy to operate and handle – an important asset in the dark when vision is limited.

Camera aside, there are many other items in my bag, including a fast wide-angle lens, a headlamp, gloves that allow me to operate my camera in the cold, and a lot of spare batteries. For expeditions I use the Think Tank system, a hip belt system that allows me to keep my camera accessible on the go. This has been a game changer for me, enabling me to shoot even while I’m climbing.