On the Road

Traveling is great photo opportunity and to get shots from somewhere you have not been to. But it is not as easy as taking photos in a location that you know well. When traveling, you do not have the luxury of carrying all your equipment with you. You must learn to travel light and bring only the essentials as the more you carry, the heavier your bag is and the quicker fatigue will set in. Two lenses should suffice: a zoom around 24-70mm and a long lens 70-200mm. The shorter zoom will be the main walk around lens for general use and the long lens would be useful for shooting long distance objects that are hard to get close to such as nature. In addition to the camera body and lenses, you will need a battery recharger, an outlet converter if traveling in foreign countries, back up batteries, multiple memory cards, lens cleaning cloth, and card reader. This the most basic list and you will most likely need more in addition to this.

A bag is the best way to carry all this equipment but you must carefully choose which bag. The two popular carry bags are backpacks and messenger bags. This is based on personal choice but backpacks are more comfortable for carrying heavier items. Then there is size and design. It should be large enough to carry your items without forcing them in. Separate compartments help organize the contents for easy and quick access. Bags made for photographers will have padded interiors to better protect equipment during travel. The problem with some of these bags are that they are obviously made for carrying camera equipment. For thieves, this is a huge flag signaling expensive equipment inside.

Camera straps with the brands labeled on them in large writing is also an indicator for tourist and traveler that is new to the area. Thieves see them as easy prey and will generally target them first. The most common method for stealing from bags is to use razors to slash open bags or to slash the straps. Making yourself less of a target is the best prevention from being stolen from.

Aside from what you carry, how you dress is important. Be sure to dress comfortably but also avoiding clothing that would cause you to stand out in a crowd. Try to learn what the locals would wear and try to fit in.

In the case of theft, you should have a list of your items that you brought and a copy of passports and any other form of identification that you have with you. You should have multiple copies in your luggage, bag, and on your body separate from the bag. This will be useful in case you lose the original or would have to talk to the police.