Since I first left for my initial backpacking trip 10 years ago (next month!), I have always had my camera with me. As I have mentioned in other stories on this site, my greatest love – my main artistic expression – has always been photography. One of the driving factors behind that initial adventure had been to set out and capture our beautiful world through my viewfinder.
I often get asked about the gear I use, especially the products for travel photographers that I rely on every day. While great shots aren’t all about the gear (as photographers, we know that skill and creativity matter most! :P), having the right tools can make a big difference. If you’re looking to get started in travel photography, check out my article on the 8 Essential Travel Photography tips to get you started. And then come back here to see what I use every day.
Since my beginning thoughts of planning a trip around the world, I knew I wanted to trade in my camera for a lighter model. I previously owned a Canon 7D that had gotten me through my Photojournalism degree and work afterwards in the industry, but it was heavy and bulky. I regularly used two lenses that were equally heavy (think 1-2 pounds per lens and another for the body). It was unsustainable.
1. Camera: Sony Alpha 7R IV or A7R V (or similar high-resolution mirrorless camera)
Compact yet powerful, with exceptional image quality and dynamic range for travel photography.
So I set about researching what the top pros were using and this was just when Sony had announced their second generation Full Frame Mirrorless camera the Sony A7. To say the Sony A7 series was a game-changer in the industry would be vastly underselling how much of a tectonic shift the lightweight, tough, and high resolution cameras were. I was thrilled to buy a new camera that felt ready made just for me.
Four years into my time on the road and it came time to upgrade my gear to the latest and greatest. I traded in my Sony A7 II for the higher resolution Sony A7R III, which continues to be my main camera today. The 3rd generation R (which stands for Resolution in Sony Marketing Speak) solved all my issues with my previous camera. I suspect that I will soon move to the A7R V when they announce the next generation after it.
If you are looking to pick up a fantastic camera, you can’t do wrong with either the 4th generation or 5th generation R-series. These camera sport 61 Megapixel motion-stabilized sensors for crisp and clear images every time. Sony continues to refine battery life, video capabilities, and more. The Sony EF series lens family is bigger than ever and more 3rd party lenses are released all the time. The product line has hit a mature level and any of the models they sell today would be a good choice.
If you are looking for a more budget friendly option, check out the A7 III or A7 IV. These prosumer level cameras are beloved by photographers looking to capture fast motion like sports and while their sensors are not as high resolution as the R-series, they are more than capable for most use cases.
2. Lens: Tamron 28-75mm f/2.8 or other all around lens
Lightweight, versatile, and sharp—perfect for landscapes, portraits, and street photography.
While having a great camera will form a solid foundation to your photography, most professionals would tell you it is their lenses that really make the difference. As I said above, in ten years I have only had two cameras, but I am constantly modifying which lenses I bring with me on my trip. Whether it is a wide angle lens to capture epic vistas in Patagonia or a long telephoto to capture lions and rhinos in Botswana, there are always compromises or modifications to be made to which lenses are a must-have in my camera bag.
For most photographers, a good fast-focusing and light-sensitive all-around lens will work for most situations you would encounter while traveling. I have tried a few different ones in this category like the Sony FE 24-240mm f/4.5-6.3 (too heavy and slow to zoom), Sony FR 24-70mm f/4 (minimal zoom variation), and the Sony FE 24-105mm f/4 (loved this one, but sold it because I didn’t use it much). My new object of affection and a highly-rated all around lens is not made by Sony, but by third-party lens manufacturer Tamron.
The Tamron 28-75mm f/2.8 does not have the zoom range of previous all-arounds I have used, but it does have the big beautiful f/2.8 aperture at a price that doesn’t break the bank. The aperture rating on a lens can be somewhat confusing, but essentially it is a measurement of the amount of light that is able to pass through to the camera’s sensor.
For reasons that are too hard to explain in the scope of this article, an f/2.8 lens lets in twice the light of an f/4 lens. What that means for the intrepid travel photographer in practice is that scene in the dim alleyway can be captured in vivid detail by simply hand holding the camera, whereas an f/4 lens will have to use twice as long of a shutter speed which may result in a blurry final image.
F/2.8 lenses are also able to blur the background of an image – an effect known as bokeh. This look is difficult to achieve with lenses with an aperture rating of f/4 and higher, but can really make an image sing when captured well. I’m currently traveling in West Africa and do not have this lens with me, but I plan to pick it up next time I loop back through the United States!
3. Travel Camera Backpack: Shimoda Explore v2 30L
Durable, weatherproof, and designed specifically for photographers with customizable compartments.
Much like my lens assortment, I feel like I am never fully satisfied with my travel camera backpack. Multiple times I have thought that maybe it would be better if I just designed one myself! In my ten years on the road, I have carried no less than 5 different designs, and I think I have finally found one that suits me in most regards.
My current daily driver is the Explore v2 30L backpack by Shimoda Designs. There are several features that I absolutely love about this back. First, it has a fully removable and customizable camera storage compartment that Shimoda calls a Core Unit. You can check and see which sizes fit in your bag and buy one that suits you. Second, I love how discreet it is. Many bags these days look expensive and look like they are carrying expensive gear.
The Shimoda has very subtle branding and the rest of the bag is a solid black ripstop water resistant material. I have no qualms setting it down in dust, sand, or mud if I need to dig around in the bag to look for something. Another feature I appreciate is that the main gear section is accessed via a rear zipper, meaning it is impossible for prying hands to get to the camera compartment when it is on my back. The few zippers that are outward facing contain nothing I would mind losing.
The bag is not cheap. But I see it as an investment and wouldn’t hesitate to spend the same amount again. I figure that for an item I will use every day for 3+ years, I think it is a fair price considering all the care that has gone into its design.
4. Travel Tripod: 3 Legged Thing Brian
Lightweight, portable, and sturdy enough for long exposures and astrophotography.
Dependable, sturdy, and lightweight, a good travel tripod can be indispensable for a photographer. But I think they are often the first item left at home when attempting to shed weight from one’s bag. I’d recommend rethinking this, seeking out one that is compact and lightweight like the one I use from 3 Legged Thing.
In my initial planning, I deliberated a lot about whether to take up valuable weight and space with my tripod. My first big backpack was smaller than the 60L I use today and also didn’t roll like my current Osprey Sojourn, so whatever gear I brought went straight on my back and hips. I had tripods before, but they were hardly compact and definitely not lightweight, but I ultimately decided to invest in a carbon fiber tripod that, while pricey, would save my spine from the additional weight.
In my research I came across a company by the bizarre name of 3 Legged Thing. Based out of England, the oddball company names all their items after men’s names or punk rock characters. I decided to give them a try on a recommendation of from another travel photographer I knew and I haven’t looked back. I had my first generation Brian tripod for 7 years and now use the improved Brian 2.0.
While I don’t use my tripod everywhere I go, I couldn’t imagine traveling without it as so many of my most iconic images would have been impossible without the sturdy base it provides me.
5. Portable Hard Drive: Crucial X10 Pro SSD
Compact, shock-resistant, and fast for storing high-resolution images on the go.
I don’t speak about it much here, but my last job before quitting to travel the world was working for Apple in their Retail Division. For most of my 8.5 years at the company, I was a member or manager of the Genius Bar, their technical support gurus. The number one rule I came away with after countless customer interactions is, always backup your shit.
Most people go about their digital lives assuming the files they have inside their computer will always be there, but I can tell you there are countless ways this could lead to heartbreak. As travelers, there are even more risks than most people experience on a daily basis. Theft, damage, straight forgetting your memory card on the desk of your AirBnB (personally experienced this one!), file corruption, and accidental deletion are possible – just to name a few.
The easiest way to prevent this is to carry one or even better two, portable solid state backup drives. For the last 5 years or so, I only carry solid state drives. These have no moving parts inside and while they are more expensive than the older hard drive style, they fail much less often and the prices are approaching parity very quickly.
I would recommend that you buy the largest that you can afford and buy two. Keep a complete backup of your computer in your carryon and one in your checked bag so that when you are on the move, you have double the chance of being able to recover your work if one or the other of your bags goes missing or is damaged.
6. Digial Backup Solution: Backblaze
Reliable, automated online backup for safeguarding your photos and files against unexpected loss.
To go along with your solid state backup drive from product #5, I would recommend that you also invest in a digital backup solution. It is unlikely that both of my drives would fail, or that I lose both of my bags, but it is not out of the realm of possibility. And for this scenario, I also subscribe to Backblaze’s online backup service.
I have been using Backblaze or their main competitor Carbonite for years and I value their ease of us and peace of mind knowing that if the absolute worst happens, I have access to all my files. Backblaze’s app is good for recovering one to a few files at a time and in the case of catastrophic loss, they have an option wherein you pay for a hard drive and they will load it up with a complete clone of your data and ship it to you to enable you to rebuild your files.
For me, Backblaze is a no brainer addition to my toolkit, and once it is setup, I never have to worry about it doing its job.
7. Camera Strap: Peak Design Slide
Ergonomic and comfortable for carrying your camera over long hours without strain.
One of the most overlooked but essential products for travel photographers is a high-quality camera strap. When you’re carrying a camera for hours you want something that is both comfortable and secure. The Peak Design Slide has been my go-to camera strap for a few years now, and I can confidently say it’s the best I’ve ever used.
What makes the Slide stand out? First, it’s incredibly versatile. You can wear it as a neck strap, a sling, or a shoulder strap, depending on your preference. The quick-adjustment system allows me to tighten or loosen the strap on the fly, which is especially useful when switching between shooting handheld and putting the camera back in my Shimoda bag.
The comfort factor is another big win. Unlike standard camera straps that dig into your neck or shoulders, the Slide has a wide, padded design with a grippy side to prevent slipping. It feels like a really well designed seatbelt strap. It distributes weight evenly, making even a heavier camera setup feel much more manageable.
Lastly, the Peak Design Anchor system is a game-changer. The strap attaches to the camera with small, quick-release anchor points, allowing you to detach or reattach it in seconds. This feature is perfect when using a tripod or switching to a different carrying method.
8. Drone: DJI Mini 3 or DJI Mini 4 Pro
Small, portable, and powerful enough for capturing stunning aerial shots without extra bulk.
When I first started traveling, I had been eagerly eying the burgeoning personal consumer drone category, hoping that they would soon introduce a model compact enough to travel with. A decade later and the category is jam-packed with a ton of options for the traveling photographer and content creator.
My first drone and the one that I still occasionally travel with is the first generation Mavic Pro. I’ve flown it in Thailand, Iceland, Singapore, Australia, and the Philippines. Having the perspective afforded by a drone in places as photogenic as these was a game changer for my photography.
Nowadays, the compact drones are at the size where it is almost like why wouldn’t you pack one if you have space? The newest drone that I have my eyes on is the DJI Mini 3 or 4 Pro. This tiny beast comes in at 249 grams – the maximum a drone can be and avoid restrictions in many countries. And it is their most compact 4k drone yet.
One thing to keep in mind if you plan to travel with a drone is to check for regulations in the countries you plan to visit. Some, mainly in Central America, Africa, and parts of Asia, have either outright bans or severe restrictions on their use. I use UAV Coach as my go to resource to check in advance if I can fly a drone, before I ever think of packing one in my bag.
9. Neutral Density Filters: Breakthrough Photography Neutral Density Filter
High-quality neutral density filters for managing light in bright outdoor settings.
One item that I used to not carry, but now never leave on a trip without, are my set of Neutral Density Filters. These can be thought of as sunglasses for your camera lenses. They serve several purposes in traditional photography. First, they allow photographers to use a wide aperture to produce that beautiful bokeh blur we talked about before and then in my favorite use-case, they also allow you to use much slower shutter speeds during daytime than your camera would otherwise be able to use.
With shutter speeds, the faster in which your camera captures the scene, the less overall movement is depicted. Think of an iconic photograph you have seen of a sporting event. Perhaps a baseball pitcher throwing a ball to a batter. The ball normally travels 100mph (160kph), but the ball is perfectly in focus. This is because the photographer used an incredibly high shutter speed – perhaps 1/8000 of a second.
Conversely, I took the image below of a waterfall in Luxembourg on a hike I did last year. The image on the left shows the scene as captured straight out of camera using the automatic shutter speed (1/20 sec) the camera recommended. It is pleasing enough, and as slow as I could get it naturally, but not special. The right image, however looks magical. That is because I screwed on a neutral density filter to the front of the lens. This dark tinted glass has made the camera adjust the shutter speed to be much lower than in normal sunlight, in this case resulting in an exposure of 1 second.
When a lower shutter speed is used, motion blurs. In this case, the water running toward me, down the rocks and into the pool below blurs into pleasing streaks of light. It is pretty much impossible to fake this look without ND filters. Where things get confusing with ND filters, however, is the power or ‘stop-rating’. This is an indication of how much light the filter blocks from reaching your camera sensor.
The rule of thumb with ND filters is the largest the stop-rating, the more light the filter blocks. The most common ratings are 3-stop, 6-stop, and 10-stop. I personally carry a 3 and a 6. As you experiment more with their use, you will find what suits you best.
According to Andrew Marr over at Explore Landscape Photography, “a 3-stop ND filter is ideal for a multi-second shutter speed in low-light scenes, like sunset and sunrise. In cloudy grey conditions, a 6-stop ND filter will extend your shutter to nearly a minute. If there’s plenty of light in the scene, a 10-stop ND filter can slow the shutter speed to over a minute or more.”
10. Power Solution: Anker Zolo Power Bank
High-capacity, fast-charging, and essential for keeping all your devices powered while on the road.
Over the last few years, all of my devices have been slowly moved to the USB-C charging standard. This has greatly simplified the number of charging cables, batteries, and plugs I need to bring on my journey. But there is nothing worse than running out of juice at the wrong time so having a reliable power bank is a key product for travel photographers. Lately, the Anker Zolo 10,000mAh Power Bank has been my go-to and I am very pleased with it.
What makes the Zolo great? It’s compact and lightweight, making it easy to slip into my backpack or even my pocket. Despite its small size, it packs enough power to fully charge my phone at least twice or even top off my camera. I have been exclusively using Anker products for years now, as I always appreciate their balance between design, price, size.
If you’re a travel photographer (or any kind of traveler, really), a good power bank is non-negotiable. The Anker Zolo 10,000mAh is the perfect balance of size, weight, and power, keeping my devices running no matter where I am in the world.
Wrap Up
As someone whose entire life fits into a small backpack and a roller bag, my kit is never complete. I’m always modifying what I find to be most useful, and that’s especially true for my camera gear. The products for travel photographers I’ve highlighted in this article represent the most important components in my photo arsenal for now, but I’m always open to new ideas and innovations.
What about you? What products do you find indispensable? What can you not travel without? I’d love to hear your thoughts and recommendations — there’s always room for improvement in the ever-evolving world of travel photography!
