Photography Workflow for Travel: A Guide for Going Light

When you’re traveling, capturing the essence of a place through photography can be both exhilarating and challenging, especially if you’re trying to maintain a minimal setup. Having recently navigated the complexities of mobile photography and compact cameras, I’ve learned the value of adapting a streamlined workflow for capturing, editing, and sharing images on the go.

Going Light: Mobile and Compact Camera vs. Full DSLR Setup

For many travellers, the decision between going light with a mobile phone and compact camera versus bringing a full DSLR setup with multiple lenses and a travel tripod is crucial. Here’s how I see the difference:

• Mobile & Compact Camera: With a mobile phone like the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra and a compact camera like the Canon G5X, you have the advantage of flexibility and lightness. Transitioning between street photography and casual landscapes is much easier when you’re not weighed down by heavy gear. Shooting directly in RAW on a mobile phone offers great control for editing, and apps like Lightroom allow you to tweak settings on the fly. Compact cameras, while offering better image quality, sometimes pose issues syncing with mobile devices, as I experienced, but they’re still more manageable compared to DSLRs.
• DSLR & Multi-lens Setup: Carrying a DSLR with multiple lenses offers more precision and creative control, especially for landscapes and low-light situations. A DLSR or Mirrorless camera is more tactile and ergonomic becoming an extension of your body. But the trade-off is the weight and bulk, which can be limiting when traveling in hot, sweaty environments where quick, spontaneous shots are needed. Add to that the hassle of managing extra gear like a full-sized tripod, a laptop for editing and you start to feel the drag of your gear affecting your shooting rhythm.

In my experience, especially when dealing with extreme heat or busy streets, a mobile setup is far more practical. A mini tripod can help stabilize shots, though it doesn’t offer the same flexibility as a full-sized one. Still, it’s enough to capture spontaneous moments while traveling.

Adapting Your Workflow on the Road

A key challenge in mobile photography is workflow adaptation, especially when trying to balance between different devices like a compact camera and a mobile phone. Here are a few lessons I learned:

1. Backup Workflow for Canon G5X

For photos taken with my Canon G5X, backing them up while traveling posed a challenge. Since these photos are stored on external SD cards, I manually copy them to an external USB drive using my mobile device or tablet. This ensures I have a physical backup of the RAW files while on the road, which is critical given that these high-quality images often take up significant space.

Additionally, I also upload these RAW files to Google Drive as an extra cloud backup, but this process can be slow, particularly with large files and limited Wi-Fi speeds. To streamline this, I make sure Google Drive is set to unrestricted battery usage on my phone to prevent uploads from being interrupted when the screen times out.

Once the photos are backed up, I use Photo Mate R3 to browse and select the best shots from my external storage. Since Lightroom Mobile doesn’t natively support browsing external drives, I manually add these selected RAW images to Lightroom for editing.

Tip: If you’re shooting RAW with an external camera, ensure you have a system for backing up your files, both physically and in the cloud, to avoid losing any data while on the road.

2. Mobile Phone Backup with Google Photos

When it comes to mobile photography, things are much more streamlined. I rely on Google Photos for automatic backups of all images taken with my Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra. With a 2TB Google Storage plan, every photo, including RAW images, is backed up in real-time as soon as I’m connected to Wi-Fi (or mobile data if I choose). Google Drive uses this same storage plan too for backing up external files.

While Google Photos is great for storage and quick access, it doesn’t support direct RAW editing. However, it does offer an easy workflow by allowing you to link RAW files to Lightroom Mobile. When I need to edit a RAW photo, I simply select edit in Google Photos, and it automatically opens the image in Lightroom Mobile. This seamless integration allows me to maintain my backup system in Google Photos while using Lightroom’s powerful editing tools for more refined adjustments.

Once in Lightroom Mobile, I can take advantage of its advanced editing features—like masking, color grading, and healing brushes—to fine-tune my RAW photos to a professional level. This workflow allows me to combine the best of both worlds: Google Photos for effortless backup and organization, and Lightroom Mobile for powerful, desktop-like editing on the go. Its the first time I have used Lightroom mobile in anger and really impressed with it.

Tip: Make sure Google Photos is set to automatically back up your images over Wi-Fi to avoid eating into your data plan, and if you’re shooting RAW on mobile, link the files directly to Lightroom Mobile for editing.

The Power of Computational Photography and Pixel Binning

One of the most exciting developments in mobile photography, especially on flagship phones like the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra, is the use of computational photography and pixel binning to enhance image quality.

1. Computational Photography

Computational photography compensates for the smaller sensor and lens limitations of mobile phones. Using apps like Samsung’s Expert RAW, you can take advantage of multiple frames captured at different exposures and automatically merge them into a single 16-bit DNG file. This blending process results in photos with greater dynamic range and detail, especially in challenging lighting conditions like sunsets or low-light street scenes.

The camera’s built-in algorithms process these images in the background, which is particularly useful for travelers who want quick, high-quality shots without needing to adjust settings manually. This computational power can also come in handy when shooting night photography or HDR scenes, where the phone combines multiple exposures to create a balanced final image. The above photo shot on my mobile phone was on a mini tripod and at base ISO. The quality parallels that of my DLSR.

2. Pixel Binning for Better Low-light Shots

The Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra offers 50MP and 12MP shooting modes, but in low-light environments, shooting at 12MP using pixel binning is often the better choice. Pixel binning combines data from multiple pixels into one larger, more light-sensitive pixel, resulting in clearer images with less noise in low light.

While 50MP gives you high resolution for detail-heavy shots, it can struggle in dim lighting. The 12MP binning mode is a great way to capture vibrant images without needing a full tripod setup. You get a higher dynamic range and better clarity in difficult conditions, all while keeping file sizes more manageable for quick editing and sharing.

Tip: Use the 12MP mode when shooting street photography or during night scenes to reduce noise and improve image quality. Save the 50MP mode for well-lit environments or when you need extra detail for landscapes or architectural shots.

Environmental Challenges: Heat, Sweat, and People

While traveling, especially in hot and humid environments like Southeast Asia, the physical environment affects your photography workflow:

• Heat & Sweat: Changing settings on your camera or mobile can become difficult when your hands are sweaty, making touchscreens unresponsive or imprecise. This was a constant issue for me, especially when trying to adjust focus points on my Canon G5X or manage delicate settings in the mobile apps. Tip: A cooling towel can help with grip and prevent sweat from ruining those critical moments. Also, consider using physical controls whenever possible (such as a camera’s d-pad for focus).
• People & Crowds: Street photography is challenging, especially when you’re introverted or trying to avoid crowded tourist areas. I’ve found that while my compact camera was great for candid street shots, it was often easier to be discreet and spontaneous using just my mobile. The mobile setup allowed me to shoot quickly without drawing much attention.Street photography tip: When the heat and crowds make it hard to stay motivated, focus on smaller, quieter moments—like alleyways or reflections after a rainstorm. Capturing the neon lights and urban decay at night can also bring a different energy to your photos.

Limitations and Workarounds

While mobile setups are great, there are certain limitations:

• HDR & Bracketing: Unlike a DSLR, which easily handles HDR merges, mobile photography is often limited in this regard. While Lightroom mobile has a feature for automatic DNG merges, it doesn’t offer the full power of desktop software. As a workaround, I shoot in Pro Mode and rely on Samsung’s built-in HDR processing, though the results aren’t always as sharp as I’d like.
• Tripod tip: Use a mini tripod for stability during HDR shots or long exposures. In tricky lighting conditions (like lightning photography), you’ll need longer exposure times, but managing this with a mini tripod can be cumbersome. Ideally, a full tripod would help—but that defeats the purpose of traveling light.

Conclusion: Is Mobile Photography Enough?

Ultimately, mobile photography has its strengths and weaknesses. For street photography and spontaneous moments, a mobile phone like the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra can easily replace a compact camera. With the right apps (like Expert RAW for shooting and Lightroom Mobile for editing), you can shoot and edit on the go. The addition of computational photography and pixel binning on modern phones elevates mobile photography to a level that rivals traditional cameras in many scenarios.

However, for more complex shots—like HDR, low-light scenes, or long exposures—you may still feel limited compared to a full DSLR setup. That said, the flexibility of traveling light with just a mobile and compact camera is hard to beat.

In today’s world, you simply can’t ignore mobile photography anymore. Your mobile phone is no longer just a secondary device—it’s an essential tool in your camera bag, sometimes even the best camera is the one you have on you. Whether you’re capturing quick street scenes, practicing landscape shots, or working with tricky light, mobile photography offers convenience, power, and a level of quality that makes it a reliable option for any traveler.