An adventure to Yellowstone National Park is the perfect time to capture nature in all its elements. From erupting geysers, to massive grizzly bears and everything in between, photo opportunities are everywhere. Your phones may be fine to video the park but they are not up to the task of photographing Yellowstone National Park. You need a good camera with exchangeable lens.
Your phone will not be able to focus through all the steam of an erupting geyser or capture the speed of bison fighting during rut.
Only a DSLR or mirrorless camera coupled with the right selection of lens and other accessories will work in these conditions.
For those of you who just want to create keepsake photos from your Yellowstone vacation, I have a camera bag packing list. The list is designed to include the basic Yellowstone camera gear in an economical package.
Casual Photographers
Keep reading to discover your photo gear packing list .
To meet the needs of serious photographers coming to Yellowstone looking to expand their portfolios, I also have a photography gear list tailored for your needs.
Professional Photographers
See what you should take to Yellowstone
What Photography Gear to Pack for Yellowstone
Cameras
To get the most out of photographing Yellowstone, only consider mirrorless or DSLR cameras. I will not recommend specific models or brands here since they change frequently. Instead let’s look at the basic features one should look for in a camera.
Note this list is not extensive but a rough idea of things to look for in a camera.
Amateur
Professional
For the amateur camera buff, expect to pay around $700 to $1000 for a good mirrorless camera with the features that will allow you to capture great images from Yellowstone. Here is a link to some of the best camera choices for beginners as of 2025: Beginner Cameras.
Professionals will likely own cameras that are well suited for Yellowstone photography and own a range of lens within their preferred brand. For this reason, I won’t recommend buying a new camera in this post. Instead, consider upgrading lens to the best wide angle and telephoto lens your budget can accommodate.
If you don’t need any lens, consider upgrading your tripod or tripod heads as tripods are absolutely essential in Yellowstone if you wish to capture that perfect moment.
If you are set on lens, think about adding a second camera to your arsenal with one camera dedicated to wildlife and the other camera focused on landscapes.
Lens
Buy the best lens you can afford. Unlike cameras that are updated yearly, lens can last you for years and can be move between camera models within the same brand generally.
When shopping for lens, there are several considerations including brand, APC or full frame sensor, and if the camera is mirrorless or DSLR.
If your budget allows, try to buy the same lens brand as your camera. Although Sigma and Tamron both make good lens, occasionally there can be compatibility issues in the electronic communication between their lens and brand cameras such as Nikon, Sony and Canon. This issue is infrequent but does occur.
Below is a rough outline of lens ranges to pack but keep in mind, between brands, the exact ranges will vary from what is shown below. For example, one brand may offer a 16mm-35mm 2.8 while another brand offers a 15-35mm 2.8.
Amateur
Professional
Pro Tip: The reason I recommend bringing an ultra wide angle lens for both beginners and pros is that in several locations, boardwalks are so close to geysers that lens in the range of 15 to 18mm are the only way to capture the entire geyser or pool.
This can be especially true when photographing certain geysers during an eruption.
For video, a current model of an Iphone 13 and above will work just fine. Be sure you are up to date on National Public Land Rules for video.
Tripods
I highly recommend bringing a tripod. Most people who come to Yellowstone want to capture at minimum these three images regardless of what else they photograph: a photograph of Old Faithful geyser erupting, a photo of the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone Falls, and a photograph of a grizzly bear.
To create the best photos of the first two items, you may wish to select a slow shutter speed to blur water which will not be possibly without a tripod. If you don’t own a tripod but are in the market, please check out my Tripod Buying Guide.
Camera Bags and Backpacks
Bringing a camera bag is especially important in Yellowstone since some of the Yellowstone geysers spray substances that can damage cameras, cars and other items. Steamboat Geyser, in Norris Geyser Basin is especially known to cause problems to cars, cameras and phones to the extent warning signs are posted in its parking lot.
To be on the safe side, always hike with your photography gear in a protective bag or backpack when not in use.
Now moving on the camera bags or backpacks. The type of bag and its size will vary greatly depending on how much gear you own and how far you plan to hike with that gear. There are many different opinions regarding the best bags but the right bag is what works for you, not anyone else.
Lastly, when purchasing camera bags, pay attention to FAA carry on regulations.
Here are a couple recommendations but are by no means representative of all the choices.
Lowepro Tahoe BP 150
This is a great little backpack when you want to travel light with one camera and a couple lens yet be sure to gear is protected. Also the zippered outer pocket has space for essentials such as your phone, notepad, map, or other items.
My second recommendation is for a slightly larger bag that can carry more gear yet still have a smaller profile than large camera cases. Mindshift Gear Backlight 18L
Camera Filters
Polarizer –First up be sure to bring circular polarizer filters for each of your lens. For wide angle lens, slim circular polarizers work best since they reduce any vignetting that occurs with a regular polarizer. In fact if you don’t already own polarizing filters, only buy the slim polarizer filters if you can afford them.
UV Filter- Although I am someone who is opposed to adding any unneeded glass to a lens, in Yellowstone I break that rule. Due to the potential damage to lens from certain geyser spray, I encourage everyone to add a good but reasonably priced UV filter to the top of any polarizer or lens when photographing geysers.
Do be sure, however, that any UV filter you purchase has no color cast.
Camera Accessories
Lens cloths -In addition to the above items, be sure to bring lots of lens clothes as you will be wiping the front of your lens frequently, not only at the geyser basins but also at the waterfalls. Spudz Lens Cloth Pack
Liquid lens cleaner – A discussed the spray from certain geysers contains a material that is abrasive and can quickly stick to the glass of your lens. Do not attempt to wipe it off until you almost soak the front of the lens with a liquid cleaner then apply a very light pressure.
It is best to avoid any spray from getting on your lens by using the above mentioned UV Filter along with a lens hood at all times. Also bring a lens cover for the lens itself
Extra batteries –Photographing wildlife batteries can quickly deplete so be sure to bring at least three batteries or more for each of your cameras.
High quality memory cards- In Yellowstone memory cards with plenty of storage and high write speeds are very important along with reliability. It would be a bummer to have to stop taking photos in the middle of an epic geyser erupting or wildlife encounter only because your memory card is still writing.
I suggest reading this BH photo video article on choosing memory cards to decide which card is right for you: Everything you need to know about SD cards“.
For a Yellowstone trip buy as many memory cards as you can afford with the highest storage capacity and read/write speeds possible.
Sensor Cleaning Kit – Never travel anywhere without a pack of sensor cleaning swabs specific to your sensor size and also cleaning solution.
You will notice I have not mentioned flashes or any equipment for night photography. First, I rarely use flash in Yellowstone. Secondly, although night photography with a milky way and erupting geyser is great, that focus is beyond the nature of this post.
Final Thoughts on What CAMERA GEAR TO Pack for Yellowstone
I hope you have found this post helpful. Keep in mind that action can be fast in Yellowstone so knowing how to use your camera is equally as important as what photography gear you pack.
Prior to your trip, practice photographing animals in motion, even if you only use your dog as a model. Also practice focusing on a subject surrounded by mist and steam and you will be better prepared to capture erupting geysers. It’s not as easy as you make think.
Now that you have your camera bag packed be sure to also read the following Yellowstone Packing Guide for clothing and other essentials.
As always thanks for joining me on this Yellowstone Camera Gear Packing overview and I will be happy to answer any questions you may have. Simply leave them in the comment below.
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