10.5 essentials for the travel photographer

I recently returned from an exciting photo trip to the scenic Albania and two other wonderful places in Greece, with a focus on one of my favorite islands, rich in history, architecture and colorful inhabitants - Kerkira. These days we are planning our next photo trip to the amazing Belgium! So I thought it was about time I put up a short list of the essential and, in my view, minimally obligatory things to take on a journey with photography being the main focus. In fact, for me in the past seven years, photography is either the first or the second priority in all my travels which I try to be to the most beautiful and interesting places around Europe.

Yep, all me on these photos! :P
(photo credit: Stanislava Karagyozova)

1. Camera

Hmm, is not that obvious? Actually ... nowadays, the photo "hardware" has advanced much in every aspect. Our social life is digitized to a great extent. Ultimately, a huge percentage, if not all of our visual products will only be realized online in a social network or on a mobile device.

It has always been more important to capture the moment and the story than to make the perfect technical but soulless frame. So it is becoming less and less important whether we travel with a huge DSLR camera or a compact mirrorless, or just take pictures with the latest smartphone with 2, 4 or n cameras that compile a beautiful image and detect whether we're shooting a portrait, beach, food or cats.

What's special about travel photography is that we need very well to balance what to carry with us, depending on our goals and the type of the trip. In my opinion, the main compromise here is the weight. With less of them kilograms, we'll be fresher and we'll have more energy to see and shoot more stuff and do some experiments, why not?

(photo credit: Stanislava Karagyozova)

2. Lens(es)

After many trips, I've learned from experience that when traveling with a camera with interchangeable lenses, two are quite sufficient. I love prime lenses. They give a better picture and are faster. Again, the choice of travel lenses is a compromise because we can not always get closer or to the exact desired distance to our subject.

Perhaps the most versatile combination is one prime lens with a focal length of 35mm equivalent to a full-frame sensor, perfect for documentary, events, street photography, and second, zoom lens, according to our preliminary goals - if we go for landscapes, focal lengths of 11 mm to 40 mm or if we emphasize on portraits and fauna - the longer 50, 70, 85, 100, and why not 400 mm. The last ones are overwhelming, but sometimes when we go "hunting" for shy animals/wildlife, weighing a two-kilogram lens is worth it!

3. Backpack / bag

This accessory is obligatory. Of course, it has to be a function of the destination, the photo equipment we hold and it has to be convenient for us - we carry it comfortably for long hours and take out the cameras or lenses without having to take it off the back. I have recently traveled with a backpack of 40 x 30 x 20 cm, which is free of charge in the cabin of all airlines at the moment. Such a backpack without any problem meets the basic necessities, moreover we must not risk putting something expensive in the checked-in luggage.

(photo credit: Stanislava Karagyozova)

4. Pouch / rain cover

For untroubled shooting under the rain. Specialized protective cases for the particular camera model are sold, but with the variety of cameras and lenses, they are not always so practical. And one basic plastic bag costs cents and does a great job! Let me mention that the high-end cameras have good built-in water and dust protection.

5. Flashlight / Headlight

A comfortable accessory if we plan to shoot at night. In the end, the task could be accomplished by phone flashlight, but with a headlight our hands are free. It can also be used for light-painting and additional effects and experiments. ;)

6. Tripod

It has to be as light and sturdy as possible, but designed to withstand the weight of the camera + the lens. Even if we are into phone photography, the tripod is still super useful, I would say a must-have accessory. Not only for the night, it will come handy during the day as well.

(photo credit: Stanislava Karagyozova)

7. Cleaning tools

A cleaning cloth, blower and brush are very useful and do not take up much space in the luggage. Their weight is negligible.

8. Spare battery(s)

... and / or the so-called Power Bank, if we travel only with a smartphone. It is good to be sure that we will not miss a decisive or an emotional moment from our trip, right? ;) And if we charge the batteries in advance - even better! :)

9. Raincoat

The disposable models are quite compact and light, and will provide protection for a certain period of time under surprising weather conditions;)

10. Polarization (CPL) and ND filters

These are must-have accessories for me. They greatly improve, and in some cases can even "make" the frame. With them, we can also blur motion during the day and even "remove" people from our photos. No need to buy nice expensive filters for all of our lenses. Now-a-days on the market, there are many affordable adapters that allow the use of a larger diameter filter on a lens with a smaller diameter thread of the filter.

10.5. Memory cards

Here is the last, "0.5" bullet list item, but it is such an important accessory! The more we've gotten from them cards - the better. Small, light, better remain unused than insufficient! It isn't pleasant to have to search and buy expensive and slow cards from tourist shops. I advise, just before the trip, take a minute and format them all, right from the camera you're going to travel with.

Here is a quick smartphone photo of my equipment from my last trip:

If you have any questions, do not hesitate to contact me!
Thanks! May we meet again and I hope I've been useful to you!

Copyright: Damian Hadjiyvanov, Light Captured
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