Complex sentence: He journeyed to the Middle East on three occasions, starting with a trip to Egypt in 1856, bearing with him very large cameras (16 "x 20") and using the collodion process, a major technical achievement in hot and dusty conditions.
Split into simpler sentences: He journeyed to the Middle East on three occasions, the first of which was a trip to Egypt in 1856 with very large cameras (16 "x 20"). He used the collodion process, a major technical achievement in hot and dusty conditions.