Travel photography is interesting for both amateurs and professionals alike. However, Shahriar Ekbatani knows like no other how hard it is to travel while also bringing your camera equipment. This is why it is so important to know what everything does, so that you can bring the things that matter, and leave the things you don’t really need at home.
Shahriar Ekbatani on Packing
If you have ever been on a photography trip before, you will know how hectic it is. You probably have a huge list of equipment that you want to bring. This is why you need to start by thinking of a few key things:
- What you expect in terms of the type of photographs you want to take.
- What the climate will be like where you are.
- How long you will be going for.
Equipment Protection
The second thing you need to consider is your protection. You must have a high quality bag in which you can hold your lens, your memory cards, your battery, and your camera. If you can afford it, buy a hard case. They cost a little more, but you can use them again and again and they can withstand harsh climates.
Optional and Not So Optional Extras
There are always a couple of extras you need as a backup. This is where things get complicated, however, because you don’t want to waste space packing things you won need anyway. Usually, your backup will compromise of memory cards, filters, and batteries, but you do need to know how many you need. As such:
- Find out how many pictures you can take on one battery and how long it takes you to shoot that much. This will tell you how many batteries you need for one day.
- Have two cases with memory cards, one with empty ones and one with used ones. Memory cards don’t take up much space, so you shouldn’t compromise on the quality of your images just so you can shoot more pictures.
Cleaning
You should also have a few cleaning products with you. It is all too easy to have your equipment damaged by moisture, smudges, finger prints, dust, and more. Hence, you must carry:
- A brush to remove small debris.
- A hurricane blower to get rid of larger particles.
- Lens cleaning solution and microfiber cloth to polish the lens.
Shahriar Ekbatani’s Final Tip
While this may not be possible for most people, if you can carry an extra camera, you should. Your camera may be your most expensive piece of equipment, it is also your most expensive one. You can buy extra batteries and memory cards pretty much anywhere. You can even have your equipment cleaned somewhere. But if you’re in the middle of nowhere and your camera suddenly breaks, then your entire trip will be ruined. Investing in an extra camera, even if it is one of slightly less good quality, is always a good idea.
