Travel Photography Gear

October 24, 2016

Travel Photography Gear

I am an amateur photographer at best; I know the basics and I have a decent camera. But for this Iceland trip, I really want to make an effort to get some really great photos and capture some amazing memories. I'm really looking forward to this trip because of the amazing, unfamiliar landscapes and the v. real probability that we will see the northern lights.

Over the past few years, I've gotten more interested in photography and with every trip, I think my skills are improving. So, for this exciting trip to Iceland, I really wanted to stretch my skills. I knew this would be the ideal trip in which to try something new. When I went to Arizona at the beginning of the year, I definitely ventured outside of my comfort zone. It was the first time I toted a mini tripod on a trip, it was the first time I consciously switched between lenses to line up certain shots, and it was also the first time I attempted time lapses. And it all worked out because it was a road trip-style holiday in a beautiful landscape-heavy locale. I could store my handful of gear in the car and grab what I needed as I needed it, instead of lugging it around with me. The lugging part is really off-putting and the main reason why I don't put more effort into photographing city breaks.

But in Iceland, we'll be in a similar scenario. It's a road trip-style holiday and I expect the landscape to be breathtaking, which will ultimately justify the efforts. I plan on lugging two cameras with me (I have a Sony NEX 5R and 5TL) so that I can set one up on a tripod to do time lapses and shoot video from a wide angle while I use the other camera to do closeups and panning videos. I'm not 100% sure how it'll work out, but I also have my family at my disposal to help.

Here's what I'm bringing

Cameras: Sony NEX 5R, Sony NEX 5TL, GoPro (which belongs to my sister)
Lenses: 16-50mm F/3.5 power zoom, 35mm F/2.8 wide angle lens, 55-210mm F/4.5 telephoto lens (all three fitted with a UV filter), and a cheapy 35mm F/1.7 lens
Mini tripod and gorillapod
Remote
External flash
2 spare batteries and charger
2 x 32gb SD cards and 8gb SD card
SD to iPad adapter
cleaning brush and microfiber cloth
DIY camera strap
DIY camera poncho
Camera case and backpack
Red LED flashlight (for night photography)

I packed a regular backpack with my camera case and a few pouches, which makes it great for traveling because I have my camera gear and all the other stuff. It will fit snugly under the seat in front of me and it's comfortable to carry.

The camera case is great because it holds a lot. The little side pocket is big enough to hold the SD cards, adapters, cleaning brush, microfiber cloth, remote, external flash, extra batteries, and the mini tripod. The main compartment is big enough for one camera and the charger.

I have a little pouch for my zoom lens, which also has room for the camera ponchos.

The case and the pouch fits comfortably in the bottom of my backpack and there's plenty of room for the other items I want to tote to the airport, including my wallet, mobile phone, tablet, a few essentials (like my sleep mask and contact case), and journal.