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As a professional photographer, my camera is really important to me. Without it, I cannot do my job. It goes without saying that I am very, very careful where I take it for personal reasons. For example, when we went to the beach in 2020, I had just purchased a brand new Sony A7iii. There was no way on Earth I was about to take it out in the sand. My baby was only 4 months old at the time. I knew no matter how careful or prepared I was, it was an accident waiting to happen. Water, sand, a 4 month, a 5-year-old, and a brand new camera that I needed for sessions when I got home… What could go wrong? Instead, I decided to take my “vlogging camera” Sony RX 100 V which is pretty much a fancy point-and-shoot. And my, oh, my, and I glad I did. There were so many bonuses to take the point-and-shoot camera that I would have never even considered. In this post, I am going to give you my #1 travel hack for photos- which is to take a point-and-shoot. But not just ANY point and shoot. Keep reading…

Size

First off, this camera can fit in your pocket. Y’all, I’m not a very big human- if it can fit in my pocket, it can fit in anyone. It’s not much bigger than my iPhone – it’s 4in wide, 2.3in height, and 1.6in depth.  This was especially helpful at the beach, because we had all the things! You know how it is. To have a heavy camera around my neck or in my hand with a 4-month-old was simply not an option. To have it in my pocket or in a bag when I wasn’t using it (and know it was perfectly safe) was HUGE.

Lightweight

Cameras are heavy! This is not an issue when I am home taking pictures of my boy or taking pictures of my clients. But when I am taking photos and also walking a whole lot, a DSLR or mirrorless camera can get very uncomfortable. As a mom of littles, I am constantly needing to run to grab my kids before they throw themselves in the water, run into a wall, or almost trip over something. Being weighed down makes it very hard to “mommy” especially while on a hike or on vacation. My Sony weighs a whopping .6 pounds.

Manual Mode

The reason my Sony RX100V is the perfect camera to travel with is that it can shoot in manual mode and has all the other features I mentioned above. This allows me to have full control of how I want my photos to look. Not all point and shoot cameras have this function but many do. If you are considering purchasing a point-and-shoot camera, I highly recommend you get one that you can shoot in manual mode. DISCLAIMER: This camera is NOT a good camera to learn how to shoot manual mode on. The functions are not as user-friendly as a DSLR or a mirrorless camera. However, if you know how to shoot in manual make sure you get a point-and-shoot that has that function. 🚨 🚨  Free class alert! Want to learn to shoot in manual mode? Sign up for my free training here!

Has a Wide Zoom Range

You cannot change out the lenses on a point-and-shoot camera. Therefore, you need to find a camera that has a wide range of focal lengths. In normal terms, this gives you the ability to take great images in tight spots (for example, indoors) and zoom in for a closer shot. You want a wide range here, because you are stuck with this! I love that my Sony RX100 V is a 24-70mm. Great wide and close-up focal length.

So, there you have! My #1 travel hack for photos is to take a point-and-shoot camera if you know that you will have your hands full. A point-and-shoot is lightweight, can fit in your pocket, and has a wide zoom range. Just make sure you purchase one that can shoot in manual mode!