Five Questions to Consider When Photographing Family Vacations (Part One)

We just got back from a camping trip to the Great Smokey Mountains. While I was away, I thought a lot about my approach to capturing our family vacations. Over the next two weeks, I’ll be sharing five questions to consider when photographing family vacations. This week is all about photography gear and how to handle it when you’re traveling.

For most, a good camera phone will do, but if you are a photography enthusiast and love documenting your family adventures, this is for you. Bringing along my camera bag and tripod on a camping trip was effortless considering all the other stuff we had to bring along anyway. I’ve traveled with my camera bag by plane and cruise ship as well. And not all trips are equal when considering the effort in lugging along camera gear. However, I don’t think I’d be able to leave home without at least one camera body and lens. Our family vacations offer some of the best opportunities when I can really focus on capturing our family and on each trip, I consider…

five questions to consider when photographing family vacations 07 - five questions to consider when photographing family vacations

1) What Gear Will I Bring?

When we’re traveling anywhere by plane, I bring just one camera body, a couple of fully charged batteries, formatted memory cards, and an on-camera flash (for in-door photography).  And I’ve learned that whatever I bring should be a part of what I carry on the plane. I once photographed a destination wedding and witnessed my camera bag carelessly tossed under the plane. I’m certain that thump into the plane’s cavity caused one of my zoom lenses to tighten up which required service when I got back. Thankfully, that was the worst of the damage and now I know to only bring what I can carry.

When traveling by car, I feel less constricted and often bring my whole camera bag and tripod.  If we’re on a cruise, I keep in mind weight restrictions. Tripods are great so that I can be in some of the photos too! On trips where I don’t bring a tripod, I’ve captured our family in a mirror or set the camera on a dresser or table.

2) How Will I Keep My Gear Safe?

When deciding what to bring, it’s important to think through how your gear will be stored when you’re not using it. At hotels and on cruise ships, safes are a handy place to store gear. I take the most expensive pieces (camera body, lens, flash) out of the bag to store in the safe, which is usually about the size of a bread box. On this latest trip, I just locked my bag and tripod in the minivan, and we were parked in areas where I wasn’t concerned about our van being broken into. We went to Dollywood for two days and I left everything in the locked van, tucked behind the second row of seats so that it was all out of sight.

3) When Will I Use My Gear?

Wondering why I didn’t bring my camera into Dollywood? There was a time when I would carry my camera into a theme park. I brought it to Disneyworld once and learned that it’s really more of a hassle than it’s worth. I like to pay the park photographers so that I can more fully enjoy the time with my family and not worry about what to do with my camera on rides. Plus, I’ve found I really tend to value the photos at the beginning and end of the day mostly because I love natural light and that’s when it’s the best. So, I capture our family before we go out for the day and after we get back, which is when most of these camping photos were taken.

There is one family portrait where I broke this rule and I think it’s a good example of why I don’t bother taking mid-day photos. We wanted to get a family portrait by one of the big park signs, but it just wasn’t convenient to stop on the way out in the mornings or on the way back in the evenings. So, after we packed the van for our trip back home, we stopped alongside the road around 11 a.m., fully knowing the lighting would be terrible. I’m not a fan of the look of filling shadows with on-camera flash, so we gathered under the shade of a tree. This first photo is why I don’t generally bother taking outside pictures mid-day. And this second approach of standing in open-shade is my best effort to achieve the goal despite the less-than-ideal circumstances.

I’m almost embarassed to share this image, but it serves to illustrate my point.  The light is harsh with bright spots and dark shadows, not very flattering. >>

five questions to consider when photographing family vacations 15 - five questions to consider when photographing family vacations

Ah, that’s better.  The open shade offers softer lighting where you can see everyone’s faces easily.  I won’t be hanging this on my wall, but  it’s so much more flattering than the first attempt. >>

five questions to consider when photographing family vacations 16 - five questions to consider when photographing family vacations

Journey back to the blog next week for part two of Five Questions to Consider When Photographing Family Vacations. I’m excited to share more of the photos and thoughts with you! I promise there will be s’mores!

Pittsburgh Weddings: Cranberry Highlands Golf CourseFive Questions to Consider When Photographing Family Vacations (Part Two)