How I plan and shoot my blog posts when I travel

Hair Romance x Olympus collaboration

One thing I love about blogging is it gives you the freedom to move away from your desk. As long as I have my laptop, my Olympus camera and a wifi connection, I can work pretty much anywhere.

As I write this, I’m sitting in my friend Clare’s house in the English countryside. It’s so amazing to be able to do my work here at her kitchen table and enjoy her company. I feel so lucky to be able to spend time with her – and that’s all thanks to the flexibility my job has given me.

However, as good as it sounds, it’s not as easy as it looks to blog from anywhere. When you’re not staying at your lovely friends’ house, things like poor wifi coverage, limited access to power supplies, your technology ‘taking a holiday’ and data storage can all play havoc with working on the go.

Here are some tips on planning and shooting my blog posts when I travel that I’ve learnt the hard way.

What to do before you travel

• Get organised

Create a list of everything you use for your blog and work out how you can create a mini kit you can travel with. For example, I have a lightweight tripod that packs away small for travelling instead of my regular, heavy tripod. I also pack a small kit of all my hair products and accessories.

• Plan your editorial calendar

To create more time while you’re away, plan and shoot some blog posts before you go. I shot several videos ahead of time, and you can see how I shoot YouTube videos here.

You don’t have to be too strict with your editorial calendar. I like to leave space to create new content while I am travelling so I can fit in stories that inspire me along the way.

• Make a backup

The most important step! Make a full backup of your computer and phone before you go. I take a clone drive of all my photos away with me and leave the original in a safe place at home. This way I can keep working without worrying about losing my files.

If you have cloud storage, you can also put a backup there for safekeeping. You can never have too many copies of your work.

My travel blogging must-haves

While you’ve seen behind the scenes in my home office studio, what I pack in my travel bag are the true basics of what I need to blog on the road.

I try and pack light (try being the operative word!) and I like to fit all of my important gear in my carry-on tote bag.

• My laptop

A blogging essential. I have a MacAir and I carry an external hard drive.

• My Olympus OM-D E-M5 Mark II camera

This camera lifted my entire blogging game. I love my Olympus OM-D E-M5 Mark II camera because it’s fantastic for video, low light shooting and every situation in between. Plus it’s gorgeous and fits in my handbag so I don’t look like a big tourist.

• My camera lenses

My two favourite lenses are the M.Zuiko 12-40m f2.8 zoom lens and the M.Zuiko 25mm f1.8 prime lens.

• Travel tripod

Instead of my heavy Manfrotto tripod that I use at home, I take the Sirui T-025X Carbon Fibre tripod, which is lightweight but strong enough to hold my camera even with the larger lens.

• A remote control

Unfortunately I can’t pack my Olympus foot pedal when I travel and I miss it a lot, but my phone does turn into a remote control. The Olympus OI Share app is incredible for controlling my camera remotely so that I can still take tutorial photos on the road.
It also has an internal wifi connection, which allows me to transfer photos from my camera to my phone immediately so I can edit and share them on the go.

• Spare camera battery and extra memory cards

There’s nothing worse than running out of power or space when you are on the road, so always take more than you think you need.

Plus preparing for the worst means it’s less likely to happen; you don’t want to be marooned with a corrupted memory card or dead battery.

Blogging on the road

You have to improvise when it comes to backdrops on the road. I can spot good light a mile away and I like shooting on a clean wall to give that studio feel.

You can also have fun with your backdrops when you’re travelling – though I wish I had a pink wall like this at home.

I’m lucky to also be travelling with Jim and his Olympus OM-D E-M1 camera and his kit lens plus the 45mm f1.8 prime lens. I steal his 45mm sometimes because it’s so beautiful.

It’s great to be able to share lenses between our cameras as well. That’s the beauty of having the same Olympus family of cameras while we travel. This kit is so easy to take with you anywhere you go. It fits inside my handbag so that I can always have it with me. This really adds to how mobile my office can be.

One lesson I learnt the hard way was to slow down. I suffer from FOMO and when we are travelling to lots of new places, I fall behind in my work. Scheduling time for work means that you can relax and enjoy your travels for the rest of the time.

Let’s chat live

You can find lots of travel inspiration over on the Olympus Instagram account and follow #olympusinspired. You can also head over to Mr & Mrs Romance to see more of my travels.

Have you got any questions about how I blog on the road?

Let me know – I’ll be holding a special Facebook live on Thursday 12th October at 8pm (Sydney time) so we can chat all about what it’s like to really work from the road. Looking forward to chatting with you then!

The post How I plan and shoot my blog posts when I travel appeared first on Hair Romance.

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