Our next trip starts in just a few days and we can’t wait! Here’s a rundown of what’s inside my camera bag, all packed up and ready to go.
MY CAMERA: FUJIFILM X-T10
I’ve had this camera body ever since Hope was a newborn and it continues to be a joy to use. The best thing I can say about it is that it’s an excellent tool. If you know what you’re doing, it gets out of the way and lets you do your thing; in this case, making images of the best times and the best people of your life. When traveling with family, I use it mainly for portraits and street photography.
An early photo I took with my beloved X-T10. Literally thousands of shots ago.
MY OTHER CAMERA: IPHONE
For me, I want a little bit of distance when shooting with my camera. I want to be able to compose a shot that captures the scene (and the feeling!) the way I remember it. I use the iPhone for every other situation: when I’m in the thick of things, unable to take a second to think about composition and exposure. I also don’t like using my camera to take videos, so that job goes to my phone. Always remember that the best camera is the one you have with you. In a pinch, even your phone can produce breathtaking images. Here are a couple of examples, both taken at work when I didn’t have my kit. No camera, no problem.
MY GENERAL-PURPOSE LENS: FUJINON 23mm f1.4
I love this lens. I’ve used it for everything: landscapes, astrophotography, pseudo-macro, portraits, and street. The field of view is a good representation of what a human eye sees, so depending on how close you are to the subject you can use it to make a variety of compositions. For vacation photography, it’s best for taking pictures of the places you visit and of your loved ones with some context in the background. Here are some of my favorite shots with this lens.
MY PORTRAIT LENS: FUJINON 56mm f1.2
I love taking pictures of my wife and daughter when we travel. Whenever I find a good spot with interesting light and we have a few minutes to spare, I ask them to go through a couple of angles and poses while I click happily away. Sometimes these moments just happen and I manage to steal a candid shot or two. This lens excels at separating the subject from the background, drawing the eye toward them and sometimes even “inside” them, to what they’re feeling or thinking at the time. This is especially useful when you’re in a place that’s crowded or not particularly pretty, as the background becomes a beautiful blur of colored light (again, if you know what you’re doing). Here are a few samples. Yes, you can shoot tight landscapes with it, too!
MY OTHER PHOTOGRAPHY ESSENTIALS:
1. Spare batteries and a charger
2. 64gb UHS-1 SD card
3. Neck strap
4. ND Filter
5. Lens wipes
At the end of the day, these are all just tools. For any photographer, from a professional to a “daddy-tographer” like myself, this is what’s truly important: train your eyes to see, develop your own unique voice, and learn the skills to bridge the gap between what you see in your mind and what you say with your pictures.
Happy shooting!
