Timing of this is right behind my own vacation last week during spring break. I guess I kinda shot in the middle, gear-wise. Skip down a bit if you don't want to read my philosophical comments.
For me, getting good shots with a phone isn't about the quality of the phone camera, it's about the cumbersome way it works for me, lack of decent zoom and hard to see the display in sunlight. But the
concept is sound, using a basic, easy to carry device to get shots that are
good enough!
Disclaimer: I normally do a LOT of travelling with a LOT of gear with our scout troop to weekend campouts, summer camps and even Philmont for 10+ days in the back country living out of a single backpack. So it's not worrying about the gear and logistics that scare or stop me from taking expensive gear with me places.
Or is it? There is something about a family trip that is different. It's a different dynamic. And another few factors for me on this trip were...
- Multiple plane rides... DFW - Houston - Belize - Palcencia - Boat to Hatchet Caye - I went from a regional jet to a large plane to a puddle jumper to a boat. Carrying any more than I carried on the plane (a backpack and a bag that would fit in the overheads) would have been ridiculous considering we had 5 checked bags for the family of four already. When planes are involved, the logistics get a lot harder. Why risk, worry or kill myself with weight unless it's absolutely necessary?
- Lots of beach, boat and salt water... Our destination was an tiny island that no matter where you stood, you could see the ocean from all directions. Yes. About the size (or smaller) than a city block. Where does a lot of expensive gear fit in here? Yes, I could have taken it, used it and protected it. And I would have had great shots of the beach, sunset/sunrise and the ocean horizon and boats. That's not where most of the "action" shots were. We snorkeled, scuba dived, sailed, etc. So the big expensive gear would have stayed in the room most of the time.
- Gear Hassle for What?... What did we do? We laid around, ate, read and did the daytime activities on boats away from the island. I didn't go to set up tripods and capture the 'perfect' ocean view image. What is the point of carrying $5K+ worth of camera and lens around to capture a few snapshots of dinner? Where do I put it? On the table in the way where something will get spilled on it? On the floor where there is sand? On a chair that actually doesn't exist because there are just enough chairs for the guests? On the bar? In my lap?
So what did I do/take? I went for a middle compromise. Last summer I went to Philmont and lived out of a backpack for 10+ days. I wanted better photography than I got in 2012 by just taking a Canon Powershot D20 tough cam. (Even though the 2012 trip with the D20 was
heaven logistically!) So I rigged up a great way to carry a
Canon SL1 with a Tamron 18-270 superzoom at my chest suspended from the pack straps. I packed a
Canon 10-22 EF-S lens in the pack for wider shots in camps and at programs. That was it. And that's what I took for this trip. I added a CPL and I took the
Canon 270 EX-II for better light. Then, for the water stuff, I took the
Canon D20. (I also took a borrowed GoPro Hero 3+ but it wouldn't turn on reliably so that was a waste of time.) I also took my
Canon S120 for better quality P&S shots while travelling or when I didn't want to carry or grab the SL1.
That's it. And it all fit easily in my carry-on backpack. Did I miss having my best gear? Meh. Maybe a little in some cases like when I was shooting my sons playing soccer with the staff in almost low shade light. But I got some good shots even if the SL1+18-270 isn't as good as my 7D2-70-200 rig I use now for swimming/sports. And the S120 and D20 use the same battery and all three cameras use SD cards.
Sometimes it's more about enjoying the trip, getting a break from cameras, technology, the world in general and things we think we must have to be content. I didn't want to deal with more junk to pack, manage or worry about. What I took was enough to manage as it was. And I still had RAW files to work with in Lightroom when I got home. OK, so I had to do more editing, push and stretch the images more than I should. So what? In the end, no one really cares. I'm not trying to win awards or make money from these images, I'm just trying to capture the moments. And I still took about 1100+ images with all the cameras which netted about 460 keepers, some of which were taken for other guests for their enjoyment.
Remember, the best camera is the one you have with you! And if that camera is an iPhone and the images are
good enough, then you're good to go! I carry high end gear around all over the place, often in dirty and challenging environments. It doesn't mean I want to do that on my vacation! Sometimes, the KISS principle is the best way to go.
If you're wondering how the vacation shots turned out, here they are. Not my best work and no apologies for that either. In 20 years, I bet they will still be sufficient to remind me of the trip.
http://rustythegeek.zenfolio.com/belize2015
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