What we have in our camera bag is one of the most frequently asked questions that we receive! Photography is a hobby that we both fell in love with when we began traveling together. We had absolutely no idea what we were doing but we were determined to capture some of the amazing moments we were experiencing. Fast forward to today, we are still constantly learning, however our investment into our equipment has made the world of a difference for us! So let’s get right into it!
Disclaimer: We are by no means claiming to be professional photographers. We are learning everyday and are still in the beginning stages of mastering this craft!
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Camera Body
After a lot of research, we ultimately decided on the Sony a7Riii. We wanted a camera that offered high quality shots, was easy to use and was easy to carry! This camera checked all of these boxes! This is a mirror-less digital camera that shoots in 42 megapixels and has 4K Video. The camera has a steady-shot feature that ensure that our photo’s never come out blurry. The camera also weighs only 22 Ounces, which makes it very easy to carry!
Lenses
Lenses are the investment piece in any photography kit! We operate with three lenses right now. Each have a different purpose so let us get into what they are and why we have them.
Sigma 35mm F 1.4 Lens
This is the lens that we use most often in our kit! It is considered more of a portrait lens and shoots beautiful photo and video. If you watch any of our videos on any social media platform, you will notice that we are always in crisp focus, while the background is nicely blurred, and this is the lens that creates that magic!
We achieved this dreamy shot using our Sigma lens. We love every single photo we take with this lens!
Sony Fe 24-240mm f/3.5-6.3 lens
This lens has some great “zoom” capabilities. It is also our lens that we will put on if we can only bring one to our shooting location. This lens performs magic when we “zoom” in closer on a shot, it makes the background appear MUCH closer than it actually is. Which is a great camera trick to use in landscape areas like our shot below.
We used this lens to shoot this photo! The trick to this shot was setting up the camera further away from us and zooming in slightly to make the background appear closer and frame the shot a bit better!
Sony Vario-Tessar T FE 16-35mm f/4 lens
This lens offers a wider field of view. It is perfect for hospitality photography as well as landscape photography as it allows you to capture a large area!
We used this lens to capture this shot! The great thing about this lens is that you do not need to shoot from far away as the frame opens up wide enough to capture a great deal of the landscape.
Hoya 72mm Circular Polarizer
This is a great addition to our camera bag that we purchased in 2020 for our trip to the Philippines. In short, a polarizer will get rid of harsh sunlight and reflections on water. We wanted to shoot photos of the ocean and showcase how clear the water is in the Philippines! This lens fits on both of our Sony Lenses, but not our Sigma!
We used the Sony Vario-Tessar T* FE 16-35mm f/4 lens with the polarizer to achieve this shot!
Intervalometer
This device allows us to take photos of the two of us without needing someone to hit the shutter button. We can set how many photos we want it to take in a certain period of time. This is ideal for getting photos of the two of us when we are in a location that is a bit too far to reach in 10 seconds (the typical camera allowance)
DJI Mini 3 Drone
We used to use a Mavic Pro drone and really disliked using it, but our DJI Mini 3 has completely changed our minds about drones. Because the drone is so small, it does not require permits like larger drones do. It also is so light and compact, it fits much easier in our camera bag. This drone shoots in both vertical and horizontal range, making it quite versatile and perfect for a variety of video content. It shoots in 4k and has 38 minutes of fly time!
We used our drone to capture this shot! We have also used our drone to capture photos of the two of us together in places where our camera cannot be set up!
GoPro Hero 8 Black
GoPro is a must have piece of equipment for any adventurer. The GoPro allows you to achieve incredible photos and videos in places that you cannot take your typical camera. We have used this to get some amazing underwater shots, as well as a variety of footage when we have done hiking trips. This is camera is so versatile! There are newer and fancier models on the market, but we love our 8!
GoPro Dome Housing
A GoPro Dome is a housing device that the GoPro itself sits in, and allows us to take the half and half water shots like you see here! This is a great device to have if you are looking to capture something above and below the water.
Apple Macbook Computer
We use a 13 inch Apple MacBook Air with the Lightroom Desktop app to edit our photos! We use a very old Apple Macbook Air that Kaylee used during her university. Below we have listed the newest version!
DJI OM 5
We get so many questions about how we take videos for our Instagram stories. We use this device to stabilize our phone as we walk, that way the footage isn’t shaky and distracting!
Camera Tripod
We get so many questions about how we take our photos. The answer is a tripod and a self-timer! We set up the tripod in just about any space it will allow us! We have set it up in the ocean, in a pool and on edges of cliffs! This allows us both to be in the photos. Because we use and abuse our tripod, we tend to buy ones on the cheaper end so we can replace them if something happens.
Iphone Tripod
When content shifted to mainly video, we found that it was more convenient to shoot the majority of our video on our Iphone! So we purchased a cheap tripod from Amazon and it has been our best friend. It is small and compact so we are able to pack it in a carry on and take it with us anywhere! If we can recommend on piece of equipment to start with on this list, this is it!
Our Camera Bags
Kaylee’s Camera Bag
The Anniston Backpack from BAGSMART is a 20L backpack that offers a laptop sleeve, and removable dividers for customizable storage! The upper compartments can be used for personal items, and the lower compartments have removable dividers to store all of our different camera equipment. There is a quick access side compartment so that we can leave the camera and lens attached! The canvas is water resistant and a water proof cover is provided as well. Kaylee’s Backpack is in the color Olive and she highly recommends it!
Jake’s Camera Bag
The New York Backpack from BAGSMART is a approximately a 30L backpack that offers a laptop compartment, removable dividers for all of our camera equipment and a packing cube for smaller items. Jake uses the packing cube to store our extra batteries, charging cables and spare SD cards. The canvas is water proof and a rain cover is also provided to keep our camera equipment safe! Jake has this backpack in black and absolutely loves it!
Finals Thoughts
We fell in love with photography when we first began traveling together. By no means do we claim to be professionals, just two people with a dream and a camera! We hope that you found this blog helpful. Please feel free to leave feedback and ask questions in the comments below or on our Instagram page!
