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My Equipment List (During my trip).

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I usually purchase most of my equipment used via eBay and make sure I'm buying from reputable sellers.


Nikon D800

Nikon 24-70mm 2.8

Nikon 17-35mm 2.8

Nikon 70-200mm 2.8

Nikon EN-EL3E Batteries

Lee Filter Foundation System

Lee Big Stopper Filter

Lee 3 Stop ND Grad Filter

Sandisk 16GB SD Cards

Lexar 16GB CF Cards


**If you found any of this information useful and are interested in purchasing any of these items please consider purchasing through these links as they help support the site and it doesn't cost you anything extra!


I carried the following additional equipment during certain segments of my travels:


Nikon 70-200mm f2.8 (not shown)
Manfrotto 190CXPro 3 Legs (not shown)
Manfrotto 701HDV Fluid Head (not shown)
Glidetrack SD (not shown)


All Equipment was carried in a F-stop Loka with Medium ICU Pro and F-stop Tripod Bag, which can be seen in the photo below or separately in the What to Pack? page

The equipment above will be overkill for most travelers but if you’re serious about photography I’m here to tell you that backpacking with this amount of gear is very much possible. Not once did it prevent me from doing what I wanted while traveling. My gear certainly wasn’t cheap or light but I haven’t regretted it one bit.

Try to get your camera gear ready before departing. It’s usually hard to find certain items abroad at affordable prices. In the worst case scenario you can always send equipment back home if needed.

All Equipment was carried in a F-stop Loka with Medium ICU Pro and F-stop Tripod Bag, which can be seen in the photo below or separately in the What to Pack? page

The equipment above will be overkill for most travelers but if you’re serious about photography I’m here to tell you that backpacking with this amount of gear is very much possible. Not once did it prevent me from doing what I wanted while traveling. My gear certainly wasn’t cheap or light but I haven’t regretted it one bit.

Try to get your camera gear ready before departing. It’s usually hard to find certain items abroad at affordable prices. In the worst case scenario you can always send equipment back home if needed.


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My Current Equipment List 

(Updated as of Feb 2017)

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Tips.

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Storing Gear:

Hostels will usually have lockers but I almost always take my main camera pack with me anywhere I go. Common sense will tell you when your accommodation is safe enough to leave equipment behind. I always carry a small stuff sack backpack like the REI Flash 18 so I can throw my camera in there and some other loose ends when I know I won’t need the majority of my gear.

Camera Bag:

I highly recommend getting a backpack that is inconspicuous as a camera pack and comfortable for long walks. F-stop gear makes excellent packs in various sizes and styles (Loka pack shown in picture above). I own a Loka and it has plenty of room for gear, is durable, inconspicuous, and has plenty of straps to attach additional necessities.

File Backup:

Always try to have one backup hard drive on you and another back up at the place you’ll be staying at. It doesn’t hurt to upload your best captures onto the cloud as well if you find a strong internet connection. Back up frequently.


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Theft Prevention:

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I would recommend covering up your camera with duct tape to cover up brand names and to create the illusion that the camera is broken. Make sure you lay down black paper tape first and throw on the duct tape over it. Duct tape leaves a nasty residue. After some use it’ll start looking even more dirty.

Does this actually work? I’ve had plenty of cases where people have asked me if my camera was broken. It doesn’t take much time so why not?


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Shooting Tips: What I’ve Learned.

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Patience is Key:

Sometimes you’re going to have to wait a long time for the proper light or spontaneous moment in front of pre-determined backdrops.

Hang with your subjects:

If you’re spending time photographing groups of people take time to have them warm up to you. Sometimes people will forget you’re even there.

Learn to frame properly:

What you leave out is just as important as what you leave in.

Recognize composition elements:

Visual Balance (or imbalance) and visual weight

Repetitious elements

Contrast in light and in subject matter

Proximity of foreground elements

Depth of Field

Perspective with focal lengths (Telephoto vs Wide Angle)

Left/Right Movement

Sinuous lines, compositional triangles, lines, diagonals

Using the edge of the frame

Frame within a frame

Know your camera inside out:

If you’re having any problems it’s almost always some silly button you switched or option that was turned on/off.

Have a checklist:

For instance if you’re shooting landscapes have a mental list that you need to run through. You don’t want to waste 20 minutes on a timelapse and realize you forgot to turn off the auto ISO option and/or auto focus.

Ask for permission:

Don’t be a jerk and snap people up close without permission.

Enjoy yourself:

Sometimes it’s better to put down that camera and enjoy the moment completely free. Photos can only do so much.

The chance of having anything stolen is already pretty low. Why would you spend money to buy an expensive paper weight that stays locked up at home?