The Masterclasses by National Geographic Traveller (UK) returned this week with a series of one-hour writing and photography sessions.

After discussing how to get started as a travel photographer on day one, the focus yesterday evening turned to the perfect travel photography kit.

Moderated by UK-based photographer Greg Funnell, our panel of experienced photographers covered everything from the best camera bodies and lenses for travel to the practicalities of taking your gear on the road.

Here are three tips shared during the session:

• Giulia Verdinelli, a food and travel photographer, described how travelling with minimal gear could help improve your shots. “[Travelling light] makes me a better photographer because it brings creative challenges,” she said. “This constraint helps you to think outside the box and might help you tell a better story.”
• Tom Parker, whose work has taken him to nearly 90 countries, shared his expert advice on taking your kit through airports. “There will be different experiences at each airport,” he explained. “As a rule, I try to get somewhere as early as possible — check-in staff will be more relaxed. As photographers, we tend to have far too much equipment, so try to choose the queue with the friendliest-looking person, who might be more tolerant to your demands.”
• When it comes to camera bags, photographer Tanveer Badal talked about why subtlety is key to blending in. “All of my gear fits into one backpack,” he said. “It doesn’t look like a camera bag, which is the goal — I like to blend in. At times, I’ll be in places such as markets or public squares and I don’t want to seem like a photographer.”

Tickets are still available for the remaining sessions. Click here to learn more and here to buy tickets.