I’m about 8 hours away from hopping on a plane to drift around Asia for the next four months and this kind of trip begs for special consideration when it comes to packing. And yes, I’ll spare you the details of how many pairs of underpants I’m taking(it’s 7). Since this is supposed to be a photo blog, this will be about packing up a workable camera kit that isn’t going to weigh a ton or hamper mobility and be relevant for all 4 months.
I guess I should start with a picture. This is everything for 4 months. All of my clothes, all of my malaria pills, all of my camera equipment. Everything.
This OCD tabletop hoarding pile has been the kickoff to every single major trip I’ve taken in the past 10 years. It’s fun, it’s super useful and makes for a cool photo. If you’re heading out on a longer trip that is gear critical with no way of replacing certain key components in the kit, then you really should do this. It lets you quickly visualize everything you’re thinking about taking and then either removing some of it(big fan of that) or adding more(boo).
Camera Bag. If Im shooting a job around town, I dont really mind what my gear goes into. As long as it safely carries stuff from 1 point to the other, Im happy. Long term travelling with a kit is a different matter. You eat and sleep and live with your camera bag. You become one with it. So you better have the right one. For me, its a sling bag. The ability to have my camera on my back and then in my hand in less than 10 seconds is crucial. Plus the platform that a sling bag creates makes changing lenses quicker and safer. The bag becomes a kind of table hanging from your shoulders. This is the bag that I chose for this trip. http://www.kata-bags.us/3n1-25-pl-sling-backpack This has 1 thing going for it that the venerable (and still awesome) LOWEPRO Slingshots did not have; a second strap. You can convert the Kata into a backpack or sling. Very handy on longer hikes and bike rides. Have to say the Kata lacks a little in the comfortableness of its straps compared to the Lowepro. Tradeoffs…
Storage. So easy these days. Between cameras shooting to dual cards, the ridiculous cost of memory cards and portable hard drives, there are no more excuses. 3 copies of EVERYTHING you shoot! One copy on your person at all times, one copy hidden in the middle of your molding underwear ball and one copy wherever you want. For the first time on this trip Im using a camera that shoots to 2 separate cards so the SD cards get full then they get hidden in the underpants. My second backup is a portable hard drive. This stays with me at all times. Third backup is a tiny little netbook that Im going to talk about next.
Computer. This is one of those items that are trip specific. When I went to India I took no computer. I was running considerably lighter on that trip and was focusing more on trying to get sucked into Hindu death cults…For China and the rest of Asia I’m bringing one. One of the deciding factors was the amount of computer they can now cram into something so small. This Acer is tiny, weighs less than 2lbs and can easily handle 5diii files in Lightroom and Photoshop. Also is perfectly capable of doing rough cuts in Premiere Pro. Amazing! For something the size of a trade paperback I can now edit photos in my downtime(bars).
Tripod. I hate travel tripods. They compromise so much to lose the weight and size that they become rickety. Or, they cost $500-$600. No way! I am not a landscape photographer and I’ve been known to just give away tripods while traveling because: “I just cant stand carrying that fucking thing anymore”. So this little beauty was a surprise: http://www.mefoto.com/products/backpacker.aspx It’s small, its light, its not rickety and its a reasonable $140. Sold.
Camera/Lenses. Meh. All I can do here is list what I brought. These choices just come down to what you’re shooting and how you shoot it. 5diii, 16-35mm 2.8, 50mm 1.4, 100mm 2.0. The lenses are all fast glass and the camera is new. Done.
Strobes/Lighting. This trip gets 2 speedlights. I have some ideas on how I want to light one of the projects and this is what I needed. The only interesting thing I can say here is that I found these tiny self erecting tripods http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/739125-REG/Tamrac_TR40401_404_ZIPSHOT_MINI_TRIPOD.html that I am loving for speedlight stands. You can shake one out with one hand and it will make a relatively sturdy base. Enough for a speedlight and pocketwizard. And the things weigh about 12oz! Stick a cold shoe on top and you now have a lightstand.
I think that covers anything interesting I had to say. Heres a rough route for anyone interested. Subject to so much change…
I will be updating here while on the road so keep checking back. And if the site goes down, then you know I’m being held against my will at one of those blue dots on the map.
Peace out!
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