I recently shared my packing tips and ultimate list for a backpacking adventure around the world. But what to pack for the budding amateur travel photographer? Gone are the days when I took only a point and shoot camera with me, or even a DSLR with a single lens. Now I travel with multiple lenses, filters, lens hoods, a laptop to edit photos and a second smaller waterproof action camera. I also need an appropriate camera bag to cart all of this around as easily as possible, without looking like a pack mule!

Camera
Canon EOS70D
I’ve recently taken my photography up a notch with the purchase of the 70D. It is a cropped frame camera (as was my previous 300D and 550D), and it allows me to take more control of my photography and be more creative, without the added weight of a full frame camera.

Lenses
At home I tend to alternate between four lenses, but an in effort to save space and reduce weight I take the following three with me when I travel.

Canon EF75–300mm – This telephoto zoom lens has image stabilisation to assist with taking photos handheld, is relatively lightweight for its size, and is ideal for sports, portraits and wildlife.

Canon ES 10-22mm – This ultra-wide angle zoom lens is great for landscapes, architecture, and playing with perspective.

Canon EF50mm f1.8 Prime Lens – I love this lens. The f1.8 aperture allows for very shallow depth of field. It’s beautifully sharp, very light, and very cheap.

Filters

Polarising Filter – A polarising filter is a must for any photographer. Its cuts through haze and deepens blue skies, will maximise (or mimimise) reflections and make colours more vibrant.

Neutral Density Filter – I love using these for any images involving water. Slowing down the shutter speed to show movement in water can be difficult during the day, and you’ll often end up with washed out images. These filters will allow you to slow the shutter a number of stops without blowing out the highlights.

Tripod
A tripod??!! That’s the general reaction I get when I say I travel with one. Why lug around a heavy, awkward piece of equipment I hear you think. Well, I wouldn’t have been able to take that night shot of Potala Palace above if I didn’t have one. I use a Sirui T-025X Carbon Fiber Tripod with C-10X Ball Head. Carbon Fiber is lightweight and allows for me to take a larger, more stable tripod without adding too much weight. It only weights 800g! Sure, sometimes I carry it around all day and don’t use it, but I’d prefer that than need it for an awesome shot, and not have it.

Camera Bag
My camera backpack of choice is the Lowepro Fastpack 250AW. It fits my camera and three lenses, has a separate section for other items (guidebook, purse, water bottle), a laptop slot, and holds my tripod. It also has easy side access so that I don’t have to put the bag down when I need to take the camera out or change lenses, keeping it clean from muddy puddles and safe from would-be bag snatchers.

Other Items

Other necessary items that I take include:

• Cleaning kit, with several micro-fibre cloths to keep my gear in good shape;
• Extra rechargeable batteries – there’s nothing worse for a photographer than running out of battery power, except maybe running out of memory;
• Extra memory card – you don’t want to be choosing images to delete while on the road because you’ve run out of space on your memory card.

With all of these items all I can say is……thank god I don’t need to pack film anymore!

You can find further examples of my travel photography in my Gallery.