My Full Photography Travel kit (Nov 2018)
*I’ve updated this kit (July 2019). Click here for the latest.
My essentials
Hi friends! I know how much you all love gear, so here is a flat lay of my current travel kit. The gear above is my stripped down essentials, basically everything I need on a photo & video job. I know it may seem like a lot but it all packs down to my camera bag with a little room to spare. Of course I take things out / add them in when necessary but this is typically what I bring to most places. The only thing it is missing is my 70-200 f/2.8 lens, tripod and some lights but I try not to use those things when possible anyway.
Almost all of the gear above goes into my photography backpack and on the plane with me (minus the top half of the Ronin S gimbal). More on my backpacks later.
Gear list (above):
SECRET SAUCE FOR VIDEO
Like I mentioned, this kit is run & gun for both photo and video work. For those who don’t do video, trust me when I say that there is a lot more gear involved. For that reason, I have specifically opted for the Canon 85mm f/1.4 & Sigma 24-70 f/2.8 because these have IS (image stabilization) which helps a lot in video.
Camera bags
I got so many comments and DMs asking which camera backpack I use. I am currently using two camera backpacks: the Inspiration Cult x Makavelik photography bag which is my go to if I need more space to pack for longer trips. For smaller jobs & as a day pack / city pack I use the Chrome Industry Niko F-stop.
My favourite drone
The DJI Mavic 2 Pro (1” sensor version) is, in my opinion, the best drone ever made. I’ve owned and used quite a few of the DJI drones (Mavic 1, Mavic Air, Phantom 4, Phantom 4 Pro+) and the Mavic Pro 2 is by far my favourite. It is everything I want in a drone (technical / camera specs wise) and is super reliable and portable. It is highly recommended. I currently have 4 batteries for it, but I think for most cases 3 is enough.
Computer & hard drives
My surface book 2 is great for processing power and battery life. For storage (which is a crucial part of my job) I use a Samsung T5 SSD for my main storage and working drive. I use this SSD because it is super fast and also really small and portable. This gets double backed up on my LaCie Rugged 2TB drive everyday or second day.
When on location I usually keep the hard drives separated to ensure that I don’t lose / break them both together. Read more about my storage and backup workflow here.
If you liked this blog post, you should know that I have a permanent and full listing of all the gear I use on my blog which you can find at: about > What I Shoot with. I update this kit listing very often and it contains all my stuff.
Friends! I got some photos (and a vlog) for you from a weeked trip away to Mt Fuji. We head to Mt Fuji for the weekend to chase some Autumn colours (with Fooj in the back obviously). If you have never been to Mt Fuji, be warned that depending on the time of year, it might not always be visible. It is kind of crazy thinking about how huge the mountain is and how it can just hide from you so easily in the clouds. I was once told by a tour guide that Mt Fuji is female because she likes to hide from you and will only appear if you are nice. Click through for more word and some photos to match.