If you are keen to get into travel photography, but never before picked up a camera, don’t worry. You are not alone. We had no clue about photography 18 months ago, and it’s only recently we’ve really started to get into it. In this article, we talk a little about travel photography for beginners and the camera gear we think you should consider.
When heading off on an exciting travel adventure, we highly recommend travelling equipped with a little more than just your smartphone for taking pictures. Thankfully, you can pick up a lot of camera gear relatively cheap these days, and every penny spent will be so worth it when you come home with treasured memories to last a lifetime. (Are you following us on Instagram? Follow us here!)
Don’t forget to check out our Backpackers essentials packing list before you go!
TRAVEL PHOTOGRAPHY FOR BEGINNERS
1. DSLR/MIRRORLESS CAMERA
Of course, the first thing to consider for any travel photography beginner is a half decent camera. If you’ve never tried photography before, we don’t recommend spending too much on your first camera. Thankfully, there are some great ones on the market these days at a very accessible price.
We recommend: We started off with the Nikon D3300 as our first DSLR camera and it was perfect for us beginners.
If you are slightly more experienced, or if you want to invest a bit more into your camera, our latest model is the Sony Alpha A7II with FE 28-70mm Lens.
2. CAMERA ACCESSORIES
If you buy a camera, don’t forget you will need some accessories such as a camera bag, camera strap, spare battery, SD Card, and filters.
3. TRIPOD
We get asked all the time how we take our couple shots, and here we give away our top secret. A TRIPOD!
Our tripod Timmy is literally the 3rd wheel in our relationship and without him, we wouldn’t have been able to pull off a fraction of our shots! An absolute necessity to nail those epic travel moments!
We recommend: Portable Lightweight Tripod
4. GOPRO & ACCESSORIES
If you want an action camera that is durable and safe to take in the water, then look no further than the Go Pro. Small, lightweight, and easy to handle, you really ought to carry one of these with you on any backpacking adventure.
We Recommend: GoPro Hero 7 (White) Action Camera + Adventure Kit
5. GO PRO DOME
We use our dome to capture some pretty epic 50:50 water shots, and while not a necessity, they are a hell of a lot of fun!
We Recommend: Shoot Waterproof Dome for Go Pro 5/6/7
6. A DRONE
Our drone is one of the latest instalments to our camera bag, and we are absolutely thrilled we decided to make the purchase. It’s like having our own personal helicopter with us at all times and we get to see all of the beautiful places we visit from a whole new perspective!
We Recommend: DJI Mavic Air Combo & you will need a spare battery!
7. LAPTOP
Our laptop is where we make the magic happen. From editing photos to writing blogs, they are an absolute necessity for anybody looking to make money online while they travel.
We Recommend: Apple Macbook Pro
8. iPhone
You won’t always want to whip out your camera at every photo opportunity, so it’s worth having a decent smartphone that will capture those on the spot moments.
We Recommend: Apple iPhone XR
9. EXTERNAL HARD DRIVE
Worth more to us than gold, our portable hard drive contains all of the precious photos that we’ve collected throughout a trip. You’ll be surprised how quickly the memory on your laptop will be filled when you are taking so many photos. Plus it’s always best to have a backup, just in case anything should happen to your laptop!
We Recommend: Toshiba 1TB External Hard Drive
10. CAMERA BACKPACK
If like us, you begin to accumulate items to your travel photography gear, you might find yourself needing one of these compartmental backpacks. They are really handy for keeping everything safe during the turbulence of travel, and also make finding things super easy!
We Recommend: K&F Concept Lightweight DSLR Camera Backpack
ONE LAST THING…
If you are carrying around expensive electricals around with you, you are going to want to make sure you have travel insurance should, god forbid, anything happens to them.
We use World Nomads Travel Insurance for cover against the unexpected. It’s really easy – you can customise your trip, itemise your valuables, and renew your insurance even if you’re already travelling!
You can check out our article on Travel Insurance, or get a quick quote from World Nomads here or use the form below:
TRAVEL RESPONSIBLY
As travellers, it should always be a top priority to travel responsibly. We already leave a substantial carbon footprint just by flying to our travel destinations, so that’s even more reason to make a positive impact when we get there. There are many small steps you can take to becoming a responsible traveller, check out the Eco-Travel essentials. Here are some things you can do to minimise your footprint:
1. Do not leave any rubbish on the ground: You would think this would go without saying; however, there are some questionable humans who think it’s ok to throw trash on the ground.
2. Carry a Steripen or iodine tablets to sterilise water: This not only limits your usage of single-use plastic but also saves you money too!
3. Respect the local culture: Be courteous of the local culture and act in such a way that leaves a good impression. Learn a little of the local language (hello and thank you is the minimum, you can use Google Translate), greet the locals in a polite manner, and respect dress codes & traditions.
Well, that includes our travel photography packing list for beginners. We hope these backpacker essentials will help you to prepare for a safe and enjoyable adventure! If you have any comments or questions, please do not hesitate to reach out. Don’t forget to follow us on Instagram here!
Stay adventurous and Happy travels.
Charlotte & Natalie x
Disclosure: Some of the links in this post are affiliate links. That means that if you purchase through these links, we will earn a small commission, at no extra cost to you. And we can continue bringing you free travel tips and advice. If you use our affiliates, you are awesome, and we thank you!
MORE ON TRAVEL TIPS
ECO-TRAVEL ESSENTIALS & RESPONSIBLE TRAVEL
THE BACKPACKER ESSENTIALS – FREE PRINTABLE PACKING LIST
TRAVEL DISCOUNTS
HOW TO START YOUR OWN BLOG & MAKE MONEY – EASY STEP BY STEP