Travel Thursday: Be Smart with your Vacation Photos

Ryan and I on the funicolare in Napoli, Italy taken by my friend and photographer,  Liisa Roberts.

I have always considered Napoli, Italia fondly with a special place in my heart.  I had the pleasure of living in this historical city twice in my life during my childhood.  For a total of six years Napoli, also known as Naples, still holds the ranking title of the longest place I have lived in my lifetime.  I begin this travel post in this way to explain quite clearly why ‘I should have known better’.  That was a statement I said quite frequently after having my phone stolen.  It is pictured here in a newly acquired (but not for long) case from one of the amazing markets in downtown Napoli.  

When I go on vacation I travel with my DSLR, which I carry like my baby and protect with my life.  However I have not always been as smart with that precious item either.  Whether you plan to take photos with your phone, a small point and shoot digital camera, or a higher end DSLR with a range of lenses, these would be my tips for traveling with said items.
Be Smart with your Vacation Photos:
1. Be prepared.  Decide which camera/s you will be taking and make sure you bring all the necessary accessories.  Depending on what is normally in your camera bag, pack accordingly.  Make sure you travel with your battery (and spares), your charger, memory card/s, and a memory card reader. I would also suggest your lens cloth to clean your lens.  
2. Be smart.  For those with multiple lenses a tip I would share is making sure your lens caps have an elastic attachment so that when you take them off they are still tethered to the lens.  Its really easy to lose a cap or look like a target for a thief when you are juggling many items. I’ve nearly dropped and lost a lens cap or two trying to capture a photo in slightly dangerous spot.  The less you have to worry about can be the better.
3. Be cautious.  Do enjoy your vacation and do not allow negative stimgas to ruin a memory.  But with that said remember this ‘everyone is suspicous’.  So if you are in a more crowded area, tighter space like a train, or just out in a busy part of a city be aware of your surroundings.  I lost my phone while I was holding my DSLR tightly but then snapping a photo of a delicious Neapolitan pizza.  My phone was quickly and easily grabbed from my hand and it went on a chase with a thief who jumped on the back of a moped and was gone in a flash.  I was too comfortable being ‘home’ and should have really been more cautious. Lesson learned.  
4. Less is More.  Piggy backing off of the previous tip I have learned that less is more in regards to the digital age.  When I lived in Italy before I was taking photos by film and new exactly how many exposures I had left on that roll of film. No I can easily take hundreds of photos in a day with both my phone and my camera.  I will use my camera for certain shots and my phone for less conspicuous and more artsy shots with fun filters.  I would say rely on one camera for one moment and don’t get so distracted by capturing that you miss out on the moment or let someone take advantage of your touristic endeavors. 
5. Keep it safe.  Back up at the end of every day when you are on vacation.  Clear those photos off your phone and onto your hard drive.  Load them online to a drop box, flickr account, etc.  Its best to have your photos saved and stored in more than one place.  If you do happen to get something stolen or lose a bag, you can rest assured that your photos are safe.
My favourite thing about traveling is being able to reminisce the moments and memories in the years to come and share with my family and friends.  I have lost photos from my phone being stolen and from back up cds being lost in a move.  Enjoy your travels and be smart when taking and saving your vacation photos.  
An extra word of advice: Do not let your photos collect dust inside your computer to not see the light of day.  Photographs are getting lost and forgotten in this digital age.  If you are going to take the time to capture your experiences, print them and display them in your home.  
What advice or lessons have you learned why traveling with your camera?  I would love to hear your stories, comment down below. :) 
  • http://www.blogger.com/profile/11923928320846486556 Kristen @ KV Confessions

    Great tips! I love what you said about not leaving them lost in digital form – I’m awful at that and it drives my mom cray cray! Need to make a trip to the print shop one of these days :)

    • http://www.blogger.com/profile/05022023043718407104 Bonnie Rose

      Indeed Kristen! We got a digital frame to put our photos in to play on a slide show. Thats always a neat way to display your photos too. x