Travelling with a Camera?

There is always an element of risk. The bigger issue is how does he handle the backpack? When in crowd situations - bus, subway, the backpack should be off his back and on the floor away from eager hands. When he puts it down, it needs to be secure to something - at least a strap around a chair rung. Just exercise reasonable caution.

We've not traveled to Italy since 2000 (but we'll be in Rome and Siena in the late fall of this year), but we traveled to fairly thief-heavy Barcelona in 2009. At least in the larger cities, e.g., Florence and Venice, a certain amount of reasonable care and alert observation is good. Rick Steves has good advice about always being aware of Gypsies and pickpockets. I think most traveling photographers would agree that a backpack or a "fannypack" is probably the last place you want to keep a camera, especially an expensive DSLR or film camera. One is very vulnerable to thieves at the back, so I recommend a shoulder or belt bag in which he can keep his camera in front of him. When he's not actually taking pictures, it's a good idea to reverse the bag so that any openable flap is against his body. Unfortunately, professional thieves easily recognize most camera bags so there are differing opinions on how to offset this reality (unobtrusive, non-"photo equipment-appearing bags; the PacSafe bags, etc). Assuming he's shooting with digital equipment, it's a good idea to remove the digital card from the camera when the card is filled or not in use (some folks have lost cameras, but saved most of their images). If the camera and lens(es) is(are costly to replace, you might consider a rider to your homeowner's or renter's policy to specifically cover that equipment (you'd need the serial numbers and original receipts ).

Hi Cindy,
Both my husband and I travel with a mid-sized DSLR & 2 lenses, a flash unit, etc. We each have a medium-sized photography backpack and I wouldn't travel without it. The weight of all the gear I mentioned (plus a guidebook, maps, etc.) really adds up and I like using a backpack because it evenly distributes the weight across my back. I have traveled in previous years with a shoulder camera bag and didn't like it because the weight was not balanced. I personally would not worry about your husband using a backpack as long as you exercise good judgement. 80% of the time my camera was around my neck though & not in my backpack. We were in all the areas you mentioned and I exercised prudent judgement everywhere but never felt overly concerned. When on a crowded bus or train, I would wear the backpack on my chest in front of me or keep it on my lap with an arm through one of the straps or on the floor with a foot through one of the straps. I also took along a little lock that I could put through the zipper pulls for extra security but I never really felt the need to lock it. If we were in a crowded area we made sure to keep our eyes on each other's backpacks. When sitting at a restaurant, we kept our backpacks at our feet under the table with at least one leg through the straps. I've never felt that my safety was threatened anywhere in Italy so I employ the same habits in Italy as I do when I go to downtown L.A., Manhattan, etc. Don't be overly concerned; just exercise the same caution that you would anywhere else. Have a wonderful trip.

Sheron - thanks, I was born and raised in NYC and consider myself very street smart, but when I read these posts about all the pickpocketing, I start to wonder. I am sure we will be fine, and as another person responded, we will definitely take our photo cards out so that we don't lose the pictures themselves. I am always very aware of my surroundings, as is my husband - but part of the joy of the trip will be the photos!

Cindy, As the others have said, you shouldn't have any problems if you exercise some caution. One comment though - having a Camera in a Backpack is somewhat of an awkward arrangement, as he'll need to remove the Backpack, possibly unlock it and retrieve the Camera and switch it on each time he wants to take a picture. For me that would be a darn nuisance! I carry my Camera in the open most of the time. Happy travels!

Has he considered the new sling bags? They are kind of a hybrid between a shoulder bag and backpack. You can keep it in front, side or back. Venice, Florence and Siena are safer than Rome but still best to watch out in crowded areas. I'm off to the same places next week. I use a shoulder bag for everyday carrying my cameras and rolling bag for transport place to place.

One easy safety feature is a simple luggage combo lock for the zipper on the backpack (assuming that it has holes for it). Just move the combo one number off to make it easy to open. The idea is to make it tough for someone else to quickly open the pack in a crowd. When you're not wearing it keep it in front of you. When you're sitting put one of the straps under your chair leg. I've used these methods in big cities on many trips and have never had a problem. You didn't ask, but here is another technique that I've found useful. A shirt with a breast pocket that fastens/buttons is a great place to keep a credit card and some cash. That way you don't really need to deal with the hassle of opening your money belt during the day. Good luck.

I have a good dslr that I keep in my shoulder bag. I take it out when I know that I want to take one or more good shots, otherwise, it stays invisible. For quicky photos, I use my iPhone, which works just fine for snapshots. For the dslr shots I back up every evening over drinks each evening. I put a copy on my laptop and burn another copy onto a DVD and I keep the originals on the card. When the card fills up, I start a new card. I keep all three copies in separate bags coming home. Also, when I shoot something (like a door, or a non-famous street) I make a voice memo in the phone when I shoot, telling myself where I am, or I shoot the nearest street sign. So, at home, with the vacation being one big blur in my mind, I can piece each photo day back together again when I catalog the photos.

We just got back from Italy. Brought point & shoot camera, as well as a DSLR. One of us would wear the a messenger bag or backpack, while the other would wear the DSLR camera around their neck. It's the same in all countries - sketchy people are everywhere. Avoid them and be aware. Flip your backpack around or bag to the front when in extremely crowded areas. We asked people who also had fancy cameras to take our picture. And then, only some of them knew how to work it. Point & shoot is easier in this case, also for when it rains.

I have travelled a lot to Italy with lots of camera gear ( http://www.lodgephoto.com/). I typically use a quality (hard wearing) non-descript backpack and just pull out the gear I need for a given situation, then put it back afterwards. Lowepro makes a range of bags called Slingshot that I use. There are various sizes; the medium sized one can carry a pro DSLR with lens attached plus one other lens, a small flash (Canon 430EX size) batteries, memory cards etc: http://products.lowepro.com/product/SlingShot-300-AW,2036,4.htm All have a single strap and so must be worn across your torso (which is better for avoiding theft). The clever bit is that it's designed so you can slide the bag down to your hip and open it sideways. That way you can slide it onto your back for hiking up and down steep hilltown streets, and slide it to be at your side or in front when dodging pick-pockets on the bus/metro. It's also easier to get into (you don't have to take the backpack off to get to your gear). Mathew

Definitely consider one of the slings. Keeping your bag in front of you when moving through crowds will be important. Florence will probably be your main worry, Venice and Siena won't be too bad. Keep your eyes up and use your street smarts, but they shouldn't be as much of a problem. I kept my DSLR in the purse I was already carrying last year, it was a crossbody large purse. Sometimes I had it out on my shoulder at all times, others it was in the bag mostly. I would just avoid your back because it's much harder to know what is going on. And while a lock may help protect your items, thieves are known to cut bags to get into them especially when there are locks. Be careful, don't make yourself look like a target, probably carry your camera on your side or in front of you rather than a backpack and you should have a great experience!