Sabrina Henry, from Craft and Vision, contacted me earlier this week searching for a blog post about cycling and photography. It was the exact motivation I needed to write an article for both her readers and mine. I hope it encourages you to leave the car in the driveway and get out to explore on two un-motorized wheels.

Camera gear is heavy. The moment a packing list includes a dSLR camera, several lenses, flash, tripod, and related accessories like a laptop, external hard drives, and audio recorder, the luggage tends to weigh too much. Most photographers can deal with this, as they are usually traveling between shoots in a car, but that has never really been my style. In fact, I haven’t owned a car since I’ve become a photographer. Apart from the obvious correlation between my photography earnings and high car prices, the decision is actually a personal preference that I’ve been able to manage quite nicely.

In the past 2 years, I’ve logged thousands of kilometers on my bike and I’ve carried my photography gear the entire time. I shot sporting events and newspaper assignments in Victoria, British Columbia, pleased commercial clients in Vineyards near Mendoza, Argentina, and completed a two-month cycle tour through Patagonia. Check out my Cycling Patagonia photo essay on Matador Trips.

Thankfully, a little creative design, determination, and good luck have made my cycling photography career possible. Here’s a quick guide to transform your bikes into a photographer’s best friend.

Selecting And Modifying a Bike for a Photographer:

While nearly any bike will work, some are undoubtedly better than others. Forget performance for strength and durability. An aluminum road bike is great, but a steel-frame touring bike would be better. A mountain bike is a good middle ground. No matter the ride, a few modifications will need to be made.

A rear rack is a definite necessity. Without one, you’ll be forced to carry the weight in either a backpack or waist pack. No matter the situation, camera gear must be kept clean and dry. On a bicycle, vibration is also an important consideration. Modern digital equipment is fabulous, but it’s also much more technologically fragile than the manual film cameras of yesteryear. Any of these three methods work great for their intended use:

• For daily city use, purchase both the Ortlieb Rack Adaptor and Ortlieb Basket Adaptor to attach a lightweight wire basket to the top of the rear rack. Drop your camera bag in the basket while you ride. Once at your destination, lock the bike up and grab your equipment just like any other photographer.
• For mid-range trips, buy a pair of waterproof panniers. Stack your gear safely in one bag and balance the bike by stacking some camera equipment and clothing on the other side. Make sure that the camera gear is padded; vibration reducing foam works great, but t-shirts or socks work in a pinch. Depending on the additional equipment, you might need a front rack and two more panniers to manage all the extra travel equipment.
• For long tours, use the same Ortlieb Bracket but replace the basket with a modified Pelican Box. They can withstand any weather situation and the foam provides great protection against rattles, vibrations, and crashes. Unfortunately, it isn’t very convenient when off the bike, but that is secondary to protection during long trips.

Over the past few years, I’ve bounced back and forth between these three different packing methods on my Surly Long Haul Trucker. Each works great for their intended use and I would recommend them to anyone. If using the wire basket, it is very important to use a good brand of camera bag because it is providing the only protection to your equipment. Personally, I love Lowe-Pro bags because they come with lots of padding and most have a built-in rain cover. There are other great brands, but don’t sacrifice protection to save a few dollars.

There are no right and wrong answers for what to carry and what to leave at home, but if you’re carrying too much camera gear on a bike it will quickly become a burden. It’s important to take a few moments to really confirm what you need and what you merely want to carry. For a recent cycle touring trip through Patagonia, I carried the following gear:

• Nikon D300 camera body, with battery grip
• 3 lenses: Nikon 17-55mm f/2.8, Nikon 50mm f/1.8, and Nikon 70-200 f/2.8
• Nikon SB-800 Speed light
• ZOOM H2 Digital recorder
• Manfrotto Tripod
• 5 other accessories travel photographers should carry

Anyone who is familiar with my usual camera bag contents will realize I didn’t leave much behind. In hindsight, I could have left the 50mm prime, Zoom H2 recorder, SB-800 speed light, and the battery grip at home. That is a major weight savings, but I didn’t take the time to plan things properly. Follow this three-step list to avoid making the same mistake:

• Layout all of the available photography gear at home
• Make a detailed shots list of intended cycle-based photography subjects. The more detailed the list, the easier it is to prepare and pack.Avoid listing subjects that might be found and really concentrate on the intended photographic goals of the trip.
• Using the list as reference, ruthlessly remove any unneeded gear and keep a keen eye out for redundancies. Every piece of equipment adds weight, no matter its size.

Related posts:

1. Gear: What’s In My Camera Bag?
2. From the Archives: Jose Lazaro
3. Hey Mom, Here’s My Wish List
4. From The Archives: Autumn Riding

Tags | adventure, adventure photography, bicycle, combined cycle, combining, cycle tour, cycling, green vehicles, mountain bikes, nikon, pannier, photographer, photography career, photography gear, Photography Links, quick guide, recreation, touring bicycle