What’s in My Camera Bag?

My camera bag has changed over the years and I have streamlined to what I absolutely need to bring since having kids there tends to be more stuff for them and less stuff for me. Family travel is made easier with less camera equipment and only the gear that works best for our type of travel.

I absolutely love taking photos, ever since I was a little girl, so my camera is the one thing I never leave home without when we travel.

This is also the exact setup that we took on our 1 year trip around the world. My day pack was my camera bag! Carry this amount of stuff was perfect for full time travel camera gear too!

It’s been said over and over again, it doesn’t matter what you have in your camera bag to take pictures, it’s about the person behind the camera and how you use it. Regardless of what equipment you have the best advice I can give is to just capture the moment and also enjoy the moment.

Some of my best pictures are done with my iPhone, not because they are the most technical but because they tell a story. The best part of taking pictures is capturing the memories of the stories we have.

My Camera Gear

My main camera is Canon 70D. I use this for the majority of my photosand I think it is the best camera for family travel. It is an advanced camera for myself, but after taking a beginner workshop about the basics of DSLR camera I can appreciate the ability of the camera now.

• Camera Body – Canon 70D

I previously had a Rebel XTi which I purchased before a trip in 2007. I had many great photos, but I wanted to step into a camera where I had more control over my photos and create images that only the camera could see and not necessarily my eyes. For an overall DSLR it was a good intro into that camera, but I honestly never took it off of Auto.

• Lense – Canon 24-105 mm lense

   

I only carry one lens right now. I may increase down the road, but for right now at the age my kids are I don’t have the free hands or time to be switching out to another lens. To be brutally honest, it just won’t happen so I choose a lens that could offer me a good range and I absolutely LOVE IT!

• Point & Shoot – Powershot Canon G7X

This camera is an awesome compliment to my other camera. I use this for capturing good quality pictures when I don’t want to bring my bigger Canon 70D. It is great for using on the beach days, evenings out and just keeping in my purse for the just in case photos when traveling.

It’s easy to use, point and shoot, and a good entry for someone who wants a smaller camera with good quality photos. This camera is also good to ask a random person to take a family photo of us! Another pro is if you want you can get a family selfie with the flip-up screen.

The kids and hubby use this one all the time, it is a good camera for family use. I also liked bring this on city day trips where sometimes bringing a big camera is not the wisest thing to flash tourist.

• iPhone 8 Plus – 256GB

My iPhone camera will never be able to get the same technical pictures as either my Canon 70D, hand down! But, what my iPhone camera does let me do it be able to capture moments quickly and impromptu that I would have missed otherwise. Right now I have over 20,000 photos on my phone!

For example, the below picture was taken in the middle of snow packed trees snowboarding in Whitefish Montana. Rough terrain that I would never take my DSLR into because of the size and risk of damaging it. These are moments that I want to capture and remember forever and I don’t care that they aren’t National Geographic worthy, they tell a story.

• Memory Cards – ScanDisk – 32GB cards X 4

• Rugged Memory Cards Case (Water-resistant)

• Canon 70D Camera Bag – 22L Lowepro Camera Bag

This backpack fits all my camera gear perfect and great for any adventure camera bag. Plus it has a small area on the top for my phone, travel wallet, any extra snacks or daytime items I may need to take with me. It also has a front pouch that fits my iPad in perfectly. So this is my carry-on for flights, it looks like a regular type backpack. I bought the backpack when I knew exactly what camera I was going to buy and which lens. I probably have room for one more lens if I wanted to rearrange.

• Tripod – Sirui T-005KX

   

This Tripod folds up and fits in the side of my backpack. I did bring it on our world travels but ended up sending it home after 2 months because I just wasn’t using it along our travels and it can be heavy when travelling fulltime with the kids. We needed to downsize on our travels! I use it for technical photos and when I am strictly going on photography trips.

• Video – GoPro HERO 7

I also take alot of videos using my iPhone. I mainly use the GoPro for water, active or outdoor activities because I don’t want to wreck my phone!

Other Camera & Video Gear

• Ziplock bags and Sea to Summit bags for sand and water protection.

• Extra batteries for both cameras and chargers.
• External Hard drive for photo backup – Seagate 2TB

Photo Editing

For any of my photo editing, I use Adobe Lightroom & Photoshop for minor updates and enhancements (or when I over/under expose). 

Workshops & Courses

There is always something that can be learned from camera workshops. I love learning from others and being inspired by others. I have in recent years attended Greg Johnson (aka Tornado Hunter) 2-day workshop to get me out of using my DSLR in Auto mode. He cuts out all the complicated details and gives it to you straight on what you need to know to get started and not feel so overwhelmed. Check out his site for courses across Canada and other locations destinations.

Superstar Blogging – One of the courses is specific for photography and videography for bloggers. This was a nice quick course to encourage and get another perspective on the art of photography. I have learned so many valuable things about blogging in general from this membership, but this course is a quick way to get you posting videos if you are new to vlogging.

I also try and look for local meet ups or groups to go out and take photos with. You can always learn something everytime you go out and start shooting.

What’s in Your Camera bag?

Is there any camera gear that you absolutely love?

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