Essential Travel Photography Gear List
Intro
Before diving into the equipment for taking better photos, check out my post talking about taking better photos. If you start there, you won’t necessarily need better equipment to get quality shots. Equipment is by far the least important part of photography, but nonetheless, it is important to talk about. It can be disheartening as a photographer for the first thing someone to ask you when they see your photos is “What kind of camera do you use” (only because there is so much more to taking a good photo than the kind of camera you have!) I’ll also say that in the same breath – having a quality camera definitely makes the quality of your images go up. Check out the lists below for the gear I won’t leave the house without and other useful gear I bring along for trips.
Essential Gear List
Camera: They say the best camera you can have is the one with you. It always will depend on where I’m going and what I’m trying to shoot that will determine which camera I bring. Some experiences on trips make it hard to bring a DSLR – so I’ll leave my Sony in the hotel and just bring my phone! I always invest in getting a better camera iPhone (I’m an Apple devotee) so that I don’t feel like I’m losing out to just bring my phone somewhere. For my main camera, I currently shoot with a Canon R6 (previously shot on a Sony A7riii DSLR) and LOVE it. Before my Sony, I would shoot with a Canon 5dIV, but it was a little too bulky for me during our trips with long hikes. The mirrorless camera is a manageable size for running around on trips. I usually have two lenses in my bag – the Canon RF 24-70mm 2.8 and Canon RF 50mm 1.8.
Camera Cover: This might be one of my “most essential” travel items on the list. Anytime I’m traveling, a cover is ALWAYS on my camera. I use this Peak Design cover specifically. You never know when there might be sand, rain, snow, waterfall spray, or who knows what flying around your expensive gear! This cover allows you to walk around in peace knowing your equipment is covered. It comes in 3 sizes so read carefully about what size your setup needs. I currently use a Medium with my Canon R6 (same for Lindsay’s R). I used a Medium with my Sony A7riii and 24-70 lens. My Canon 5Div took a Large.
SD Card: My camera has what’s called “dual slots” where it can hold 2 SD cards. I exclusively use Sandisk Extreme Pro UHS-II SD 64GB Cards. I also carry around my cards in this handy Pelican SD Card Case.
Camera Backpack: I don’t bring this on many of my trips, but if I need to bring a lot of gear, the Wandrd backpack is a great pack. It’s bulky, but great if you have a lot of lenses to carry around. I usually only take one lens with me, so it’s unnecessary. When I want to keep a low profile, I just use this Crumpler Backpack Insert inside my regular backpack (or use this handy Matador camera cover/carry case).
Non-Essential (But useful) Gear List
Tripod: The Joby Gorilla Tripod is the perfect small, travel tripod. If you don’t want to lug around a full-size tripod, the Gorilla tripod is a great solution. The special flexible legs can wrap around objects like fences, tree branches, or the mirror of your car. I don’t travel with a full-size tripod anymore now that I found this one! The Peak Design Tripod is a splurge but definitely delivers when traveling or at home!) The Manfrotto Mini Tripod is a great option if you don’t want to bring around the large Gorilla Tripod I mentioned above. A DSLR is a little hefty for this little guy, but a mirrorless with a small lens could work on it. You’d have to put it on a tabletop or on the ground. You can also buy an adapter for your phone and use it as a phone tripod.
iPad Pro M2: I love having this to read on the plane, but it is also much easier to edit photos on a tablet than a phone. I also occasionally use an Apple Pencil which makes editing even easier (sometimes fingers can’t make incremental edits and adjustments). I use Adobe Lightroom CC on iPad and iPhone. The M2 makes shuffling around photos easy for the larger processor. I had an older iPad Pro without the new chip and it struggled with larger photo files. Lindsay has an iPad Air with the M1 chip and it handles photos great, too!
Extra Lens Cap: I’ve learned this the hard way. I was hiking in Banff, Canada next to a waterfall. I had momentarily tucked my lens cap into my tights while I was taking some photos and – there it went. It fell to its lens cap death and I had to buy an overpriced lens cap in the tourist town in Banff. Don’t make the same mistake – bring an extra.
That’s It!
Hopefully, this guide will help you when you’re deciding what to bring along or buy for your next adventure.
Would you add something? Comment below!
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