Featured

The Importance of Traveling Light

The Importance of Traveling Light  by Remy Musser

When travelling for extended periods of time, choosing the right equipment is crucial.

PARIS, FRANCE - DECEMBER 9, 2016: View of famous Louvre Museum with Louvre Pyramid at evening. Louvre Museum is one of the largest and most visited museums worldwide.

PARIS, FRANCE – DECEMBER 9, 2016: View of famous Louvre Museum with Louvre Pyramid at evening. Louvre Museum is one of the largest and most visited museums worldwide.

My next trip will be for about 50 days and I will be going  to Athens Greece, Phuket Thailand,  Singapore, Hoi An Vietnam, Koh Phi Phi Thailand and Krabi Thailand.

I’ve been doing this kind of trip every year and I never really know what I’m going to shoot.
In the past I used a camera backpack trying to stay under the 8kg carry-on limitation, an empty camera shoulder bag in my carry-on for daily use, and a messenger bag for ‘’light’’ walks.

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA with VEO Tripod and Up-Rise II 38 Messenger Bag

Picturesque view, Old Town of Oia or Ia on the island Santorini, white houses, windmills and church with blue domes at sunset, Greece

Picturesque view, Old Town of Oia or Ia on the island Santorini, white houses, windmills and church with blue domes at sunset, Greece

Over the past few years I have managed to reduce my camera gear weight in half. Now almost everything fits into my carry-on (Vanguard UpRise II 38 Messenger Bag) and the Vanguard Sydney II 18 Messenger Bag). Three camera bodies, action cam, six  lenses, memory cards, spare batteries, mini tripod, Surface pro 3, tablet, cleaning kit and external HDD.

I use the Vanguard UpRise II 38 Messenger Bag most of the time as the expansion system allows me to resize it and the Vanguard Sydney II 18 messenger bag for light casual walks (one camera).

DSC05234

PARIS, FRANCE – DECEMBER 9, 2016: View of famous Louvre Museum with Louvre Pyramid at evening. Louvre Museum is one of the largest and most visited museums worldwide.

PARIS, FRANCE - DECEMBER 9, 2016: View of famous Louvre Museum with Louvre Pyramid at evening. Louvre Museum is one of the largest and most visited museums worldwide.

PARIS, FRANCE – DECEMBER 9, 2016: View of famous Louvre Museum with Louvre Pyramid at evening. Louvre Museum is one of the largest and most visited museums worldwide.

The Vanguard UpRise II 38 Messenger Bag and Vanguard Sydney II 18 messenger bag has become the perfect travel combo for me.

Tripods are often neglected by photographers even if they are just as important as cameras and lenses.

DSC02497

Fountain at Place de la Concorde in Paris France

Fountain at Place de la Concorde in Paris France

Even with IBIS and stabilizer lenses, it’s ideal to use a tripod at all times to ensure sharpness. However we (photographers) hate to carry them around!

I normally shoot with a three camera setup; the first one for my main composition on the Vanguard VEO 204AB, the second one as a more mobile handheld camera, and the third one on a mini tripod/clamp for timelapses.

DSC03623

 

Docks of Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris with old barrels, France

Docks of Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris with old barrels, France

For the past year I have used the Vanguard VEO 204AB and I’m loving it! It’s size and weight makes me often forget that I am carrying it on my shoulder. It’s versatile, and so far it’s been resilient to everything I could throw at it (mud, sea water, sand, dust…)

It’s also just the right size for my Sony A7 series cameras and will easily fit into my suitcase.

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

The Eiffel tower at sunrise in Paris France

The Eiffel tower at sunrise in Paris France

The Eiffel tower at sunrise in Paris France

The Eiffel tower at sunrise in Paris France

For my upcoming trip I will be taking  the Vanguard VEO 204AB and the Vanguard Alta Pro 253CT as I will need the Multi-Angle Central Column (MACC) System, especially when shooting in Singapore.

French born photographer Remy Musser has been based in Greece for over fifteen years, sharing his time between Greece, France and south east Asia and producing photographs with just the right amount of visual impact to allow the viewer to feel the essence of the image presented before them. Remy is a full time stock photographer, with one of the world’s largest stock portfolio.

Learn more about Remy here!

DSC07185

Tags: , ,

Comments are closed.