The Best Tips, Tricks and Gear for Travel Photographers

The Best Tips, Tricks and Gear for Travel Photographers

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Part 2 of this post has been completed and can be viewed HERE

Here is the list I wish I had 20 years ago when I started traveling the world taking photos.  After years of leading photography tours to Bali and Indonesia, I have had the pleasure (and sheer frustration) of using a myriad of gear, gadgets, cameras, clothing and more. Here I breakdown those that have made the cut and saved me time after time.

A quick disclaimer. I am in no way affiliated with any of these products. I have searched high and low to find the best, most durable, handiest products I could find at the best value and provided them here for you. I encourage you to use the links provided below for items you are interested in. It is easiest to right click and open in a new window or tab so you still have the window with the blog post open. In the new tab or window you can get more information and pricing. If you like what you see, simply click “Add To Cart”. I greatly appreciate you using the links to purchase directly from the blog as I get a tiny percent to help keep the blog alive. I have selected items at the best prices and all are through Amazon so you can trust the seller. Thank you for supporting us! If you want to browse The Balifornian Store at Amazon please click HERE.

I will not cover cameras and lenses, as that is a whole other blog post (and perhaps tome).  I will convey a humorous story I heard the other day from the Morro Bay Photo Group illustrating the importance of the artist behind the camera and not so much the camera itself.  At a dinner party a professional photographer was showing his work and the host was so impressed she said, “My, you must have an amazing camera”. His reply, “The food was incredible this evening, you must have a fantastic oven”.

Prior to any trip, I will start a packing list weeks prior.  By now my gear is pretty much set, but there are always new challenges with every adventure- new gear to try, or leave behind (or smash into a thousand pieces). I find a great way to keep track of this list is the Evernote app http://www.evernote.com/ It allows you to make lists, capture photos, use voice notes, etc. to remember things and it sync with your iPhone and computer so you have it anywhere you go (even without an internet connection which is crucial in some remote areas we travel to).  Had a great bottle of wine?  Too drunk to write down the name? No problem, just take a photo of the label with Evernote and it will not only keep it for you but it can use automatic character recognition to transcribe the label text for you to make it searchable.  This is great with CD’s, DVDs, even stuff I find on the web and want to remember.

In fact, the iPhone and its millions of apps have replaced many items in my travel bag like an alarm clock, music player, compass, flashlight, etc. Although, I always carry a spare of the last two just in case.   

Now lets get to the fun stuff- The Gear.

A handy item I always include is Mini Surge Protector with USB Charger by Belkin. 

Its small and it can save your precious equipment from irrecoverable destruction via electricity surges which are a common event in many countries.  The cleverly designed unit also includes two USB ports so you can change your phone and other gadgets at the same time.  This little guy not only comes in handy in other countries but also in that all to familiar airport hunt for an open outlet.  I always chuckle when I see travelers huddled on the floor around one of the few open outlets to charge their laptops and phones during a layover. Become the hero and save the day as you can not only always plug in but allow a couple other people to have access as well. It’s $25 but you can buy it here for only $12!

A product I discovered recently and really love is the iStabalizer

Its $30 and is a great mini tripod not only for the iPhone but will fit any camera phone or small camera.  I used to use the gorillapod tripod but now it forces you to use its cumbersome iPhone case and is not usable with other gadgets.  The best part about it is the flexible strong legs that can wrap around many objects to secure the tripod in many otherwise impossible positions.  Wrap it to a fence, sign post, even your rear-view mirror for a great time lapse of your travels. Another cool feature is the mount unscrews ant fits right into your full size tripod when needed.  I love to set it up and do a time-lapse as I set up my big boy gear for a more formal shoot.  They also manufacture a cool video steady cam for $99 but that might be a bit much for iPhone style video shooting. You can buy the tripod here.

Speaking of time-lapse, if you have not tried it yet, do it right away.  Its fun, provides great additional coverage and is so easy to do.  There are many apps out there but I like iTime Lapse best. It’s free and has some good options.  Here is sample of one I created

Thankfully, these days most electronics will work in most countries. The safe voltage required for my iPhone, Canon battery chargers, Mac Book Pro, etc. is found in most destinations so a bulky, expensive and heavy converter is normally not required as it was many years ago.  Now a simple, lightweight and inexpesive adapter is all you need.  Simply search the web for the outlet configuration and order the proper adapter.  Just be sure you do this before you leave as it is often times very hard to find in country and if you can locate it, it will be 500% more expensive.  Most electronics are now universal but check the manufactures web site to be sure.

Pockets, pockets, pockets. I love me some pockets.  The leader in ‘modern pocket technology’ as I call them is - www.scottevest.com   They offer some great travel pants with tons of storage space and some nifty pockets that even the most skilled pickpocket (or David Blaine) can’t penetrate.  They also offer a fleece jacket with zip off sleeves that can accommodate an iPad, water bottle and tons of other gear. It even comes with a lens cleaner shammy.  The company sponsors people to do an around the world trip with no luggage, only using the pockets in their products.  While that may be a bit extreme, it can offset some of the ridiculous additional costs the airlines shove down our throats for luggage.  The downside of course is the more pockets you have, the more places you need to check so work out a system to remember where your stuff is stashed. I commonly carry pens, lens cleaners, model releases, water, etc.

Bali can get hot so I recommend wicking shirts with lots of pockets like those from North Face but you can find great deals on these at the discount stores.

My backpack is a Tamrac Aero Series Speed Pack.Great photographers travel gear by Tamrac It fits my 17 inch MacBook Pro, some gear, a couple lenses (even a 220-400 beast), but the coolest part is the quick access pocket that allows you to get to your camera in seconds without even taking the pack fully off.  This allows me to catch shots that I would otherwise have missed.  It also features weatherproof zippers so the rain or splashing waves wont get in and ruin your gear.  I love it and you can get yours here. Its not fully waterproof so I also carry a rain cover like this one

http://www.mountainhardwear.com/Pack-Rain-Cover/OU4060,default,pd.html

In the back I always stash some granola bars, a headlamp, carabineers, etc.  I use a carabineer to clip my Leatherman multi-tool to the front of my pack, not inside, so I always have it handy for many uses including protection.  Obviously you can’t bring it on the plane so remember to always put it in your checked gear so it doesn’t get confiscated or get you locked up in the pokey. Purchase yours HERE

Camera gear and lenses are very expensive and heavy so you may want to look into renting gear specific for the type of adventure you are embarking upon.  In some countries you can even rent the cameras, lenses and equipment there so you don't need to lug them back and forth (also saving you some money on those bogus luggage fees).

Of course I also travel with an external hard drive.  Lacie makes good rugged drives that are known thier reliability.  Here is a link to purchase.  I also like Western Digital's drives but they are not as good for traveling.  www.wdc.com I also carry a card reader, extra batteries, polarizing filter, etc.

A good final tip is too make your expensive gear look as crappy as you can.  Some people are attached to their labels and brands but I don't want to stand out and be a target.  I use a sharpie to cover up labels, brand names, etc.  I also switch out my Canon neck strap for an aftermarket one. It’s more comfortable too.

I hope these tips and tips are helpful and please share your thoughts below. I would love to hear from you. Do you have any gear you cant live without?

Come join us on one of our Photography tours and learn even more tips, trick and ideas.  Please check out some of our tours and we specialize in fully custom tours to see exactly what YOU want.

http://www.balifornian.com/upcoming-tour-dates/

Aside from Bali, we can take you to Borneo, Papua, Komodo, Tana Toraja, and any other of the 17,000 islands of Indonesia.

http://www.balifornian.com/komodo-dragon-photo-safari/

We have lead teams of documentary filmmakers and amateur and professional photographers from all over the world. We know many secret spots that most people never see and we have special access to help make the trip as unique as possible.

Part 2 of this series has been completed and can be viewed HERE.  You can EMAIL me to get on our mailing list to be notified for future updates.

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Bali and Indo Surf Film- Balifornian Villas and Tours

Hello Balifornians!

Today we bring you a great little surf video from various breaks in Indonesia.  The surfing is top notch, matched only by the epic surf spots where it was filmed.  This short video by Ricardo Borghi was shot in Indo locations from North Sumatra to Bali and contains some secret spots, big barrels, clean water and beautiful scenery.  Enjoy!

Kuta Beach, Bali. Best and Worst, Old and New. The Real Deal.

I am perhaps the harshest critic of Kuta but I do have to give it its due on a couple points.  It has changed quite a bit in the 17 years I have been coming here and just 20 years before that, Jalan Pantai Kuta was just a dirt road lined with coconut trees linking Kuta, Seminyak and Legian.  But now it is packed with hawkers, chain stores, drunk loud bule and the traffic can be worse than the 405 at rush hour on a Friday.  Sure, for the first couple hours you can politely say ‘no thank you’ or ‘tidak tertarik’ to the hawkers yelling out to you every 4 steps, but they are so numerous and persistent that even Gandi would want to get a sign that reads, “NO, I am NOT interested in transportation, neon beer cozies, spiked motor bike helmets, drugs, massage, etc.” I remember thinking after first arriving, “How sad.  Bali is over.  Some places can handle tourism and the influx of the almighty dollar, but unfortunately, Bali can not.”  This was of course before I smartened up and got the hell out of Kuta as fast as I could and saw the real Bali. 

The short video above is from The Balifornian Tours & Travel Blog's "Quick Look" series. 

I return to Kuta seldomly, but I do have some dear friends there like Mas Ngurah and his sweet family who run the newly renovated Baleka Hotel and Resort.  If you want to be in Kuta, it’s a great value in a good location and with the Balifornian discount, you can get a steal of a deal on some modern and impressive lodging.  They have a pool and The Gula Gula Restaurant and Lounge.

That being said, the cause of the over-crowding is in fact for good reason as the beach itself is a world-class beach with white sand and great waves.  If you can avoid road rage getting in, and the crowds at the beach, it can be close to a quintessential beach experience (although I greatly prefer being on a beautiful beach alone or with a small group which Bali also offers).  The trash on the beach is certainly disappointing.  “Littering” is an unknown concept to many Balinese.  In fact our close friend Kadek is a bright and very spiritual person, but I have seen him toss his trash onto the ground on occasion.  Its not that he and many other Balinese don't care or are bad people, they just did not receive the same repeated messages that we in the west did- No cute owls telling us kids to “Give a hoot and don't pollute”.  I in no way blame the Balinese for all the trash on Pantai Kuta as much of the blame falls on the tourists.  However major efforts are underway to educate and its effects are being seen already.  For example, this last weekend was Eco-Weekend on Kuta beach and a massive clean up volunteer effort was held to clean up the beaches.

The surfing in Kuta is great for most levels including the beginner and there are tons of activities.  One secret we recommend is a place on the beach called 27 Beach.  The short video above was shot at this location. Neither I nor the staff knows the significance of the ‘27’ as I asked half a dozen of them, but they have a great pool, post-surf shower, comfy lounges and decent food and drink.  It serves as a great home base to sit with friends, have lunch and drinks, head to the beach for play or surf, and return to your own un-crowded spot.

As much as I can get down on Kuta, I am thankful for it, as it being the easiest place to get to (just a few km from Denpasar Airport), it keeps most of the obnoxious tourists in one small spot leaving much of the real Bali for the rest of us.

Leave a comment and let us know what you think of Kuta.

Dramatic footage ~ Big Rig falls off bridge ~ Indonesia

An 18 wheeler falls off Bridge. Dramatic coverage of a horrific truck accident in Yogjakarta, Java, Indonesia. As seen on Balifornian Tours Ec-Adventure Tour.

 
While it may seem to the outsider that the drivers in Indonesia and other Asian countries are reckless and law breaking, we see very few accidents while traveling. This was one of the few, but it was quite shocking. It appears the driver and passenger of the big rig were in shock but alive. No word on their recovery but we wish them the best.  Its amazing they made it out at all as the cab was crushed.  Be safe out there everyone!

Balifornian Tours and Travel Blog was nominated for the best bali website and travel blog.