Minimalist Travel Kit

#TravelTuesday is going to be bigger and better in 2020—mark my words! And here I am, Dave Williams, on ScottKelby.com as always, with something from the world of travel, photography, Photoshop, and life. Today, it’s all about travel photography with minimal gear, as the title suggests, so let’s get to it!

We photographers are a special kind of people. We have something that a lot of people don’t have. Let me explain: Most people are either technically minded or artistically minded, but rarely are they both at the same time. Photographers are, generally, both. We are the combination of creativity and science—the left and the right brain together.

We create art with science, and we tend to be proud of a collection of the gear we use to do that, but it’s not always necessary. I used to travel the world with everything I owned just in case I needed it, but then I realised that it’s far better to save the weight and take only what I need based on some proper planning. Here’s a shot of the gear I took with me to Paris last year: –

Yes, that’s it. I shot the Eiffel Tower, the Palais Garnier, the Saint Chapelle, and plenty more architecture up and down the Seine at all times of day and night. One camera, my Nikon D810, along with a Tamron 24–70mm f/2.8, a Nikkor 14–24mm f/2.8, and a Platypod Ultra with a 3 Legged Thing Airhed, and then a BlackRapid Sport. The thing is, you see, this trip to Paris is a perfect example of how you don’t necessarily need to carry around a whole cache of gear in order to effectively shoot a location—you just need to be smart and considerate about what gear you actually need in order to get the job done.

Another thing we photographers can feel the effects of is gear envy. Developing the skills to showcase to the world that you don’t need all the various bits and pieces the person next to you has, but can still attain an amazing shot is a skill, which in itself, creates envy and one which develops technical discipline in our workflow. When we are able to work effectively with minimal gear we are not only saving ourselves from future back problems, but also beginning on a road where we’ll end up giving careful consideration to any purchases likely to end up in our camera bag.

Rather than needlessly buying gear, employing a practice of minimalism will allow us to focus our energy and attention on practice and training, so we can enhance our skills in the raw skill of photography rather than leaning on gear to get the job done. In addition, it helps us to decide on our shot faster, making us more productive photographers.

With a new year, “new you” mentality, take the time to assess your pile of gear and decide what the core setup is so you can get on the road to minimalism, higher productivity, and skill development.

Much love
Dave

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