The travel photographer's checklist: 14 items to check-off before you leave

Before leaving on a trip, photographers need to prepare themselves and their gear so they'll be ready to shoot upon arrival and get quality images.

There is much that can go wrong that might end one's chance to take advantage of a great travel photo opportunity. It's impossible to predict everything, but research and a flexible plan to handle many if not most emergencies and gear failures can help you overcome problems.

I start to plan my journeys a month out, but my planning gets intense the week before I leave and with 24 hours to go. When planning is well thought out, pulling everything together before you leave should go smoothly.

Here are my 16 items to check-off before you leave on your travel photography journey.

Ned's top 7 tips to be prepared for cold weather photography

Winter arrives this week in the northern hemisphere. Parts of the U.S. have already had snow and frigid temperatures. Too many travelers put their cameras away in winter climates, missing great photo opportunities.

Shooting in frosty weather has challenges of fast power loss, mechanical parts freezing and sometimes breaking, LCDs not functioning and travelers' clothing not giving needed protection.

Cameras manufactured today have temperature specifications of about 32°F-104°F (0°C-40°C). If ambient temperatures are in or near that range, you're okay. In fact, I've found that most cameras and lenses have few if any problems, other than power, at temperatures down to 0°F (-18°C), at which the battery will run out of power quickly. If you warm the battery you will regain some of its power.

Below 0°F (-18°C), especially if there is a wind dropping the "wind chill factor," things can quickly get dicey.