One of the biggest joys of the summer is packing your camera into a wax canvas bag, travelling to somewhere filled with vivid imagery and capturing a whole album of memories and snapshots.
However, there is something of a dilemma whenever it comes to a photography trip. Cameras and photography equipment is exceptionally heavy, which is fine in a studio but can be back-breaking and limiting when on location for a shoot.
However, by planning, packing smartly and making wise equipment choices, you can be mobile and flexible when taking pictures without compromising on quality. Here are some of our top tips
Follow The Three Lens Rule
Your lenses are the most expensive and heaviest part of your setup, so take as few of them with you as you can reasonably get away with.
The best way to do this is to settle on an all-around zoom lens with the focal lengths you need, as well as two other lenses if you have specialised camera shots in mind.
Travel zooms tend to have a variable focal length between 24-105mm (although some shutterbugs swear by a 24-70mm lens), which allow for a range of wide-angle and close-up shots without having to change your lens.
Outside of a travel zoom lens, choose a couple of lenses for particularly specialised shots. If you want to shoot the stars, you will invariably need a 14mm or perhaps a 16mm lens, or if you want to isolate a particular subject (say a wild animal), a 400mm telephoto would be ideal.
Pack A Travel Tripod
Some photographers refuse to pack anything but a full heavy-duty stand but if you want to avoid the headache of taking it through baggage handling and carrying it on long shoots, try to carry an aluminium or carbon-fibre tripod.
A travel tripod will provide the height you need but also collapse small enough to fit in your luggage.
Carry A Backup Camera
Invariably, problems can arise on any trip, and one of the most frustrating is when your beloved camera breaks down or develops a fault that could spoil your otherwise immaculate trip.
Carry a spare camera, but do not go overboard with it. Either take a smaller, cheaper or older body compatible with your lenses, or a tiny point-and-shoot camera to get you out of a pinch.