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. 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.
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.
Camera Body – Canon 70D
My main camera is Canon 70D. I use this for the majority of my photos. 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.
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. 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.
iPhone
My iPhone camera will never be able to get the same technical pictures as either my Canon 70D or Canon G7X, 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. 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)
This backpack fits all my camera gear. 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’s heavy but 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 – Gorrila Tripod
Tripod – Manfrotto 290 xtra Tripod
I bring this Tripod only for specific situations because it is on the large side, but I love how strong and stable this tripod is.
Other Gear
- Selfie Stick
- 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
- Video – Currently I use either iPhone or the Canon G7X for videos, but soon we will be adding GoPro Hero
Photo Editing
For any of my photo editing, I use Adobe – Photoshop for minor updates and enhancements (or when I over/under expose). I have in the past used ACDSee, which was great for photo management too. But unfortunately, they don’t seem to be able to keep up with Macbook software updates, but I have heard great things about the product with Windows systems.
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.
Travel Blog Success – One of the courses is specific for Videography for Travel Bloggers. This was a nice quick course to encourage and get posting more videos. 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.
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