Photography gear guide for travel content creators
Welcome to our photography gear guide for travel content creators! We’re Gwyn and Ami, the duo behind the Instagram @gwynandami. As creators in the travel and outdoor adventure niche we’ve been able to grow our passion into a six figure side hustle, and a key part of that success has been our gear! In this photography gear guide for travel content creators we share ALL the items we use to create outdoor and travel content for social media. We also share why each item is helpful, and why you should consider adding it to your content creator gear kit.
Note that this post contains affiliate links, which means we receive a small commission from any purchase you make (at no added cost to you)! This helps to support our adventures – thank you!
Photography gear guide for travel content creators
Our camera gear for travel and outdoor adventure photography
Canon R6: a great professional camera body for outdoor adventures
We’ve used a Canon EOS R6 for the past year and a half and highly recommend it for travel and outdoor content creators. This camera produces outstanding images while also being durable enough for intense outdoor adventures.
Below are a few of the features we love:
- That unbeatable Canon color profile. Every camera brand has its own unique color profile, and I love Canon for their crisp, vibrant, and “true to life” colors. The camera also handles well in low lighting which is a must for travel photography (have you ever tried taking pictures in a dimly lit restaurant?!).
- Great subject tracking. While I think this feature could actually be improved a bit, the camera generally does a fantastic job of tracking moving subjects, and the AI-assisted features like face detection and tracking is great.
- A professional camera that offers good bang for your buck. This camera boasts a 20 megapixel full frame sensor, and is $1,500+ dollars cheaper than the top of the line Canon R5.
- Quality products: Gwyn has used Canon cameras for the last 15 years, and she’s stuck with the brand because of the quality of their products. They work well, and they last a long time if you take care of them!
Our favorite lenses for travel and outdoor adventure photography
As travel content creators we need gear that’s as versatile as we are, since we might shoot a fancy hotel one day and an epic backpacking trip the next! We’ve built a well-rounded lens kit that includes a range of lens styles, from wide angle to telephoto, while also being mindful of budget and weight. See below for all the lenses we use for travel and adventure content creation.
Canon RF24-70mm F2.8 L IS USM – our go-to lens for hiking and travel
The Canon RF 24-70mm F2.8 is the lens that sits on our camera 90% of the time. It packs a punch in terms of quality and sharpness, and it’s extremely versatile. We’ve used it to capture everything from the cathedrals of Europe to the rugged natural beauty of Alaska and Montana.It’s not cheap, but this lens is worth its price tag! If you only ever buy one nice lens I think this should be it.
Canon RF16mm F2.8 STM – a cheap and reliable wide angle lens for landscapes and mountaintop selfies
The Canon RF 16mm “prime” lens is incredibly lightweight, super fun to shoot with, and also highly affordable. Need I say more? We love throwing it in our hiking bags (with some protection, of course! More on that here) to capture wide open landscapes and goofy mountaintop selfies. One day we’d like to upgrade to the Canon RF 15-35mm F2.8 L IS USM to have a more professional wide angle leds, but for now the 16mm has been serving us well!
Canon RF70-200mm F4 L IS USM – a reliable Zoom lens
We bought the Canon RF70-200mm F4 lens right before we took a cruise to Alaska and it really came in handy for capturing things like glaciers and wildlife. It’s handy to have and performs well but it is our least used lens in part because I prefer a more intimate approach to photography. If we become more interested in wildlife we will probably upgrade to the Canon RF 100-500mm F4.5-7.1 L is USM Super-Telephoto Lens, which has a substantially longer range.
Best photography accessories for travel content creators
Waterproof camera backpack
Designed with photographers and content creators in mind, the Peak Design Travel Pack is a great waterproof camera backpack for travel. It’s super roomy and can fit all your gear (and more!).
Our go-to tripod
Peak Design Travel Tripod (Aluminum)
This reasonably lightweight yet super rugged tripod is built for outdoor adventures and is our go-to since it works well with the capture clip system (see below!).
The best camera clip for hikers and backpackers
Peak Design Capture Camera Clip
This is the ultimate camera clip for photographers who take their gear hiking and backpacking! This clip allows you to safely stow your camera close to your body when hiking, and reduces reliance on a neck strap.
Waterproof camera shell for shooting in the rain
Peak Design Shell Camera Cover
The water waterproof camera shell is what I use to cover my camera when shooting in the rain. It does a great job protecting my camera while still allowing me to shoot with it (although it can admittedly be a bit cumbersome to operate a lens under the shell). In more extreme rain I often use an umbrella.
Portable lens cleaning wipes
These are my favorite lens cleaning wipes for outdoor photographers! We often shoot in rainy and wet conditions (waterfall hikes, anyone??), so I always have a few of these wipes on hand for a quick lens clean.
Our video gear for outdoor adventure and travel content
Our go-to camera for filming might surprise you…
You might be surprised to learn that we shoot 85% of our reels and TikToks with an iphone! We find iphone cameras to be lightweight, easy to use, and do a great job capturing movement. We pair our iphone with a Peak Design Universal Adaptor and a Peak Design Mobile Tripod.
GoPro Hero 10 – our ‘adventure camera’
While I have beef with some of GoPro’s features and durability, the GoPro Hero 10 is our go-to for capturing more extreme adventures, such as white water rafting and mountain biking. I love that the camera is waterproof and there are a variety of attachments on the market that can help reduce the risk of gear loss.
Canon R6 – our go-to tool for professional videos
While we mainly use our Canon EOS R6 for photography, it’s also a great tool for videos that we want to be extra crisp and professional!
I hope you found this photography gear guide for travel content creators helpful! You can find more gear guides and tips here. You can also find more social media creator tips here!
Have questions? Send us a DM on Instagram!
