Over the years I've learned that sometimes you just need to spend more money than you'd like to get the gear you need. That's always been easier for the big stuff - cameras, lenses and strobes - than for the little stuff. I'm finally investing in the little stuff, and it's paying off.

I've written before about the importance of a good tripod. Over the last 35 years I've bought a bunch of them, but in the last two years I've gotten smarter (finally!). Now I have two Gitzo carbon fiber models that should last me the rest of my career. That's an investment in good equipment. And now I'm trying to take that philosophy to a smaller level.

Last year I bought a high-quality polarizing filter. The Nikon 77mm circular, slim profile, and it set me back well over $100. I already had a cheap 77mm, but I knew I needed to upgrade. Remember, putting a cheap filter on an expensive lens just doesn't make much sense, as it weakens the quality of the optical path.

A while back I taught a photo workshop with Tom Bol, an adventure and stock photographer based in Colorado. Tom and I had late flights leaving at the end of the seminar. so we headed to the beach for sunset. He made a beautiful photo there that I just couldn't, because he'd invested in some special gear (and has a great eye). The gear was a Singh-Ray Vari-ND filter. A unique design only made and sold by Singh-Ray, it gives you an ND range of 2-8 stops with the twist of your wrist. Why would you want this? Well, a neutral density filter cuts down on the amount of light coming through the lens, meaning you can shoot at slower shutter speeds. That's how most people make those silky-water photos. I already had a 3-stop ND filter, but it was plastic and used a bracket to mount in front of the lens. So once again I bit the bullet and ordered one, costing about $400 (!!!). It arrived just in time to take to the Montana photo workshop I just returned from.

The verdict? It works like magic. It's great to be able to dial in the amount of density you want. With the camera firmly mounted on my tripod, I used the cable release and mirror-up function to shoot exposures in the shade ranging up to 30-seconds. In Montana I shot waterfalls, and also moving water where I wanted the water blurred enough to see the rocks underneath. Soon I'll be headed to Hawaii on vacation, where I'm looking forward to using it on the beach. It's a new toy in the tool kit (what I call my camera bag), and although it was expensive, I'm hoping it's another investment that pays off over time.