Since our first adventure together, I’ve always enjoyed taking pictures of our travels. Photography provides a unique opportunity to capture the world around us and discover new ways to look at it. For all of our trips over the years, there are a several camera accessories that I always bring along. Whether you’re a beginner photographer or an enthusiast looking for some great gear, these essential camera accessories for travel photography will help you capture your next adventure.
Essential Camera Accessories for Travel Photography
Camera Filters
Filters are great tools that change the amount or type of light that reaches the camera sensor. Neutral Density (ND) filters decrease the overall amount of light, which allows for longer exposure times without over-exposing your image. These are super useful for capturing movement in rivers, waterfalls, clouds, oceans, and traffic.
My favorite ND Filter kit is the Nisi Circular ND Long Exposure Filter Kit. Nisi makes fabulous high-quality products that offer zero distortion, and the kit also comes with a Circular Polarizer Lens, which helps remove glare off of surfaces in the same way that polarized sunglasses work. I love that these filters are compact and screw directly onto the end of my Nikon travel lens. Make sure you pick out the right size filters for your lens!
If you are looking for something more budget-friendly, I suggest the Altura Photo Lens Filter Kit.
PRO TIP: For Travel Photography, your lenses are going to see a lot of action. A great way to keep your lens safe while not putting on the lens cap is to put on a UV filter. A decent UV filter improves your image quality by reducing haze, and is much cheaper to replace than your camera lens! The Altura Photo Lens Filter Kit above comes with one already, but if you are looking for a replacement or to buy one separate, I suggest the Tiffen UV Protection Filter.
Tripod
When it comes to travel photography, your trusty tripod will be your next best friend. For longer exposure shots like waterfalls, sunrises, and astrophotography, a tripod is a must for keeping your camera steady.
There are some important things to consider when choosing your tripod including the weight of the tripod, the amount of weight the tripod can support, and the height. After a lot of research, I chose the 3 Legged Thing Punks Corey Ultra Compact Travel Tripod. It’s portable, durable, easy to use, includes built-in levels for setting the leg height, extends to nearly 5 ft tall, fits in my hiking backpack, and it’s only 3.5 lbs! There are lighter, taller, and fancier tripods on the market, but none that offer this combination of features anywhere near this price range.
Camera Cleaning Tools
How bad would it be to hike out to a wonderful location, set up the shot that you’ve imagined, take hundreds of pictures, only to come home and find dust or a smudge right in the middle of EVERY SINGLE PICTURE!? It may seem simple, but having cleaning tools to safely remove the dust and smudges that can ruin your shoot makes all the difference. I always carry the Giottos Rocket Air Blaster and Zeiss Pre-Moistened Lens Cleaning Wipes with me to keep my lens spot free.
SD Card Holders
If you plan on being on the go and need a way to easily organize the SD cards for your camera, an SD Card Holder is a great accessory. This PROfezzion Universal Compact Card Holder holds both SD and Micro SD cards (great for GoPro users) and is waterproof and shockproof.
Hard Drives
It is always a good idea to backup your photos. Failures happen, and it would be tragic to lose the only copies of your pictures. We highly recommend loading duplicate copies onto a hard drive for safekeeping. We use the WD My Passport Ultra Hard Drive, which has high data transfer speeds, uses a USB-C connection that comes with cable and USB adapter, and has plenty of space for years of photos and videos without breaking the bank.
If you need a Solid State Drive (SSD) that is built for adventure, the SanDisk Extreme Portable SSD is IP-55 Water and Dust Resistant and durable, perfect for van-lifers. It also comes with a handy carabiner loop for securing it to your bag.
Camera Strap and Clip
Most cameras come with a stock kit strap. At first it’s great, what more could you want from a strap for a camera? It goes around your neck, and there isn’t much more to it, right? Wrong. Upgrading your camera strap is a game changer for comfort when carrying your camera. I’ve used the Peak Design Slide Camera Strap for years now. This strap rocks as a traditional neck strap, shoulder strap, or sling, and it looks sleek to boot.
For hikers, the Peak Design Capture Camera Clip is an option that enables you to attach your camera to your backpack strap or belt.
Camera Rain Cover
Rain happens. That doesn’t mean that your photography has to stop though. In fact, rain and wet conditions can make for some pretty stunning photography. Many newer DSLR bodies and lenses are weather resistant, but if you’re like me, you don’t really want to put it to the test. Rain covers like the Think Tank Photo Emergency Rain Cover keep your equipment safe and dry.
Camera Backpack
So you have your camera gear, but where is it all going to go now? There are many excellent camera backpack options for travelers. I recommend the Lowepro ProTactic Backpack 450 AW II, a sleek backpack that can store multiple camera bodies, lenses, and all the extras you need for a complete shoot. All that space means that if you aren’t bringing the kitchen sink, you have space for more snacks! There is also the slightly smaller Lowepro ProTactic Backpack 350 AW II. The hip strap is perfect for transferring weight to your hips and taking load off your shoulders.
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