Five Questions to Consider When Photographing Family Vacations (Part One)

We just got back from a camping trip to the Great Smokey Mountains. While I was away, I thought a lot about my approach to capturing our family vacations. Over the next two weeks, I’ll be sharing five questions to consider when photographing family vacations. This week is all about photography gear and how to handle it when you’re traveling.

For most, a good camera phone will do, but if you are a photography enthusiast and love documenting your family adventures, this is for you. Bringing along my camera bag and tripod on a camping trip was effortless considering all the other stuff we had to bring along anyway. I’ve traveled with my camera bag by plane and cruise ship as well. And not all trips are equal when considering the effort in lugging along camera gear. However, I don’t think I’d be able to leave home without at least one camera body and lens. Our family vacations offer some of the best opportunities when I can really focus on capturing our family and on each trip, I consider…

boy smiling with creek in background
boy smiling with creek in background
boy with creek in background
boy with creek in background
boys playing in creek

1) What Gear Will I Bring?

When we’re traveling anywhere by plane, I bring just one camera body, a couple of fully charged batteries, formatted memory cards, and an on-camera flash (for in-door photography).  And I’ve learned that whatever I bring should be a part of what I carry on the plane. I once photographed a destination wedding and witnessed my camera bag carelessly tossed under the plane. I’m certain that thump into the plane’s cavity caused one of my zoom lenses to tighten up which required service when I got back. Thankfully, that was the worst of the damage and now I know to only bring what I can carry.

When traveling by car, I feel less constricted and often bring my whole camera bag and tripod.  If we’re on a cruise, I keep in mind weight restrictions. Tripods are great so that I can be in some of the photos too! On trips where I don’t bring a tripod, I’ve captured our family in a mirror or set the camera on a dresser or table.

dad smiling
dad smiling
dad starting fire
dad starting fire
fire
fire
dad resting in camp chair
dad resting in camp chair

2) How Will I Keep My Gear Safe?

When deciding what to bring, it’s important to think through how your gear will be stored when you’re not using it. At hotels and on cruise ships, safes are a handy place to store gear. I take the most expensive pieces (camera body, lens, flash) out of the bag to store in the safe, which is usually about the size of a bread box. On this latest trip, I just locked my bag and tripod in the minivan, and we were parked in areas where I wasn’t concerned about our van being broken into. We went to Dollywood for two days and I left everything in the locked van, tucked behind the second row of seats so that it was all out of sight.