Today’s Post by Joe Farace
“People don’t take trips, trips take people.” – John Steinbeck
As I’ve mentioned before on this blog, if you only learn one new thing from today’s #traveltuesday post, it’s that you should not buy a new camera or lens before leaving for a week-long trek to Chile, the Great Pyramids, or Papua New Guinea. But here’s a few more tips:
Batteries: Remember to bring lots of batteries and don’t forget the battery charger! (and an AC power adapter if you’re leaving the USA.) That happened to me once when I was attending an out-of-town group model shoot and because I luckily ran into a friendly photographer who loaned me his charger was I able to make any images beyond my original charge. It seems like I never learn and when on another trip I forgot my charger and had to purchase one from a local camera store in San Diego. Paid too much. Now I make it practice to keep a charger in all my camera bags for each of the cameras inside.
Memory Cards: Be sure to pack lots of memory cards too. You may be not be able to find an SD card or even a Wal-Mart in the mountains of Chile and you may be surprised to learn that the prices for memory cards in some parts of the world are higher than your local camera or discount store.
Camera Support: Even a small tripod will help you capture sharp images when the light is low but unless you are a die-hard shooter even lightweight carbon fiber models don’t make the best traveling companions. When traveling by car you might want to consider a window clamp tripod, which can be especially useful to keep you from being eaten by lions while on safari.
Camera Bag(s): Equipment protection comes at all levels; soft to hard, metal to plastic, fabric and foam, fabric covered hard shells, plywood laminate with metal corners, vacuum formed ABS and a choice of wheels—or not. Lighter bags—empty or full—make better traveling companions. I’m also a fan of backpacks and even designed one or two back in the day.
How I Made This Shot: The photograph (at right) was made at the Golden Buddha one of three largest statues of its kind in Japan. I couldn’t resist this image of a teacher making a photograph of his class. Camera was a Canon EOS Digital Rebel with EF18-55mm lens at 30mm. Exposure was 1/200th of a second at f/10 in Program mode.
More on Camera Bag tips: Soft camera bags are made from fabric whose fiber thickness and diameter is measured in denier or “D.” The higher the number, the stronger the fabric will be. Most soft-sided luggage, for example, is covered in 400D material.
There are as many ways to packing a camera bag or backpack. The most common mistake is leaving too much space around your gear. Tip: The snugger the fit, the better the protection. And don’t look at any bag as a collection of features. Instead think of it as a system that includes useful add-ons. Many bag makers, such as Billingham and Domke, offers accessory pouches, small bags, wraps and cable organizers. Take advantage of them.
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