India Travel Blog reader Bala sent me an email and asked me a question about travelling with expensive equipment.
Love your work, regular reader of your Travel & Photography blog.Have a request, since you are prolific traveler and photographer would love to see a blog post on traveling with expensive camera gear in India. Kinda tips, suggestions & experiences.
I usually do carry expensive photography equipment with me during my journeys. My digital SLR costs a lot of money and so do my lenses. Since I spend a lot of time taking pictures of a variety of subjects from monuments to landscapes to birds, I tend to carry at least 2 lenses, sometimes more. If I am likely to stay at one place for a long time, I also pack my laptop, which allows me to work on the move. Together, they are expensive enough that I can’t afford not to be paranoid about loosing them. Yet, with photography being one of my greatest passions and my livelihood partially depending on it, I can’t imagine leaving home without them. Naturally I always keep an eye at my equipment and ensure that it never leaves my hand during the journey. Here is how I care for my camera gear when I travel.
By Bus. I often make overnight bus journeys if I am going somewhere within 8-12 hours distance from Bangalore. I can’t sleep in a bus, so I don’t really require maximum comfort. Instead of keeping my camera bag on the luggage rack above the seat or in the luggage box, I keep it on my lap through the journey. If I get down when the bus stops for a break, I necessarily carry the bag with me. At times when I have a lot of luggage, I split them into two bags and keep all the valuables in one bag which remains on my lap. My legs used to pain a bit after a few hours of keeping the (often heavy) bag on my lap, but now I am so used to it, I feel I am missing something without a bag on the lap.
By Train. Usually my train journeys last longer than a day. Although I have never experienced it myself, I presume theft in long distance trains is fairly common. Like in the bus journeys, I ensure that all my expensive equipment are in one bag and keep it with me all the time. Another risk in train comes during the night. When I drift into sleep at night, someone may flick the bag even if it is right next to me. If possible, I try to stuff the bottom of my bag with some cushioning material (a jacket, shawl or anything possible) and use it as a pillow. If not, I put my arm around a strap and let the bag lie next to me. Let me admit, I am very very paranoid about my luggage during train journeys.
By Air. There is not to much to worry about safety of equipment as long as it is not checked in. No one can steal your bag, open the doors and runaway with the booty! But it is important to take all the equipment in a carry-in baggage, so that they are not mishandled or stolen.
Safety in unknown places. Sometimes it may be a bad idea to walk alone in the middle of the night with a big and obviously expensive looking camera. It pays to ask for advice with your hotel owner, your guide or anyone you know and trust before you head out in an unknown location. I have probably not gone out alone in the night, but many times I find myself in deserted places early in the morning. But such places are usually remote, like a village in the middle of Himalayas, somewhere in a forest where we have camped or some such places where safety is not an issue. But I would be more careful if I were to plan shooting the streets of a city in the middle of the night. It may be a good idea if there are 2-3 people together in such occasions.
Get an Insurance. If your equipment is worth a lakh (Rs.100,000) or two, it would be prudent to spend another thousand rupees to get it insured. While my equipment are insured and I have known a few photographer friends who have done the same, I do not know of any one who has made a claim. If you know of anyone who has claimed insurance for theft or damages to photography equipment, do share the details in the comments. It doesn’t cost much to have them insured. I paid just Rs.800 per lakh for insuring my equipment.
Experiences. Personally I have never lost any equipment due to theft or robbery. But I do know of a friend, a professional photographer, who had all his equipment – a camera and a few lenses – stolen. Obviously it was very painful. He had saved money to buy a car, most of which had to be diverted to buy new equipment. How was it stolen? He had given the bag to a friend to keep it during the bus journey. This friend had kept the bag somewhere in the luggage rack. The bag was missing when they reached the destination.
While I haven’t lost any equipment, I have occasionally seen my equipment getting damaged because of carelessness. I once mounted my camera on a tripod on a rocky shore and turned out to see someone calling. The tripod was not standing firm. Before I knew I heard a thud. The tripod was on the ground and my camera’s LCD was broken. Thankfully it did not fall with lens facing down, which would have left me a lot more poorer. But I still came home poorer by about Rs.7,000. The camera was insured, but the disorganized person I am, I still need to claim the money.
If you have any tips about safety and caring for your equipment when travelling, do let us know by leaving a comment.
If you have any questions for me on travel photography, you can write to me here.
Hi Arun,
Thanks for taking the time to write the above post.A tip that I learnt from a friend while in Barcelona (theft is very common, especially from tourists) is to avoid displaying brand names. We generally used third party camera straps with no nikon,sony or canon names on them or used a black tape to hide them.Also our bags also did not look like specially designed camera bags, rather normal backpacks.
Thats very interesting, Bala. I have always used a simple backpack to carry the camera. But that’s because I find it convenient, never thought it would serve another purpose!
Very detailed and useful information.
One big problem i face with SLR camera is during treks. In addition of adding weight, the chances of falling are also high(Especially while crossing streams).
In fact, my camera and lens got damaged during a trek in Western ghats.
Very informative post indeed. I did not even know that camera can be insured! Might think about it at some point. Any more info. on how one can go about it?
And I had the same problem like Aravind above. Slipped and fell in a stream along with my bag. Lens mount got damaged and is basically useless. Camera body is fine though thankfully.
Hey Arun very informative! Thanks for sharing the info.
Great post, Arun. Remember? Some time ago I had asked you how you would safely carry money with you when you travel…. What’s the threat level of getting bullied by thugs or rowdies? Have you heard of any such incidents?
Talking about insurance, what insurance is the recommended one for camera equipment in India? I am planning to go on a field trip when I visit India next time.
You know what? India is a very safe country for solo travelers overall. I share your paranoia regarding protecting your equipment, and the train thing is what I always do. There’s also the waist money belt for passport and other important documents that will get you out of the country in case of emergencies.