Photos on the Go
submitted 22 Oct 18:44 by roadtrippr

It’s no secret that photography is another hobby of mine. I’ve been entering a local art show for 4 years, and have been lucky enough to get one piece in each year. For the past few years I did all of my work with a Digital Rebel XT, and a copy of Photoshop on my iMac, but that’s all changing. I recently upgraded to the new Nikon D90, and the camera is amazing. I’m still doing a lot of my work with Photoshop, but I’m also evaluating both Adobe Lightroom, and Apple’s Aperture.


In my opinion, one of the best and worst things about a dSLR is the range of equipment. With a small point and shoot, you throw it in your pocket and away you go. A dSLR is a little more complication, and can make traveling light quite difficult. However, the extra work that goes into planning and packing is worth the dramatic increase in photography power.


When heading out on a road trip, packing is one of the most important things you can do. If you have a large amount of camera lenses, this can be daunting, every lens has a special purpose, but the weight quickly adds up. When I head out on a day trip, I don’t mind taking everything with me, as long as you have a large camera bag, and don’t plan on doing a ton of walking around, it’s not a problem. However, camera lenses can be VERY expensive, so anything that requires and overnight stay, or time away from your car, be weary. You do not want to come back to see you $5,000 lens stolen.

Camera Bag


Besides the camera, this can be the most important photography purchase you can make. You need something comfortable, especially if you will be carting around your equipment all day. You also want something inconspicuous. Walking around with a camera bag emblazoned with Canon, Nikon or Sony just screams “expensive stuff inside!”. I really like the bags from Crumpler and Lowepro. They are very handy and look like a normal bag.

Tripods


Tripods can range in price from basically nothing to upwards of hundreds of dollars. In my line of work, I have no need for an expensive tripod, mine cost $.50 new, and that included shipping! There are many people who do need the expensive tripods though, and for them I recommend getting two, a small cheap light one for personal use, and a good one for business. If you’re heading out for the weekend for fun, there is no need to carry around a 20lb or more tripod. Mine weighs 3 lbs and is very easy to cart around.

What to take


Unless you have a specific thing in mine to take pictures, don’t take all your lenses, take one. It will make you a better photographer. The lenses don’t make the photo, you do. You will also spend much more time finding the perfect shot instead of worry about what lens to use.

Like I said above, if you have a small cheap tripod, take it. You don’t really need one for day shots, but if you do any dusk or night photography, take it.

If your camera has a small quick start guide, take that as well, it can help you find some of the extra hidden options.

Finally, make sure you are well prepared for where you are going. There is no reason to ruin a nice photography excursion with an injury or worse.