If you’ve ever gone on a photography trip before, you know it can be quite stressful.

You not only have to deal with the logistics and complications of travel, anxiety and worry of you surviving in the first place, but of course, which gear to bring.

This is already a lot to think about, and we haven’t even gotten to the photography itself.

But don’t worry.

As some of you know, recently I just came back from a month long trip to Japan.

I packed, tested, brought different gear, some of which I didn’t use, and am actually going on another trip soon.

So I’ll share with you my travel gear bringing tips while the thoughts are still fresh in my mind.

Here are 4 tips on traveling with cameras that every photographer should know.

Understanding Your Use Case Scenario

While this is not the most exciting topic when it comes to traveling and photography, it’s arguably the most important.

Which is why we’re starting with this.

Understand your use case scenario.

What do I mean by this?

I mean: have a clear view and understanding of what your photography is and what images you’re trying to capture on this trip.

Of course you can’t predict how the scenery and world is gonna look, but just have a rough idea.

This will give us a clearer picture on what gear we’ll actually use and what gear will just take up space in our bag.

For example, I do mainly street photography: either photographing people and things or perspectives, buildings, and light.

And based on what I do and what I take pictures of, my primary cameras are the Fujifilm X-T4 with the 18-55 and the x100 series.

I know that simply with these two cameras I can capture 95% of what I enjoy taking pictures of.

And everything else - is dead weight.

As opposed to if I were a landscape photographer planning to go on long hikes or backpacking trips throughout Switzerland (I don’t know what landscape photography trips actually look like), the gear I’d bring would be very very different.

They’d probably be bigger, I’d probably have longer lenses, weather sealing is a must, filters are a must, and I’d have back up bodies just in case something broke. Etc, etc, etc.

The point is, make clear what photography you do and want to do first - and then you’ll know what to bring and what not to bring.

Let’s continue.

Weight

With the exclusion of you backpacking landscaping photographers who already know they’re gonna bring a lot of heavy stuff, most of us should keep weight in mind.

This is for two main reasons:

many airlines have weight limits for carry-on and/or checked baggage
carrying heavy stuff sucks when you’re traveling

Let’s go over each of these real quick.

If you’re taking flights you wanna understand the baggage policy of your airline.

This is because depending on the airline you’re taking, you may have more or less weight allotted to you.

For example, on this recent trip to Japan I had a weight limit of 7kg total between my personal item and my carry-on.

Which is basically nothing, especially if you’re bringing cameras.

I did eventually upgrade the weight to 14kg and just barely made the cut.

This was a cheaper flight - if you can’t tell.

And I did have one checked luggage on the way back which made things much more possible.

But the point is, if you’re trying to save money on the flight and also bring gear along, pay close attention to the baggage policy.

These little things can be the reason why the flights are so cheap and you don’t wanna run into issues and end up paying extra at the airport.

In many cases, it is worth it to just book the flight where the basic economy fare has all that stuff included so you don’t have to worry about it.

I should also address carry-on vs checked baggage.

Because weight limits and space for checked baggage is much higher, you might be thinking of throwing your cameras into your checked baggage instead of your carry-on.

I myself thought a lot about this and searched around for any drawbacks of doing so.

And the opinions online are mixed…of course.

Some people think it’s fine and have never had a problem with tossing their gear into checked baggage.

Other people talk about horror stories of their cameras getting ruined, luggage being lost, and more.

In my experience, I did end up putting one camera into the checked baggage to meet weight limits and didn’t really have a problem.

I think most of the times you’ll be fine - just have a decently sturdy suitcase, wrap your gear in something that’ll protect it, and you should be okay.

However, if you tend to worry or would prefer to bring your gear with you in your personal or carry-on, that’s fine as well - again, it’s up to you.

Now let’s talk about the actual travel part.

Traveling with heavy gear sucks.

It doesn’t matter what type of gear you’re used to or what photography you do, we all would prefer smaller and lighter gear.

And between the many lenses and camera bodies you have, you probably have a setup that you really like because of how easy it is to bring around.

Keep this in mind when you’re packing.

Because we often think: “Oh I’ll just deal with it, I’ll bring the heavy stuff, it’ll be worth it.”

But in reality, we may end up hating our lives, lugging this big ol thing throughout the city, wishing we left it at home.

So remember this.

Traveling and exploring is tiring.

You don’t need to make it more tiring by bringing something heavy.

Make Room for a Casual Camera

Traveling is more than just the scenery, the landscapes, the beautiful views.

A large part of travel is the people you meet, the culture you experience, and of course the food you eat.

And when it comes to capturing moments like these, it’s best to bring along a casual camera.

Something small, maybe even pocketable, that’s easy to bring around and doesn’t scream “professional”.

For a long time I used the x100v, and now I use the VI.

Pick whatever camera suits your needs.

And use it on moments during the trip that don’t feel picturesque.

This is key.

Often times, the picturesque moments of a trip are quite obvious.

We stop by at a view, people around us are taking pictures, so of course we start taking pictures as well.

Or maybe you’re visiting a famous spot or destination like a temple, so obviously you’re going to take pictures.

That stuff you don’t have to worry about.

I’m saying to make room for the less obvious moments.

Times when you’re just on the train going from point A to point B.

Other times when you’re lost, walking around trying to find your way.

Or simple moments when you took a break to get some coffee, relax, and enjoy being there.

Bring a little camera to capture these moments.

They may not be as picturesque or “Instagram worthy”, but these little everyday moments are often where I get my favorite pictures.

“Favorite pictures” as in they are the ones most closely connected to my trip and my experience.

You and 50 other people just took the same shot of the same landscape of Mt. Fuji.

But who else has the random snapshot you took of this little street you went down in Kamakura looking for a secluded coffee shop?

I’m not saying one is better than the other - I’m saying to do both.

Because the latter has a special essence to it: memories and unique moments that are beautiful in their own way.

It’ll also be more real and give a natural look to your overall catalog:

We’re not simply just taking photos of Japan, we’re taking photos in Japan.

And I’m for sure not opening my backpack up and whipping out a big camera and big lens for these little things.

So keep a little small casual one exactly for these moments.

Bring Less Than You Think

The final tip I’d like to share with you to help you when it comes to travel is to bring less than you think.

This is something I’ve mentioned before, and over and over I’m reminded of how important it is.

Less is more.

When it comes to travel we are always tempted to bring more.

We worry about needing this or needing that - and cameras are no exception.

“I know I only really need this camera, but what if I get bored and want to use this lens or this body or whatever?”

You don’t - and it’ll only weigh you down.

I myself was reminded of this on this trip as well.

I’ve told you guys all I really need is the X-T4 with the 18-55 and the x100vi.

But despite knowing that, I still decided to bring more with me to Japan.

In addition to those cameras, I also brought the 33mm 1.4 and the X-Pro3.

Furthermore, I picked up a vintage lens in Tokyo (more on this another time), which left me with way more cameras and lenses than I really needed.

Because I was worried, right?

This was a big trip I’d been planning for a long time and I wanted to make sure I got the shots I wanted to get.

And I did use the 33mm occasionally, but the X-Pro3, much less.

The majority of the time I used my main cameras and the X-Pro3 sat around in my luggage.

So I probably didn’t need to bring it in the first place.

Because a lot of travel is travel, not just photography.

You won’t always be taking pictures.

Furthermore, you’ll be tired from walking around so much, sitting on long commutes, that you’ll be too lazy to make these decisions.

Many of my days went like this:

“Hmm, should I use the X-Pro3 or X-T4 or x100vi today?”

“Idk, I’m tired, I’m hungry, I’ll grab whatever’s easiest right now and just get going.”

Which usually defaults to the camera I used most often or is easiest to bring around, and off we go.

So again, I was reminded that I really didn’t need to bring so much.

Don’t be like me and make the same mistakes - less is more.

So.

Maybe you’ve got a trip planned.

Or maybe you plan to travel in the future.

And maybe you’d also like to take nice photos while you’re at it.

Here are 4 travel camera photography tips to keep in mind.

Understand your use case scenario
What is the photography you like to do or plan to do?
Having a clear picture of that will make picking the gear you bring much easier.
Keep weight in mind
Airlines can be quite finicky with the weight they allow for baggage.
Aim for a smaller setup that still covers your photography needs.
You’ll be glad you did later when you’re not lugging around kgs of gear.
Make room for a casual camera
Something small, light, and easy to use - like a point and shoot.
This will allow you to really capture the essence of the countries you’re in, not just the popular photo spots.
Bring less than you think.
Expect yourself to be tired and not wanting to make decisions about which gear you’re using that day.
Have a reliable setup that does most or all of what you need and leave everything else at home - you’ll be fine.

So I hope you found some or all of these tips useful.

I wish you luck in your travels and photography journey.

If you’d like to help support my next trip, the link to my website is down below.

You can also support me by grabbing a copy of my latest photography zine: “The Sinking Sun”.

And if you just wanna learn more about photography, check out “Photography Essentials” - it’s free.

Thanks again to everyone who’s signed up - it means a lot and I hope you got value from it.

Thanks for reading, until next time.