As I prepare to travel over to Europe this summer, check out what equipment is in my travel bag as I load up Nomatic’s Peter McKinnon Camera bag for photoshoots. Traveling with equipment can be challenging; as a professional photographer I need all of my gear. In this video I demonstrate how I utilise its storage compartments.
What’s in my travel camera bag? Europe 2023.
Hello all! As everyone knows, we are heading off to Europe soon and you can expect plenty of videos coming back. To prepare, we are gathering our travel gear together here; having a travel bag at hand for everyday is necessary while out in the field. We are planning over 16 photoshoots between New York, London, Paris and Rome! It promises to be an absolutely incredible journey. But that being said, when travelling either overseas or domestically in the US, how do you pack your equipment and figure out what’s actually needed versus not needed? Too often we bring everything we own but never end up using any of it; I try to limit my baggage by only taking items that I think I will realistically need and will use.
So I recently acquired a brand new bag: Peter McKinnon Bag from Nomatic is perfect for our nomadic lifestyle in Europe and was so delighted by what people online were saying about it that I decided to give it a go myself – no review intended; let’s just check it out as my working day bag for photo shoots is already packed and loaded up – check it out below and come check it out yourself.
All right, so let’s just begin at the top with ease of access – something I really appreciate about Canon R5 28-70 camera bag design. So when I open up my bag it flips down easily, and here I am working with my Canon R5 28-70 lens which will likely be on most trips I take. When traveling keep in mind – my opinion only – taking pictures of architecture as you travel should definitely be done; London, Rome and Paris offer amazing architecture shots which should definitely be captured with photography; I created a YouTube video just on that topic to show this idea – plus our home was decorated using travel pictures taken while decorating our travel pictures too – making travel photos double duty when decorating our homes together : both creative and useful!
The 28-70 Cannon R5 lens is an all-around great lens with plenty of megapixels and horsepower in this camera, boasting incredible depth of field. I use two 28-70 F/2s: one on each side containing battery packs for quick flashes as well as spares just in case one breaks. These will sit atop my bag; I don’t intend on reviewing them but you could put your wallet and passport here when traveling in Europe (pro-tip: always have your passport with you!). Also noteworthy on either side are two Profoto A1s which I use regularly as handheld flashes – I use one on both sides with batteries in each, plus extra batteries from within my bag containing my extra batteries!
Again, this setup allows me to work outdoors and get fill flash – without overpowering the sun’s light source – but if I wanted more fill flash, my assistant can hold both lights to illuminate our model subject. Now when we turn over our bag on its back side we see there is also a side pouch specifically for laptops!
At first glance, my equipment may appear to be minimal – although that wouldn’t be fair to say. So let me introduce what’s included – my trigger for Profoto A1s can be used if needed off camera; extra batteries – four in total; these have never really been necessary during a full day of shooting, however they may come in handy as Cannon R5 has a battery grip which holds two batteries so they are usually swapped out when shooting at once; hence why I carry four extra.
Extra memory card pouch here, feet for my Profoto A1, which allow me to set it on either the ground or light stand as needed, extra batteries for it and of course my 70-200 lens that telescopes in and out. Plus I found this to be much more compact than previous lenses!
We have the 15-35, which is perfect for architecture or any wide shots with your subject in it, making this an all-purpose lens. I currently have 15-35 through 28-70 lenses on the camera – showing my focal range is working properly – as well as 70-200 and this holy trinity of lenses!
These two lenses are my must haves for portrait photography: 85 millimeter f/1.2 and 50 millimeter f/1.2 lenses are key items in my kit and bag; over time I’ve added more fast glass as affordably as possible to mine. Over time, that is what has grown in my bag as we travel abroad – you will see many photo shoots done with them as I travel overseas with my assistant who enjoys carrying an extra backpack on European trips? But let me know in the comments if it seems excessive; or should we add something extra? Regardless, hope you enjoy this video and we hope to see you all again next time we travel overseas! Until then… we shall see each other next time!
