Traveling with my Camera Gear

Are you Traveling with your camera gear this summer?

It may be a challenge to figure out how to pack up all your camera gear and travel by airplane.  Each time I travel I have spend time figuring out the logistics of packing and safely storing all my gear.  Not only do I have to be sure I don’t forget any gear but I have to fit it all into carry on size pieces.  This can get pretty heavy when you consider extra batteries, extra lenses and camera body and then the laptop.  All my cords, battery chargers and such go in my checked bag.  If that gets delayed or lost or tossed around, it won’t be the end of the world.

I have been using my Lowepro Backpack for over 10 years. It has lots of zipper compartments to hold all my cards and supplies.  It’s easy to carry through security and easy to carry out in the field.  Sometimes I think about owning something with wheels so I don’t end up with sore shoulders from carrying it long distances but for weekend trips the back pack and my overnight suitcase work well.  The best thing is that it holds all my equipment and it fits under the seat in front of me on the airplane.  I may add a new camera bag to this years Christmas list but I will continue to stick with a bag that fits under the seat in front of me.  As I boarded any of my flights in the past few years, it never fails that the flight attendants will announce that they are out of overhead space and if your carry-on won’t fit under the seat then you must bring it up and check your bag.  Gulp, that’s just too much stress for a professional photographer to endure.

The traveling horse photographer.

At least I am not a wedding photographer that needs to travel with a variety of lenses or with lighting equipment.  As a traveling horse photographer, I can get by with two bodies and two lenses and 2 batteries and CF cards.  My primary body is my Nikon D700 and I still have my original Nikon D100 I purchased in 2003.  These bodies are considered “half size pro bodies”.  My primary lens is the heavy 80-200mm Nikkor 2.8. I have a less expensive 28-200mm super lightweight lens that I bring as a backup.  The glass isn’t as good but I have it if I need it.  My laptop is a small 13″ Asus.  If I’m not gone too long, I may even skip carrying my laptop with me.  I gave up lugging around my tripod years ago.  I do still have one but after years of hauling it around and never using it- I typically leave it at home.

Camera Bags on my wish list.

I really enjoy the videos from Tenba and they look like they make a nice selection of camera bags.  I appreciate good marketing almost as much as the quality of the product, so the style, selection and quality plus the crazy sumo wrestler featured in the video attempting to destroy the bag is a real winner.  Lowe Pro has some nice messenger style bags that will fit a laptop and camera gear and go under the seat.  However, if you know you are trekking through airports or long hallways and want a roller bag, Think Tank has some great camera gear bags.

Did you do your photo backup?

If you are traveling with your laptop you may have time to  download your images to your laptop before heading home.  I use an online backup service called Carbonite, so when possible I will download my photos from the shoot from the cards to my laptop and then allow the Carbonite service to back the photos up to the cloud before I head home.  If I am not traveling with my laptop or have time to allow the cloud backup to occur, then my  CF cards stay very safe and close to me.

Stay relaxed and calm when traveling.  Don’t forget your camera gear.  I love to fly but it still can be a bit stressful planning it all out and hoping it all goes according to that plan.  Most of all – be safe, be friendly and have fun!

Jody Miller is a professional photographer specializing in Horse Photography, Equine Photography, and Equestrian photography.  Her work can be viewed online here in her gallery section, and she is also featured at Arts Prescott Gallery, in Arizona.