Trip to spain advice

Woodworker wrote in post #16689957
I certainly wouldn't take all that equipment - why not just take what you'd use on a walkabout in your home state.

Also, I wouldn't want to cart a tripod around and you might consider whether you're really likely to need your flash.

I question why you bought the equipment if you leave it at home when you travel to such great locations? I would take all the equipment you could pack with you and take whatever you need for your outing. Just got back from New Orleans and I took my backpack full of photo equipment and I used just about all of it. Early morning shots are much different than day shots which again are much different than evening shots. Landscapes are different than street photos which are different than concerts...so I took everything I could pack.

Why limit yourself?

Hogloff wrote in post #16690051
I question why you bought the equipment if you leave it at home when you travel to such great locations? I would take all the equipment you could pack with you and take whatever you need for your outing. Just got back from New Orleans and I took my backpack full of photo equipment and I used just about all of it. Early morning shots are much different than day shots which again are much different than evening shots. Landscapes are different than street photos which are different than concerts...so I took everything I could pack.

Why limit yourself?

It depends on who you are traveling with and the purpose of the trip. At some point, carrying around a ton of gear and photographing everything in sight becomes a burden for your family and friends.

My goals while traveling:
1. Have a blast with the people I'm with
2. Experience cultures most don't have the opportunity to (a camera can open this up if you know how to use it)
3. Make some epic photos that hold sentimental value to my experiences.

Woodworker wrote in post #16689957
Also, I wouldn't want to cart a tripod around and you might consider whether you're really likely to need your flash.

Good point here by Woodworker...in most museums, like the Prado in Madrid, you are not allowed to use a tripod and only in some of the galleries is flash allowed. Some churches allow tripods and flash. Good idea to practice up on skills of hand holding the camera for lon shutter speeds. A gorilla pod works well straddling the back of a church pew; prop the camera against a pillar, etc.

Staszek wrote in post #16690066
It depends on who you are traveling with and the purpose of the trip. At some point, carrying around a ton of gear and photographing everything in sight becomes a burden for your family and friends.

My goals while traveling:
1. Have a blast with the people I'm with
2. Experience cultures most don't have the opportunity to (a camera can open this up if you know how to use it)
3. Make some epic photos that hold sentimental value to my experiences.

Exactly, a couple years ago when we were traveling, we jumped in a cab to go to dinner and I had this backpack will all my gear, my wife looked down and said "really".....when I got home I bought a s100 for travel, and have since upgraded to a sonyrx100..

Hey, that's why we all have choices.

Staszek wrote in post #16690066
It depends on who you are traveling with and the purpose of the trip. At some point, carrying around a ton of gear and photographing everything in sight becomes a burden for your family and friends.

My goals while traveling:
1. Have a blast with the people I'm with
2. Experience cultures most don't have the opportunity to (a camera can open this up if you know how to use it)
3. Make some epic photos that hold sentimental value to my experiences.

That is why I take as much gear as possible. I don't take all my gear from my accommodations, just what is appropriate for the outing. If the outing is with a bunch of other people and just visiting some sites, I will just take my Fuji X100, but there are opportunities during trips to sneak out say in the early morning to get some wonderful images and this is when I take my tripod with full DSLR system. I never want to be caught short on camera gear if some fantastic image opportunities arise...especially in locations you might never visit again.

My only advice is... enjoy my country (good food, good time, good people)

Unless you are travelling with other photographers, be light, be versatile, but... BE THERE!

A few years ago, I stumbled into the Stuttgart Concourse d' Elegance (antique car show) while visiting relatives in Germany who took us to see the palace of the Prince of Swabia.

Talking about a serendipitous accident. I spent two hours videoing and shooting my P&S. I photographed cars I've only heard about my whole life, I got two fantastic 1/2 hour videos in YouTube which I removed in one of their Music Rights witchhunt for some obscure music (I could appeal but I didn't bother I just stopped using YouTube for my videos).

I missed getting divorced by a hair... My wife, two cousins, one extra wife, a cousin-to-be, were waiting for me for an hour and a half in a very exclusive restaurant being browbeaten by the waiter and the maitre d'...

Bottom line...BE THERE...

Here is a shot from Spain done with the 1 MegaPixel sensor of my 2003 Sony videocamera on a stills mode: