Stefano Malachi, a UK-based Indonesian influencer, has spent more than 10 years packing his camera bag for trips local and abroad. From simply photographing at local restaurants to luxurious resorts, Stefano always brings a dedicated bag just for his camera gears. We asked London’s Top Trip Advisor Contributor @stefanomalachi for his camera gears and how he utilizes them to create the best Instagram content.
What to pack in your camera bag?
My first thought is to make a list of what content you would like to create, and the location, yeah I will start from there. Obviously a camera! It really depends on the content, if it’s just going to a local restaurant then I will take my Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra and my Canon EOS 77D. But when am traveling abroad to create content for luxurious hotels and resorts, then I will have those plus my Insta 360 Camera, drone, and all the accessories including extra batteries!
What lenses to pack?
If I go to a local restaurant for food photography then I am using my Canon EF 50mm f/1.2 USM Lens, which I know it cost £1,500 so I have to be extra careful, but hey it generates amazing photo! This lens definitely captures all the details on the object, especially for food! This lens never goes wrong and if you are a foodie or professional food photographer, I truly recommend them! When am traveling abroad then I will bring an additional standard zoom lens which is Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8L II USM Lens, it has a higher price tag of around £2,000 but again it’s totally worth it! This can cover most situations including interior photography. These two lenses are my favorite! Both are professional L-Series Lens, I love them so much and I can’t live without them!
Do you pack Tripod or not?
Am afraid a tripod isn’t really my thing but I do always bring my gimbal DJI OM4 which could be a tripod for my phone camera. But for DSLR am okay with just my hands!
How about a 360 camera and drone?
Well am using Insta 360 One R for less than a year, I should say I really love it especially for Instagram Reels! It’s like extra content that you want to have for your coverage, so I truly recommend you to have one! For Drone is a massive YES when you are traveling! Am from Indonesia and I will truly recommend you to bring your drone when you visit Indonesia, not just Bali but Lombok, Komodo Island, Gili Island, Sumba. Since am using DJI Mini 2, I will recommend packing extra batteries too because you will need them the most! Of course, you need to always double-check the country’s drone law since some countries might have some sort of limitations about how you fly a drone there.
Anything else?
Oh, there’s always more than the camera! Two essential accessories I recommend are battery power and a couple of memory cards. Extra batteries are very important, you don’t wanna suddenly stop shooting because running out of power, so I will suggest bringing at least 3 extra batteries for each camera, and yes make sure that they are always fully charged before you start shooting! For memory card, I love 256GB capacity for my Drone and another one for my Insta360 camera. For my DSLR, I pack a quartet of 64GB and another 32GB memory cards. This gives me enough space so that I don’t have to download and back up every night. When shooting for hotels and resorts, I often start early for sunrises and finish late for nightlife shots – so I don’t have time to download and back up, and will just proceed with different memory cards for the next day until they are full.
Today Stefano Malachi has taken the social media game to the next level, and everyone keeps inspired by his work as a credible source of food and travel recommendations.
For collaborations and to get more inspiration from Stefano Malachi and to know more about him, follow him on his Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/stefanomalachi/
This is a Contributor Post. Opinions expressed here are opinions of the Contributor. Influencive does not endorse or review brands mentioned; does not and cannot investigate relationships with brands, products, and people mentioned and is up to the Contributor to disclose. Contributors, amongst other accounts and articles may be professional fee-based.