If we were one of the great houses our saying would be “Summer is just around the corner”. We’d always be right eventually…

Indeed, Summer is coming, and all the things that come with it are on their way. Particularly, travel comes to mind. Your travel may take the form of a road trip, hopping on a plane, or both. Chances are, if you’re taking the time and effort to sit in a car or squeeze yourself into a plane for hours on end you’re likely going somewhere interesting (at least we hope). If that’s the case then you’ll probably want to capture, document, and otherwise commemorate the trip. If only there were a way to paint a picture instantly of all the cool things you would see… Cameras! Cameras. Ahem… You’ll probably be taking a camera with you. And if you’re reading this blog, you’re probably interested in doing your best to take some great images and maybe wondering what you should rent for this awesome trip you’re about to take.

Not only will you be taking too many clothes and toiletries with you, but you’ve also just made the decision to take some camera gear. Good choice, but now you’ve got some more decisions to make. Should you go minimal and take this opportunity to exercise your creativity by putting limits on yourself (photographically speaking, YOLO), or should you bring more gear so you can be prepared for more situations? You’re going some place pretty interesting (at least we hope), so why not be prepared for anything? It’s a subjective question, no doubt. And the answer will depend largely on how you shoot, how you travel, where you’re going, and how much gear you’re willing to lug around.  Below we’ve laid out some options for the type of travel photographer you may or may not aspire to be.  

The Minimalist

Options are for the weak. If it’s not required it’s staying at home. You’re an ultra-light packer, and you’re only taking a camera because you just can’t bring yourself to use your phone as a serious imaging device. One body. One lens. Anything else is vanity.

• Camera Body: Nikon Z7
• Lenses: Nikon Z 24-70mm f/2.8 OR Nikon Z 35mm f/1.8 S
• Tripod: Shmipod, but if absolutely necesarry, the Oben Carbon Fiber Travel Tripod & Head
• Accessories: Extra XQD Cards

The ready-for-anything-er

You’re going on a trip. It doesn’t happen every day, and the last thing you want is to be looking at a stunning waterfall without a tripod to smooth that water out. You’ve got “Luck is when preparation meets opportunity” tattooed on your butt. You want to be ready to tackle any situation, and you don’t mind carrying the extra weight, putting in the extra effort, and hiking that extra mile to make that happen. Kudos.

• Camera Body: Sony A7RIII
• Lenses: Sony FE 16-35mm f/2.8 GM, Sony FE 24-70mm f/2.8 GM, Sony FE 70-200mm f/2.8 GM
• Tripod: Gitzo GT3530LS Carbon Fiber Tripod Legs, Sirui K-40X Ballhead
• Accessories: LensCoat Lens Rain Guard, Medium, Neutral Density (ND) Filter set (82mm), Genaray Beacon LED Wand Light, Godox TT685S Sony Speedlight

The Vlogger

If you’re doing something, you’ve got a camera on you while you do it. Your YouTube page is growing steadily and this next trip is your opportunity to show how awesome you want other people to think your life really is. For you, its all about a camera with solid video capability that’s easy to hand hold and easy to operate along with respectable audio.

• Camera Body: DJI Osmo Pro X5 Kit, DJI Osmo Pocket Gimbal, GoPro Hero 7 Black Camera
• Lenses: None
• Tripod: None
• Accessories: GoPro Hero 5/6/7 battery and charger kit, GoPro Hero 5/6/7 Super Suit Dive Housing, Osmo Pocket Expansion Kit, DJI Osmo X5 Filter Set

The Perfectionist

You’ll accept nothing but the best for this next excursion. Whether you’re going on a once in a lifetime trip or putting another notch in your belt, you need the images to be the stuff of greatness. Image quality and resolution are priority one. Time to break out the big guns.

• Camera Body 1: Phase One XF body w/ IQ3 100mp kit
• Camera Body 2: Nikon D850
• Lenses 1: SK 40-80mm LS BR, SK 75-150mm LS BR
• Lenses 2: Sigma 14-24mm f/2.8 Art  Nikon 24-70mm f/2.8E VR AF-S  Nikon 70-200mm f/2.8E VR AF-S
• Tripod: Gitzo GT3530LS Carbon Fiber Tripod Legs, SBH-300 Ball Head
• Accessories: Extra SD and Extra CF Cards, Samsung Portable SSD - 1TB

Indeed, only half the battle is getting to your destination with all of the gear safely (at least we hope). Once you’ve reached that destination you’ll likely be going out on some excursions, so you’ll need a nice way to bring that camera gear with you. There are as many camera bag options available as there are stars in the sky, at least it seems that way. If you don’t have a bag for your gear or if you need an extra, we have you covered with the Ruggard Thunderhead 75 Photo Backpack. It can carry a DSLR with a grip and up to 9 lenses as well as up to a 17” laptop, and is completely re-organizable via its velcro dividers.

Travel is a wonderful time to take pictures, so be sure wherever you’re going that you’re taking full photographic advantage. That being said, if you’re not going on a trip specifically for photography, be sure to take time and smell the roses. Photography is an amazing way to experience new locations, but if you’re too focused it can get in the way. Take photos, but occasionally put the camera down to make some memories. You’ll thank us later.

Happy Travels!