Advice for traveling abroad doing photography

An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. 

– Benjamin Franklin

I love doing a foreign coverage for various reasons. The number one reason I like doing coverage abroad is the cross-cultural experience. A simple thing as what people eat at different meals is fascinating to me. How they live life is always different from me and then there are those things we have in common.

Since traveling is expensive and for most of the budgets I work with very limited as to how much you bring you need to plan ahead.

Questions to ask

1. Baggage limits. 
1. How many bags can you bring?
2. What are the weight limits?
3. Any gear you normally use not allowed, like battery packs?
2. Power
1. Do you have easy access to power?
2. Is the power available 24 hours a day?
3. Do you need converters? (Different size plugs, power converter from 220 to 110)
3. Clothing
1. Proper attire for the weather and social settings
2. Do you have access to wash clothes? If so when and how often?
3. Special shoes

If your trip is short you maybe able to not bring as much, but if you are gone for a couple weeks or longer you need to be prepared.

Plan to carry your cameras with you at all times is my suggestion. This is very important when flying.

Carry on bags are generally limited to a total of 45” this is the total of the length, width and height of the piece. There are standard sets of dimensions that go to make up these totals (for example, 22 x 14 x 9 is the standard for 45") and if you have a bag that is an unusual shape but still within the total number of inches, you may find it being rejected.

Although most domestic airlines have no limit on carry-on bag weight, internationally, you will find that some airlines set such ridiculously low carry-on weight limits (sometimes as little as 11 lbs) that the weight of an empty carry-on bag is more than the total weight you're allowed to take with you!
You need to be aware of these rules, or else the next time you see someone desperately unpacking and repacking their luggage on the floor by the check-in counter, that person might be you!

Flying with Camera Gear Tip

Put camera gear in your clothing. While it is not all that comfortable, you can put gear in pockets or photo vest and it not count for the weight.  Once on the plane you can put it back in the bag and put it away.

Now you might understand why so many photojournalist you see wear cargo style pants or wearing photo vests.  Because you don’t want to announce to thieves and pickpockets you are a photographer there are some clothing and bags that are more discrete.

Scottevest makes vests and jackets that hide your gear and do not look like photo vests.  I highly recommend this as a way to carry some gear when traveling.

Think Tank Urban Disguise 60

Think Tank Photo makes a variety of camera bags and the one I like is the Urban Disguise 60. It does look like a computer bag, but I think it doesn’t draw as much attention as some of the photo bags.

Image Storage

Until an image exists in three places it isn’t fully protected. The reason for this is transferring images from one place to another you can loose both systems while this is happening, that is why three places is the rule for all digital systems.

Many photographers will carry enough CF or SD cards to shoot and never have to reuse a card. This would give you the first of the three locations for images.

I use the SanHo Hyperdrive UDMA for copying all my cards when traveling. Here is an earlier blog post on it.

As long as it is feasible I also carry my Macbook Pro laptop and an external hard drive. I will ingest all the images into the laptop and will embed information about the photos, location and other information.

Camera Gear

It is easier to start with my barebones traveling camera gear.

• 2 Nikon D4 Cameras
• 2 EN-EL18 batteries 
• 1 Nikon MH-26 battery charger
• Nikon 14-24mm ƒ/2.8
• Nikon 28-300mm ƒ/3.5-5.6
• Nikon SB-900 Flash
• Nikon SB-800 Flash
• PocketWizard Mini1, AC3 & (2)TT5 
• RODE Video Mic Pro 
• Sony WCS999 Wireless Microphone System
• 20 Sanyo AA Eneloop Batteries and battery Charger
• 77mm ExpoDisc white balance
• Nikon P7000 plus extra battery
• 4 16gig XQD Memory Cards
• 8 16gig CF Memory Cards
• Tripod (link to blog on what I carry)

Since I am flying long distances most of the time, I prefer to bring my iPad along and use it on the plane to read books or catch up on email and surf the web.

You need to plan for the conditions you will be in and carry the gear necessary to get the photos. I always carry my Nikon P7000 because I can pull this out on the street and shoot without drawing attention to me. There are other times it is easier to shoot silently with the Nikon P7000 than with shooting with the Nikon D4.  It too will shoot on silent mode, but not as large of a file.

I carry two cameras as much for backup as for ease of shooting. I have two flashes to use if necessary and to have one as a backup.

My clothing

• 3 pair of wick away cargo pants
• 3 pair of wick away long sleeve shirts
• 3 sets of underwear and socks
• hiking boots or walking shoes
• REI Towell
• Safari hat

Here is an earlier blog I did about clothing for a photographer. It is important for me to be able to wash my own clothes and hang dry them. Using wick away clothing lets me wash them at night in a sink and have them dry by the morning by just hanging them up.  

I find I always keep my passport with me on trips. The most difficult thing when I travel is often having to pack-up every morning and take all the gear with you all day long from location to location. 

Like the boyscouts motto says "Always be prepared."