Packing for a Food Photography Trip

January, 2016 · By admin

I’m gearing up for another travel food photography adventure, this time visiting Kerala in Southern India.

One of my favourite things about combining travel and food photography is being able to shoot food in context. For different portions of this trip we’ll be staying on a houseboat, taking public transport and hiring our own driver, so there should be plenty of opportunities to meet the local people and seeing some great scenery while we eat our way around the state.

(Kerala India. Image by Saravask via Wikipedia)

New Adventure, New Cookbook

This new adventure will reunite the team behind Sarojini’s Sri Lanka Food – talented cook Sarojini Kamalathan, writer Norm Burns, designer Cally Browning and myself . We took our last journey together back in 2011, resulting in an award winning cookbook (now sold out in Australia) and the nickname ‘The Four Wallas’. The outcome of our new journey (apart from great memories and full tummies) will be a cookbook featuring South Indian food, particularly regional specialties from Kerala.

About Kerala

The State of Kerala is at the southwestern tip of India and is positioned along an ancient trade route on the Arabian sea. The region was a prominent spice exporter from 3000 BC and in the 15th century, this was the industry that attracted Portuguese traders to Kerala, and paved the way for the European colonisation of India. Now the state has a population of over 33 million (yes, just the state alone has a third more people than the whole of Australia!) and the highest life expectancy and literacy levels in India. But of course the main attraction for myself and the crew is the fabulous and colourful food and scenery.

(Colourful fishing trawlers in Kerala by Thangaraj Kumaravel – Creative Commons via Flickr)

Coconut and Seafood

Some of the flavours and ingredients that are common are coconut in all its forms (it’s Kerala’s biggest export after all), seafood (the State is long and thing, hugging the southwestern coastline of India) and spices including black pepper, cloves, cinnamon and ginger. I have a bit of a theory (untested of course!) that Keralan food is perfectly suited to our home state of Western Australia – we have similar Western coastal positions, have access to fantastic fresh seafood and are both influenced by a melting pot of cultures. It just might be a bit spicier than some are used to!

Getting set

Aside from getting my tastebuds ready for the journey, I need to make sure I am prepared to take the best photos possible while on the road. The golden rule is to travel light but given that we’ll be travelling to remote and rural locations, I’m unlikely to find a pro photographic shop anywhere along the way. So I’ll be making a list and checking it twice. Here’s what will be on it:

My Food Photography Trip Packing Checklist

1. Cameras

It won’t surprise you that the first items on my packing list are cameras. At the top of the list are the ‘serious’ cameras. I’ve been a Canon shooter for over 24 years and use their flagship professional camera – the EOS 1DX. This camera features a full frame 18.1 megapixel sensor and is beautiful to use due to its ergonomic design. The solid magnesium alloy body makes them tough enough to withstand a lot of travel and even better, they are weather proof. Perfect !!! I actually take two of these cameras – firstly because ‘better safe than sorry’ and if something happened to one camera while I am on location I always have a backup. Secondly having two cameras means I can keep them set up and ready to go (see the lenses section).

(Canon EOS 1DX camera from www.canon.com.au)

I also pack a point and shoot camera for travelling (yes, pro photographers do use these and aren’t ashamed to admit it!). It’s essential on a big trip to simply be ready for the unexpected; the best camera in the world is the one you have on you, that is ready to go. The Ricoh GR is a cult favourite for travel photographers. Small, light, tough and unassuming – but inside packed with features that rival many DSLR cameras, this Ricoh will be handy to capture those passing scenes that add texture to any journey.

(Ricoh GR from Ricoh)

2. Lenses

This is the biggest issue for traveling photographers: Do you carry your favourite prime lenses that need constant changing, OR attach the best quality zooms that Canon make? I know from years of travel photography experience that if you stop to unpack your gear and change lenses the shot has long disappeared. My choices of lenses are:
• a 24-70 f/2.8 and
• a 70-200 f/2.8
each permanently attached to a Canon EOS 1DX body. This way, no dust is getting inside the camera and into the sensor as you change lenses in challenging locations – this saves hours of spotting in post-production.

3. Lightweight tripod

A small carbon-fibre tripod with a small ball head is all I pack in the way of tripods. It’s used for night scenes and for holding a speedlite if necessary.

4. Speedlite

Canon’s 600 EXRT and Speedlite transmitter are the best answer for lightweight artificial light.

5. Bits n’ pieces

There are a few odds and ends that I’m always glad to have on hand: a small reflector disc; camera battery charger; lens cloth and cleaner (useful for my glasses too!) and spare CF cards.

6. Technology

I’ll be travelling with my laptop and two external hard drives for archiving. It’s essential after each day of photography that the day’s images are archived. I’m absolutely pedantic about archiving all my files in three separate locations, on the laptop itself and on both external hard drives. The hard drives are to be stored in different locations – this is the “to be sure, to be sure” guarantee that valuable photography isn’t lost due to any unforeseen circumstances.

7. Camera bag

The most sought after qualities of a travelling camera bag are that it is comfortable to carry for long periods of time, strong and easy to use. I use a slingshot style of bag which gives me both easy access to equipment and even weight distribution. It fits both camera bodies with lenses attached, plus spare batteries and CF cards etc, so that I am fully set for a day of shooting on location.

(The “Four Wallas” all set for our next cookbook adventure)

So that’s it – my professional food and travel photography packing list. If you think I’ve missed anything that you find essential on such a trip feel free to let me know – there are a few weeks left to perfect my packing for the next adventure!