Packing for Travel: A Photographer's View

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This is a different kind of packing list. As I am looking at some future travel possibilities my mind goes quickly to what will I bring and how will I pack it. While I realize planning on what clothing to bring on a trip is important, my concerns at the moment lie in what photographic gear I will pack. So, where to start?

On a cruise travel site I follow, I found a heated discussion with tips on what to pack for a cruise (clothing & personal items) to make sure your vacation went smoothly and kept you not wanting for anything. Ideally, the perfect packing list. While going through the extensive list of suggestions, I could see the value in most items that were included (although I still don’t get the whole love affair with duct tape). However, if I were to actually pack everything on this list ... well, let’s just say, “we’d need a bigger boat.”

Which leads me to this ... just because each piece of photo gear I have is important, cool, functional and provides me with a plethora of options, it doesn’t mean I need to pack it all. In fact, packing every piece of camera gear I have may prove to be more of a hindrance than provide viable options ... too many choices can stifle my creative mojo.

So, my method is to keep it light and keep it controlled. I want enough equipment to give me the options for any situation yet not so much to weigh me down. And just like packing clothing, it’s good to start with the basics. My foundation bag looks like this:

Wide angle lens
I can’t imagine traveling anywhere and not having the ability to take in the whole scene. I firmly believe a good wide angle lens is the most versatile lens in the camera bag. Great travel stories ... like great movies ... begin with the bigger picture.

Longer focal length lens
Sometimes you just need a longer focal length to reach out and grab the shot you are after. These lenses are valuable when it comes to shooting birds, wildlife and other inaccessible subjects I may encounter on my journey.

Lens with large aperture
Who doesn’t love a larger aperture for low-light conditions and the fabulous blurring opportunities they provide? This great, light-weight lens will isolate any intent easily while keeping the shutter speed as fast as possible. Yes, it’s my prime ‘go-to’ lens.

Flash with cord
An off-camera flash will provide an endless amount of illumination options so I don’t have to just settle for the lighting as is.

This list of equipment will cover any situation and give me the most versatility. Now to add some style. A specialty lens (or two) to fit the nature of the trip will provide just the right amount of flair to make my trip images, as a whole, unique. These lenses may include the following:

Super-wide angle (fish-eye) lens
For cruise travel I will, no doubt, bring my fish-eye (15mm) as it’s really helpful for taking in my surroundings within the tight quarters of a ship. It’s also a great lens for playing with the distortions it can create ... like bringing out the curvature of the ocean horizon to show the ‘roundness’ of the world we are on. Now, that’s fun!

Macro lens or extension tubes
Another fun piece to have is either my macro lens or extension tubes. I love shooting close-ups and having the ability to get as close as possible keeps me unencumbered when expressing myself. The extension tubes are a plus because I can add them to a regular 50mm lens and have the best of both worlds (larger aperture plus the ability to get really close).

Extreme long lens (such as a 500mm)
An inexpensive 500mm lens fits easily into a camera bag ... but, I won’t always want to use it. However, if my destination promises a plethora of wildlife, I’ll probably pack it without hesitation.

Any other lens I think will be fun to play with at the moment.
I have collected quite a few lenses and accessories over the past few years and sometimes I will pack a lens ... just because. Just because I haven’t used it in awhile; just because I want to play with it now; just because it looks interesting for some reason. Just because.

And finally, the accessories such as filters, batteries, chargers, cards, card reader and portable external hard drive (if bringing a laptop) will complete the list.

I pack my photo equipment in a single bag and bring an extra day bag as well. Just because I pack it, doesn’t mean I have to cart it all around with me each day. Even on a trip, I will narrow my daily options to what mood I am in or what shooting opportunities promise to arise that day.

And as my basic photographic list is growing longer and longer ... I’m thinking about those clothing packing lists I have found (like on the cruise site). I understand why they get so long. It’s hard to know what we will want to wear (or shoot with) on a day two weeks from today. But, at some point, we just have to pack it up, be confident with our choices and look forward to the wonderful possibilities our travels will bring.

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