Weekend Photography Trip – What gear to take?

Having a weekend photography trip as a photographer means that you will have to pick your destination and gear. Travel light? heavy? with the car?

It is not the easiest thing to pack your gear and just go, even if is just for the weekend.

As there are many things to take into consideration, and from my own experience I will try to share some tips and advice for a weekend photography trip for you to consider.

Weekend photography trip

Where?

Do you already have planned your destination? you may have. It is somewhere accessible by car, train or it is a flight?

Alone?

Are you travelling alone or with somebody? It is an important thing to take into consideration

Overnight?

Are you planning to stay overnight into a motel, with a tent, in your car or caravan?

Your photographic journey?

Have you picked your destination, ok. But the photographic route?

Let’s talk about a couple of scenarios for your weekend photography trip, shall we? Like this maybe I will be able to cover your journey.

Weekend photography trip #1

You travel by car, local or national.

• If you are planning to travel by car for the weekend for your photography trip, there should not be a problem with the amount of gear you can take.

You can grab whatever you can fit in the car. You can travel also 2+.

Tripods, lenses, cameras. Make sure they will all fit into a backpack if you are willing to stay overnight at a motel. Or basically anywhere else. It is a good practice to have your gear into a backpack and close to you at all times.

You can also have more than that. Clothes, supplies, more non-expensive gear etc.

• Are you planning an astrophotography session? Take someone with you! never travel alone in that case!

In case of an astrophotography session, you are most probably to remain outdoors all night. You can sleep in a tent or your car, or return to a motel (not price-friendly) after the session. Whatsoever, due to the fact that you are going to shoot at night, make sure that you are not alone with all the gear. And also, that your gear will fit into a backpack, so whenever you travel at night, people won’t be able to see the valuable things you have on you.

• Planning city trips? No problem. I am guessing you will stay at a hotel or motel overnight, are you?

Take just your basics in that case, and for your gear, travel light. Your camera, few lenses (probably you can’t take your drone unless you are planning to fly it somewhere outside your destination city)

Weekend photography trip #2

You travel by train, local or national.

When you travel by train, you lost your advantages to grab all your stuff and put them in the car.

• Are you travelling alone or with somebody? I strongly do not recommend you to travel alone with your gear by train. You can do that but on your own risk.

Also if you are travelling alone for a weekend photography trip, you may have a lack of space to carry your gear and your clothes, supplies.

• If you are with somebody, space won’t be a problem, as long as you carry your photography gear and the other person the supplies for both of you. You should have no more than two backpacks in total.

I also recommend having only minimum supplies with you. You can spend a buck or a pound for some quick snack at a local shop near your destination, can you?

Weekend photography trip #3

You travel international, you have a flight.

• In this case, you can either travel alone or with someone, but beware you have limited space. Be smart what you are going to pick.

I am guessing in this case you will have your gear with you on a backpack which fits into the cabin bag dimensions. NEVER SEND YOUR GEAR ONTO YOUR HOLD LUGGAGE.

You should have luggage to carry your clothes and in your cabin bag or backpack to have your photography gear with you.

What should you carry in this case? Travel light. Do not take all the gear you have with you. Plan what you are going to visit and what gear you will need.

A camera, few backup batteries, charger, few memory cards. You can take the laptop with you, but remember, you are away for the weekend photography trip only, therefore is good to have a few memory cards and only shoot when you are there.

Travelling international probably requires you to book to a hotel or motel overnight. Spend your money and pick your location wisely.

What gear should you take for your weekend photography trip?

I am guessing you already have an idea about supplies and clothes you are going to take in your weekend photography trip depending on your destination.

What about the photography gear?

Main gear in your backpack:

• A camera (your DSLR I guess)
• Lens (minimum one lens)
• Two batteries (one in camera + one backup)
• Portable power bank + camera battery charger (when one is in the camera, the second one is charging)
• A minimum of two x64 GB memory cards (unless you are going to take more than two thousand photos, take extra.)
• A lightweight portable tripod

Optional gear in your backpack:

• Additional lenses, camera?
• Maybe additional batteries and memory cards
• Lens filters
• A flashgun
• A drone if possible
• Different accessories such as monopod, wireless shutter release, cleaning kits.

Sweet&Love my camera! Conclusion on weekend photography trip

It is a good practice to travel light if you travel alone or with a train or have a flight. If you are driving your car, your limitation is the space you own in the car.

Also, I do not recommend long and overnight trips alone, unless you are very confident in yourself and your destination.

Another good point is to make sure that you have insurance on your gear when travelling. You just never know…

Travel light? Travel heavy? What do you prefer? You can leave a comment in the section below.

You can also check a few of my other posts

• 25 creative ideas to photograph in a boring location
• 5 tips to improve your DSLR photography
• How to photograph light trail guide