PHOTO GEAR for van life digital nomads

Like most people I love taking photos while I travel and as a van life digital nomad I need to take a lot of images for work. Along with generating content for the WeRollWithIt social media I also shoot for a lot of off road and adventure brands. The best camera is the one in your hand and often I’ll grab my iPhone for a quick shot. Honestly iPhones do an impressive job for shots that are going online or things that are more off the cuff like the Instagram stories. When I know an image needs to be bigger or really needs a polished professional look,I reach for my Canon 5D mkIV. 

Camera - Canon 5D MkIV

This Camera is a great DSLR, most of the time I keep the Canon 24/70 lens on it for versatility but this is pretty heavy for hiking so I also have the pancake 40 lens which lightens that load when you need to. As a van life digital nomads I like to carry as little as possible so two lenses is more than enough. I didn't choose the 24/105 lens which is available as a package with this camera body, the reason being is that you can hand hold with the 24/70 more easily because of its stabilization features and for me personally I find myself hand holding most of the time and often in less than perfect lighting. 

I now also carry a 100-400 lens which I use for surf photography, but sometimes also for the van and other sports - it does allow for a really nice depth of field and although its a beast it is my favourite lens.

Tripod - SLIK Sprint Pro II Tripod

Having a van means a little more luxury to cary gear than say a backpacker might, but I am often hiking into shooting locations so I still don’t want anything too heavy. This tripod is great for van life digital nomads because its a good in-between size, it allows me to take still photography but you can also release the lower mount to use for smooth video panning. 

Reflector

Again not too big not too small this folds down to fit in the front of my camera bag. 

UPDATE - GoPro Max

Previously I had the GoPro Fusion 360 and loved it. The latest upgrade to this is the new GoPro Max which again is 360 but also allows you to shoot with a single lense AND they added a screen so you can see what you are shooting. Being a van life digital nomad I am contantly in motion, with the 360 you can export different viewpoints from a single 360 video which for me, filming a lot of fast action and off-road vehicles, this is perfect. It has in built image stabilisation so that gets rid of the need for a gimbal! As far as all rounded capabilities and small compact size for life on the road I am loving this camera! I use this guy a lot for the dash mount shots you see where I am driving and talking to camera.

DJI - OSMO pocket

Van life digital nomads will love this little guy! Literally pocket size, with built in Gimbal Stabilizers and an easy one handed operation its perfect for getting that quick shot. I use mine mainly for video but it does also take stills. Somehow its battery also seems to last forever!

DJI - Mavic Mini

Keeping it in the DJI family the Mavic Mini is perfect for tiny home living. It takes great video and images and takes up very little space in the van which is great for van life digital nomads.

Neewr Camera Bag

I changed recently to this bag because I wanted something waterproof. And while I try very hard to keep my gear out of the water it gives a bit of peace of mind if I’m near surf spray or rain that I can take my time still to get to cover.

iPhone

Let’s all just admit this, no matter what amazing photo gear we have the best camera is always the one in your hand at the right moment. Great for a quick crash and bash shot, especially Instagram stories, and you know what, there’s nothing wrong with that! viva the iPhone!

Post Processing

So you have all the best gear, but it doesn’t stop there. Post production is an important part to getting a beautiful shot, think of it as the icing on the cake, nobody likes an united cake. I shoot raw and process my images in CaptureOne, I then move to Photoshop if needed to fix anything. I also use Lightroom and for my own social images this is probably my go to program. I can sync the setting from my computers Lightroom to the App on my iPhone which makes it easy to get a consistent look on the go. 

That’s a lot of gear! I store it all in one drawer in the van. The inside of the burton bag keeps everything tight and I use a GridIT to keep all the cords tidy!

Want to see my work? You can see my images of course on Instagram @werollwithit you can also see my media work at www.katefield.net