If you’re heading out on holiday or vacation this year, then you might be wondering what photography equipment to take with you....and what you should leave behind.

We all want to take pretty much everything with us, because each bit of our photography kit, whether that be our lenses or reflector or flash, each serve a purpose, and we want to them available should we need it.

BUT, there’s usually limited space available, so there has to be a balance between having the PERFECT lens for a certain shot, or a reflector to help bounce light, or whatever else I may want, and what you can reasonably fit into your camera bag!

So on the podcast today, I’m sharing with you the 7 photography items I pretty much always take with me when travelling.

The list might vary a bit depending on where I’m going, but it’s a really good basis to start out with, and many of them will be the same regardless of whether I’m on a city break or heading to the hills!

#1 Spare Memory Card

So I always go with at least 2, usually, 3 memory cards.

I want to make sure that I have enough space on my memory cards that I don't have to sit there thinking “oh no, I have to delete some photos from my memory card. before I can start shooting again!”

So I have 4 memory cards in total, and I just like to take pretty much all of them with me because they're so light! They're so easy throw into your camera bag and they don't take up any space or any weight. This way, I know that I have enough space for everything that I want to capture.

I also make sure before I go that I've uploaded all the photos from the memory cards and that nothing is on them.

That way I know that I can just take a card, pop that into my camera, and start shooting. There's nothing worse than you go put your card in your camera, and then you realize there's photos on there, and you think “Did I upload those already, or did I not?!”

And you end up keeping them just in case, and therefore you don’t have the space for new photos that you thought you had.

So memory cards is something I take with me regardless of when I'm going; whether that be to the city or to the beach or to the hills.

That way I know that I've got enough space to capture everything I want to, and I don't have to censor myself with how many photos I'm taking or start to delete some from the memory card.

#2 Spare Battery (& Battery Charger)

The second thing I always take with me is a spare battery and a battery charger.

So if I'm just going away for a couple of days, I might just take only the spare battery and leave the charger at home because it can be a little bit bulky. (I can fit a lens into the same space as my battery charger will fit into!)

But, again, by having 2 batteries, it means I can make sure that I've always got a fully charged one in my camera bag.

And if I've exhausted it during the day because I've been shooting all day, I just pop that onto charge, and then I've got one ready to go in my camera bag the next day, and I don't need to worry about the fact that I might forget to put it on charge when I get back, which I often do!

Again, having that spare battery again doesn't take up much room, but it can be a lifesaver!

#3 Backpack (with wet weather protection)

Another thing that always comes with me regardless of where I'm going, is a camera backpack.

II do have a purse-style camera bag, but it's really not as comfortable for wearing for long periods of time. It looks pretty, but it sits across the body and you end up with one sore shoulder because all the weight's going to one place.

Depending on how much stuff I'm taking with me on any particular day, I want to be comfortable!

So I bought myself Lowepro Backpack.

It's really sturdy, It's got little pockets for everything, little sections where you can put in your chargers, and you've got a bit down the back where you can put your laptop or iPad or something like that.

The only thing I don't like about it is how it opens from the side, and so even if I get my husband to open it while it's still on my back, I'm scared that the stuff's going to fall out!

One more thing I will say about the backpack is to make sure that you take wet weather protection with you.

Any camera bag worth its salt will come with a little bag just like a waterproof cover that you can put over the top, which will make sure that all your photography gear is protected should you find yourself in an unexpected downpour.

#4 16-35mm Lens (OR my 35mm lens)

Finally, we're going to get into lenses!

I think lenses is one of the things I find most challenging to decide what to pack and what to leave behind, mainly because I shoot with prime lenses.

(In case you don't know, a prime lens is a lens that only has one focal length, so if you want to zoom in and get closer or get further back to fit more in the frame, you have to physically move yourself!)

Each lens in my lens arsenal serves a different purpose. Maybe one lens is a perfect lens for 1 or 2 things, but I need another lens to help me do something else.

For example, my 35 mm is a great all rounder, and a fantastic walkabout lens. but I wouldn't use it for portraits. It's not also ideal if I want to take any longer range type photos.

So the one lens that pretty much always comes with me (and it's actually the only zoom lens that I own) and that is my Canon 16-35mm Lens

The reason this lens has found its way into my camera bag for pretty much anywhere that we go on vacation is that you can use this for quite a lot of walk around photography.

I can use that for shooting indoors, like in a restaurant., or street photography, or when we go to the beach, or if we go for a walk up the hills. I can also use it environmental portraits where I want photos of my subject, but lots of the surroundings as well.

So I find my 16 -35mm allows me to take images in multiple locations so it's a really good multipurpose lens for taking on vacation.

Before I had that lens though I took my Sigma 35mm Art Lens for Canon with everywhere- I LOVE that lens!!!!

#5 A second lens!

I always tend to take at least one other lens with me.

Now I do try to keep it to two lenses, so I have to be careful what lens makes it into my camera bag as the second!

Which I take really depends on where I'm going and I intend to be doing.

If I'm going to be taking any kind of portraits when I'm away, then I'll probably put my 85mm into my camera bag. Again, it's quite small and lightweight and it’s fantastic for portraits.

But if I'm going to be doing portraits and I maybe feel that I wanna to have something that will allow me to take photos from further back., for example photographing wildlife, then I tend to put in maybe my Canon 135mm, which is or even my 200mm, which is great for portraits as well.

The other one that I might consider taking and, again - this all depends on where I'm going and what I intend be doing at the time - is my macro lens.

Again, that doubles as a fantastic portrait lens, allows me to take macro and it's slightly longer in length, which, again, can be useful for wildlife photography.

#6 Lenspen

The lenspen s is a little tool for cleaning your lenses.

it looks like a really thick pen, and one end has a little brush on it. and the other hand end has a little microfiber cloth on it.

You use the brush to brush off any debris on your lens and then you use the other side to clean your lens.

I find if I've been maybe at the beach or something like that, you can end up with little sand particles around your lens. I want to get them off of there as quickly as possible I don't scratch my lens! So that little brush just allows me to do that, and then I can clean away any smudges with the other side of the pen.

#7 My Phone / Phone Apps!

And my final thing technically not a bit of photography equipment, but it's phone!

My phone is fantastic for taking photos in its own right.

There are times when I don't want to take a backpack and everything with me, so I will sometimes just shoot with my phone.

I prefer my camera, obviously, as it gives me more more options and I can get more creative with it, and it gives me higher quality photos. But there are times when your phone camera is just it's it's so handy!

Plus you can still practice photography with a phone camera! If you're looking at the direction of the light, telling a story or thinking how to compose your subject, then you can get fantastic photos with your phone.

In addition to using the phone as a camera in it’s own right, it’s really handy to have access to certain apps, such as weather app so I can see what it's going to be like that day, or the calculator for sunrise and sunset.

What I don’t take with me…

Now the things I don't ever take with me or very, very rarely is a tripod.

I do have one, and I use it very occasionally. But more likely than not, I'm going to find a way that I can steady my camera without taking out the tripod. I am a lazy photographer, so I don't ever take that with me.

I don't generally take my flash with me either. The only time that might change is if I was travelling for an important indoor event, and I’m in charge of taking photos of the people there, then my speedlight will go in!

(Want to know how to use a speedlight? Check this out!)

I also know a lot of people who will take an external hard drive with them. The purpose of taking your external hard drive with you is so you can upload the photos from your memory card and have them safely stored on your external hard drive.

This means you've still got 2 copies of your photos should anything happen to your memory card!

So there you have it!

That's the 7 things that I take with me on vacation or when I'm traveling (and the things I don’t!)

And if you are going away this year, whether you're going to the beach or to the hills or to a city break, I hope you have a fantastic holiday, and you take lots of wonderful photos!

Don't forget that you can share them with me on Facebook with the dedicated post we usually have every Thursday (unless I forget) or on Instagram with the hash tag #livesnaplove.

Until next week,

Audrey