What’s in my Camera Bag? Travel Photography Essentials
The best camera is the one you have with you. But if you want higher quality photos and videos, better gear is one of the things that will help get you there! I’ve been a professional photographer for 15+ years and my roster of gear is ever-changing, but are my current travel photography essentials!
It took me a while to make the switch to a mirrorless camera. I didn’t see the point in changing things when I had perfectly good gear. But when it was time to purchase another body, I made the switch to the Canon R6 and it’s currently my top travel photography essential! Mirrorless cameras are generally lighter than DSLRs, have better autofocus, and I love the EVF (electronic viewfinder) that shows real-time adjustments in exposure, white balance, etc. For a while, I utilized the adapter so I could use my old lenses, but eventually, I made the switch to RF lenses, which I find to be sharper than their EF counterparts.
I love a good cheap lens and this Canon 16mm lens is an affordable wide-angle prime lens that’s lightweight and so useful for travel photography. Speaking of lightweight, a carbon fiber travel tripod is a must! The last thing you want is to lug unnecessary extra weight when you’re on the road and though they can be pricier than traditional tripods, carbon fiber tripods are well worth the extra spend. Since the R6 is a dual-slot camera, I carry a ton of memory cards. Memory cards are one of the top travel photography essentials as you don’t want to have to delete images on the fly. 128 GB is my preferred size and I’ve been very happy with SanDisk’s Extreme PRO cards.
Travel Photography Tips
Of course, content is more than just photos and this trio of DJI products are among the newer additions to my camera bag. The Osmo Mobile Gimbal is great for getting steadier phone footage for socials, while the Pocket 2 camera is great capturing for unobtrusive footage. In terms of drones, there are a ton of options out there, but I’m a fan of the smaller, lightweight Mavic Mini.
Backing up and editing your images has its own set of gear needs and I’ve been a hardcore Mac loyalist since, ahem, the 1990s. So my on-the-go editing setup includes the MacBook Pro, paired with a LaCie Rugged external hard drive, and this perfectly packable SD card reader.
Micro SD cards are essential for things like drones and like with regular SD cards, I’m a fan of SanDisk. Last, but certainly not least, is my current favorite travel camera bag, Think Tank’s 18L camera backpack. For larger local shoots, I’m a big fan of their Airport Security rolling camera bag. As a bonus, it’s sized to fit in the overhead bin should I want to take it on the road with me.
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Lori Barbely
Hi, I’m Lori. But you can call me Lors. I’m a middle-aged New Jersey-born gal, currently based in Orlando, Florida. My background is in editorial travel photography and writing and I've been to more than 30 countries. I’m obsessed with tropical locales and my favorite city is Tokyo. Have camera, will travel! I’m a Disney adult, Lord of the Rings fan, certified crazy cat lady, and sushi addict! I hope this blog inspires your wanderlust. Feel free to follow me on Instagram for snippets of daily life on and off the road.
