Travel Photography Kit for a Campervan - Take Travel Pictures Like A Pro!
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Taking pictures is one thing but capturing the magic of the moment, the scale of the view and the emotions involved is a whole other ball game. Pictures are so important to be able to reminisce about vanlife as a travel couple and to reignite your memory as these moments start to fade - which in time they will.
Whether you're exploring bustling cities or scenic landscapes, mastering travel photography can elevate your adventures and preserve your memories in breathtaking detail.
A lightweight and versatile camera kit is vital for when you're living in a campervan and every square inch counts!
In this post you'll learn:
- Our top camera kit recommendations for an amateur travel photographer.
- The tools that we use to edit and share our photography.
- How we protect our camera kit.
WARNING: This blog post is extensive as I've included absolutely everything that I could possibly think of to help get you started with you! To make sure you can always reference this post, bookmark it or save it to Pinterest. Now, grab a cuppa and a notepad and let's get to it!
CHOOSING THE RIGHT CAMERA GEAR AS A TRAVEL PHOTOGRAPHER
Something that I've learnt throughout my travels is that it's easy to blame not having the right equipment or constantly search for the next best lens/camera body. Most digital cameras, including phones, have good enough software to be able to take stunning photography. Don't fall into the trap of thinking you need more. Here's a ful list of our basic photography kit.
A great piece of advice that I was given is, use your equipment for one year, figure out what it can't do and then buy new equipment accordingly. Not only will this stop you wasting money, but it will ensure that you develop your skill set first, before relying on fancy equipment!
What type of travel photography do you want to do?
This is a great question and you may decide that you want to do a mix of eveything from cityscapes and portraits to scenic landscapes and wildlife. Each of these styles may require specific equipment and will certainly require different settings. For example, wildlife photography would require a telephoto lens and high shutter speed if you want to freeze the movement, whereas portrait photography may require a lower aperture if you want to blur the background.
©The Taylor Browns. Lake Annecy, France.
A great way to decide on the type of photography that you like is to browse the internet/social media and see which pictures stand out to you. The next step is to take your camera out and keep shooting.
FRAMING A GREAT SHOT AS A TRAVEL PHOTOGRAPHER
Photography composition rules
Framing photos is the bread and butter of taking a good photograph which I've gone into in more depth in this blog post. It doesn't matter how good your editing skills are, if you've taken a poor photo to begin with, your options are limited.
Here are some great rules to follow:
- Enbrace the rule of thirds - Imagine your frame divided into nine equal parts and place your subject along these lines for a balanced shot.
- Use leading lines - Roads, rivers, or pathways can guide the viewer's eye through the image, creating a sense of depth and direction.
- Find Natural Frames - Look for doorways, arches, or branches to naturally frame your subject, adding layers and depth to your shot.
- Play with perspective - Shoot from unique angles—lie down, climb up, or tilt your camera to capture an unexpected and engaging view.
- Fill the frame - Get up close and personal with your subject to capture intricate details and tell a compelling story.
- Negative space - minimalistic shots using the space in the image to focus on the main subject.
LIGHTING FOR STUNNING TRAVEL PHOTOGRAPHY
What type of light to shoot with as a travel photographer
You can shoot in any light and get a wonderful shot but it depends on what you want as the outcome of your image. Shooting midday in the harsh light will cast harsh shaddows and shooting in the golden hour (after sunrise and before sunset) and blue hour (before sunrise and after sunset) will cast a softer shaddow with a more romantic feel. See the images below for an example.
You can also experiment with elements such as artificial light, the moon, shadows and reflection to get more drama into your shot.
If you tend to do a lot of portrait photography in your van or talking head videos, it would be worth consiering a ring light to ensure your face is evenly exposed.
Bright Sunlight
Golden hour
Blue hour
Filters for travel photography
ND filters control the amount of lights that enters the camera. This is a great way to take images of moving clouds or runing water in brighter light. They work by reducing the amount of light that enters the camera, allowing you to use a longer shutter speed. This will then smooth out any motion in the image whilst ensuring the image is properly exposed.
POSING AS A TRAVEL COUPLE
Capturing your relationship while traveling is a great way to document your journey together. Focus on candid moments, laughter, and shooting your everyday activities. Try different poses and experiment with angles to highlight your connection. Create triangles in your images to make them dynamic and to draw the eye towards the subject. You can also zoom in on the subject to make the shot feel more intimate.
TOP TIP
Use a trigger word or joke which will make you both laugh in order to catch candid emotion. Ensure you shoot on intervalometer and keep moving to get a natural photo.
ESSENTIAL CAMERA KIT FOR VANLIFE
The basic kit for travel photography
For a really basic kit, you could just use your mobile phone. The quality of images nowadays is so high and, if you have iOS 14.3 or later and an iPhone 12 Pro or later Pro models, you are able to shoot in ProRAW which means that you'll have full control when editing post production. If you prefer the Android system, my top picks would be the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra or the Google Pixel 8 Pro.
The best digital camera model for vanlife
I have the Sony A6000 which I LOVE as an entry level camera. It has an automatic mode but you are also able to shoot in full manual and RAW. It has a lot of creative effects and you can easily transfer your images to your phone. However, there are a couple of drawbacks that I've found whilst using it. It doesn't have a headphone port to connect a microphone and the screen doesn't flip all of the way around for vlogging.
When I update, I'm looking to get the Sony A6700, this model still has 26mp, with all of the above features that I'd like whilst remaining light and compact. You could alos consider the Sony ZV-E10 which is great for vlogging, however, it doesn't have a viewfinder which is important when shooting on bright days.
The best lenses for Vanlife
What are the best lenses for travel photography? This is a question that I've asked myself many, many times. Personally, I want to strike a balance between quality, usage and price (if you know me, you know I love a good bargain!). I have found that the styles that I want to use the most are landscape and portrait. Whilst I also love incorporating the use of bokeh (blurring the background which requires a low F stop) as I feel that this gives a more intimate feel.
For this, the lenses I have selected for my Sony A6000 are:
1. The kit lens - E PZ 16-50mm f/3.5-5.6 OSS Power Zoom Lens. (We have this one)
2. Wide angle, low f stop - Sony FE 50mm f/1.8 Lens (I'd love this one)
3. Telephoto - Sony FE 70-200mm f/2.8 GM OSS II Lens (Also on the wishlist!)
Must-have accessories for Vanlife photography
Now you've got your camera body and your lenses, it's time to check out the top accessories for your camera. I've listed here my favourite accessories for my camera kit including my camera strap, light weight camera bag, memory cards, hard drive and drone kit.
EDITING TOOLS AND SOFTWARE
Adobe Lightroom
Using Adobe Lightroom to edit your photos is a smart way to enhance your travel shots. It's user-friendly and offers powerful tools to adjust lighting, color, and detail. You can quickly tweak exposure, contrast, and saturation to make your images pop. Plus, Lightroom’s presets allow you to apply consistent styles across your photos with just a click. It’s an essential tool for turning good photos into great ones with minimal effort.
Snapseed
I have found Snapseed to be the most comprehensive editing app for free. This free app offers a wide range of tools to adjust lighting, colour and details. You can easily fine-tune exposure, contrast, and saturation to make your images stand out. Snapseed also includes tools such as healing (removing unwanted objects) and perspective for free which you have to pay for in Adobe lightroom. I tend to run an image through this app first and then add the filter in lightroom.
TIPS FOR PROTECTING YOUR CAMERA GEAR
Protective camera bags
This is my favourite lightweight camera bag, specifically for the Sony A6000; it's small and looks more like a small handbag which is perfect when exploring the cities. If you're looking for a camera bag for hiking, we would suggest finding a durable one with a waist strap - this is our dream camera bag!
Protecting camera equipment against dust
One of the best ways to protect your camera lens is to stop the dust from getting in in the first place. I have a UV filter on the front of the lens to prevent dust and sea spray from getting on the glass. It simply screws into place and is easy to remove.
If you do happen to get dirt inside the camera, it's worth having a camera cleaning kit which will help you to remove it and clean the lenses. Failing that, you could get it professionally cleaned in a camera store.
Chateau Chiverny, Loire Valley, France.
HAPPY ROAD TRIPPING!
Hopefully you found this helpful and you have the confidence to get out there and take some beautiful photos to remember your roadtrip! If you've got any questions, please comment below or reach out to us by email/instagram...we love hearing from you!
Sarah and Phil x
Hi, we're
The Taylor Browns!
We're Sarah and Phil aka. The Taylor Browns. We're currently travelling around Europe and Morocco in our self converted campervan Annie.
Our mission is to inspire you through our travel content and alternative living to take the leap into the simple life and nurture your relationship as you go.
ABOUT
We're Sarah and Phil aka. The Taylor Browns. We're currently travelling around Europe and Morocco in our self converted campervan Annie.
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