Keeping It Simple - Back To Africa: Getting the Gear There

Previously I declared that I once I got to Africa I would be shooting out of the Domke F-2.  Well, um, maybe.  I had completely forgotten about having to carry a laptop on this trip since I will be there so long.  So now, add a Dell XPS M1330 laptop to the gear needing to be transported.

One option is to carry the laptop in the backpack I will also be carrying in addition to my camera bag.  The problem here is that I hate wearing a laptop, in a backpack, directly against my back or placing the backpack down on the laptop.  Not only is it very uncomfortable, but in my mind I hear the screen snapping in half with each step.

So now the battle begins for what camera bag as a carry-on.  This whole thing is about keeping the gear for this trip as simple as possible.  That would mean just the backpack and the camera bag so I’ll just put the laptop in the Domke.

Apparently, I won’t put the laptop in the Domke.  Coming back into the picture now is the Think Tank Retrospective 20.  Where I live, every flight into and out of home is on a small regional jet.  For the last few years I only travel with bags that I know will fit both under the seat and in the overhead and that includes the Domke F-2, the Retrospective 20, (the Tenba Camera Messenger), and the North Face Surge.

After reading some great stuff on Flying-With-Fish I have adopted a similar approach and the plan for getting gear there is to split the gear in either two Mountainsmith Cube Kits or one Cube and one Think Tank Chimp Cage, placing one in the backpack and one in the camera bag.  

This disperses the weight, gets my travel essentials next to me in the camera bag and leaves room for extra clothes and toiletries in the backpack.  When on a trip like this, you need to be able to carry the stuff you have to have, plus some backup stuff in case you and your checked bag never see each other again.

Not only does the Retrospective 20 easily handle the laptop, but it will also swallow a Mountainsmith Cube Kit, or better yet the Think Tank Chimp Cage, portable hard drive, audio recorder, G12, iPod, glasses, etc.

Now I am re-thinking the shooting bag.  It really doesn't follow my “Keeping It Simple” plan to take one camera bag to get gear there and then another camera bag once there.  As long as I was testing the Retrospective 20 for what is could carry on the plane, I thought why not see what it could handle for shooting out of.

To my surprise, it will hold everything I plan to be carrying each day: 40D w/ 24-105mm f/4 attached (on the left), 7D with 70-200mm f/2.8 IS attached (in the middle), 580 EX II and 10-22mm on the right, PWs and other small accessories in the front.  It even has straps on each side in case I feel I need to take other small modulars for a little more capacity.

I guess it just got simple again, but bad news for the new Domke – it will be staying home.

There is also all of the Think Tank “little stuff” - they go nearly everywhere with me:

Chimp Cage (top left) – This has seen hundreds of different items inside based on the trip

Modular Pouch (bottom left) – where my G12 or PWs live

DSLR battery holder (top middle)

Battery holder (middle)

Camera strap (right) – different colors on different bodies.

Keeping It Simple – Back to Africa: The Shooting Bag – Domke F-2 Two Body Configuration

I like camera bags.

This is about the bag I will be shooting out of in Africa this time and not what bag I will use to get the gear there.  I have a camera backpack, but I never, ever shoot out of it anymore.  I had three primary shoulder bags that are used for completely different reasons.  I have added a fourth and that will be my shooting bag for this trip.

The Crumpler 6 Million Dollar Home  – my wife has stolen that bag from me.

The Tenba Camera Messenger  – up until recently this was my main bag.  It has a good amount of room including lots of little pockets and storage areas, is very durable, and I feel my gear is very safe.  I have been able to get my Dell XPS M1330 in there with a limited shooting kit.  I often take this bag when traveling by air as it goes under every seat of every small regional jet there is.  The only downside for me is that it is a little like carrying an Igloo Playmate cooler.

The Think Tank Retrospective 20  - This is another favorite when traveling by air, but often used more as a briefcase for the laptop, small shooting kit and other travel stuff

The Domke F-2 Ruggedwear Shooter’s Bag  - I decided on this bag for the upcoming trip because it had “Shooter’s Bag” in the name.  Not really.  I picked up a Domke a few years ago and literally said out loud, “Are you kidding me?”  I guess I just didn't get it.  I have changed.  When this arrived, I filled it with gear and placed it on my shoulder and said “Wow!”

When I took it to Seattle a few weeks ago and used it when shooting a wedding, I came back saying “Wow, O’ Wow!”  This is the bag for me.  However, and I must admit, it wasn’t perfect.  For the Africa trip, I am taking two bodies.  I have a different configuration for a one body shoot-out bag.  Neither that nor the above configuration works for a two body shoot-out bag..

Enter Flying With Fish and a great suggestion – the Mountainsmith Kit Cube!  I had previously picked one of these up after reading the Flying With Fish blog.  I also use the Northface Surge backpack, as my briefcase, and the Mountainsmith Cube fits inside perfectly as well.  After reading that other Domke inserts would not provide the two body configuration I was looking for, I thought what about the Cube?

 Canon 7D with 70-200 f/2.8 in front, Canon 40D with 24-105 f/4 in Cube, plus an extra slot.

Remove the Domke insert, replace it with the Cube and not only does it become a two body solution, but I have a nice extra slot for a flash or the ultra wide I am also taking.  I do have to remove the grips, but that makes everything lighter anyway.

For me, this is the perfect solution for 5 weeks of shooting in Tanzania – comfortable, practical and blends into the surroundings better.

Coming soon - How to Get the Gear There.

Keeping It Simple – Back to Africa: Lenses

At the end of Part 1 I promised this post would be about the bag. I got ahead of myself.

On last year’s trip, I took four lenses: 10-22mm, 24-105mm, 50mm, 70-200mm, plus a 1.4x TC.  These items, plus all the other stuff: body, tripod, monopod, flash, triggers, etc. were lugged along, on my person, for 10-12 hours a day, in the backpack and/or the Think Tank modular pouches.  It was heavy, uncomfortable, and little unwieldy and I looked silly for where I was.  For this trip the goal is just two bodies and two lenses.

Using Adobe Bridge filters, I looked at how I used, or if I used the collection of lenses that I took last year.  The Bridge results very interesting.  I realize that the results (left) were a function of what I took, but I still think that is good information.  I had to dig a little deeper into Bridge to see what different focal length range data looked like and then call up a trusty spreadsheet for a little analysis.  It looked to me like I could really get by with the 70-200mm and a new wide telephoto, say in the 15 or 17 to 55 or 85mm.  I never even used the 50mm prime.

Thus began hours and hours of researching a new wide telephoto. Seemingly the answer would be simple, except that a new lens was NOT the only item on my list of other items to acquire.  Add to that the wide cost and quality range of lenses in this category.   This single issue has sucked away more of my time than I even care to admit.  The only wide telephoto that I could possibly afford was going to be the Tamron SP AF 17-50mm f/2.8 XR Di II LD IF or the Sigma AF 17-70mm f/2.8-4 DC HSM OS macro.  The Canon 17-40mm F/4 L USM or Canon EF-S 17-55 f/2.8 IS = too pricey.

I actually used to have the Tamron 17-50mm.  It went to Scotland with me in 2007 and did a fine job.  I sold that lens to my son and he let me borrow it yesterday to shoot around with.  While it was fun to shoot with again, there were some things that I just don’t think are going to work.

• I had forgotten how loud the motor on that lens is.
• In high contrast situations, it never, ever found focus.
• IS can really come in handy in certain situations.

This is not a vacation trip where sometimes convenience can overshadow a little drop in quality.  Not to slam lenses like the Tamron, but the existing stuff is just better than the affordable alternative.

Keeping It Simple - Back to Africa: Planning

(This post is the first of a few to come discussing the upcoming trip to Tanzania for my company’s amazing NPO that empowers students around the world to make clean water available to every other student through the power of a playground.  For more information about the project please visit: www.WaterPowerPeace.org)

Before last year’s trip to Tanzania I spent an immeasurable number of hours trying to figure out exactly what gear to take, how to get it there and how to carry it all with me all day long.  This planning involved gear and review sites on the left monitor – and – spreadsheets for comparing items and organizing ideas on the right monitor.  I have no nearby camera store so everything has to be compared numerically and extensively reviewed.  To see everything I took last year, look back at my old Traveling With Photo Equipment post

Essentially I took all my gear in Think Tank and Lowpro modular pouches, stuffed inside a Mammut Nirvana Pro (35L) technical pack.  Once on location, I swapped out the waist belt with the Think Tank belt and pulled out all the modulars.

What I didn’t like about last year's system was 1) it was too heavy for all day, every day, 2) it was too bulky to toss around, in and out of land rovers, and 3) I looked like I should have been on the sidelines of a game, not in Africa!

For this year’s trip, I really want to keep it simple!  So again, I have spent an immeasurable number of hours trying to figure out exactly what gear to take, how to get it there and how to carry it all with me all day long.

Next post: the camera bag – finally a solution!

Tanzanian Animals

Here are a couple of shoots of indigenous critters from the trip, found at the Tarangire National Park - complete with their Swahili names.

Processing: single image HDR, Gaussian blur + fade, mask critter, levels on background only, b&w, curves, hue/saturation

Tanzania: A World Apart From Here

Tanzania, 2011.  Sunset at Lake Babati

We are back…sort of.   It is impossible to accurately describe this trip or how I feel now after returning home.  It is very hard to re-acclimate back into this life after having an opportunity to be immersed within such an amazing culture as the Tanzanians.  As David duChemin says, coming back to what folks call the “real world” only really means returning to some of the conveniences that we take for granted, such as clean water and no fear of malaria.  This however, isn’t really the real world – it is over there.

Tanzania, 2011.  Students at the Sinai Primary School welcoming us to their school.

The reason for our visit to Babati, Tanzania was work for my company’s non-profit foundation.  In short, during our trip we installed a hand pump on a well that was drilled last year at the Sinai Primary School, repaired the submersible pump at the Waangwaray Primary School, worked with the students at Sinai on reading and speaking English (a requirement for advancement to secondary school), spent a morning taking portraits of every child at the Sinai school, handed out Friendship bracelets and hacky sacks provided by a local high school here, left behind 100 pounds of books and games, met with students at the Kwaangw’ and Singe Secondary Schools and developed goals to accomplish on our next visit – specifically getting water at the Kwaangw’ school.

Here are are some facts about life in Tanzania, Babati and the Sinai Community:

• There are 29 community primary and 3 private schools in Babati.
• Fifty percent of the population is age 15 and under.
• The average number of children per household is 5 – 8.
• Eighty-eight percent of the population lives on less than $2 per day and 50% on less than $1 per day.
• The typical distance walked by students and teachers to get to and from school is 1-4 km for primary students and up to 12km or more for secondary students.

    Tanzania, 2011.  Local Sinai Community children.

Sinai Primary School: 660 students, 7 classrooms, adjacent water (now!), no electricity, no teach housing

Waangwaray Primary School: 400 students, 8 classrooms, library, kindergarten, two teacher houses, adjacent water (now!), electricity

Kwaangw’ Secondary School:  320 students, 11 teachers, 11 classrooms, 3 teacher houses, no water, no electricity, no library, no science laboratories

Tanzania, 2011.  Local Sinai Community rope maker.

On this trip, our team of 6 shot over 7,000 frames,  ate more than our share of rice, mangos, watermelon, cucumbers and tomatoes, developed quite a fondness for Kilimanjaro beer, were some of the last patrons of the now permanently closed “Half London Pub”, and found and purchased the ONLY pair on vice-grips (called grip-pliers) in Babati!

This was unquestionably the most amazing trip of my life and I eagerly look forward to our next visit, soon.

In my next post I will continue discussion of traveling with photo gear and to my gleeful surprise the realization that a Canon 40D with 24-105mm f/4 L lens and remote flash trigger will actually bounce, unscathed, off a concrete floor after falling from a height of 6 feet!

Tanzania, 2011.

Traveling With Photo Equipment – Part 2 – Bag in a Bag

Eight days away and I have to work on editing down the proposed gear list plus figure out exactly how to get it all to the destination. Shown below is the pile of gear I think I am taking as of this second – it will change by tomorrow. I’m sure I will edit the list several more times, especially as I try to get it all the bag.

Photo bags are such personal beasts – I guess that is why there is an endless variety of bags available and new ones come out all of the time. The perfect bag not only has to hold the required gear for the photo session or journey, but it absolutely has to fit your individual workflow. Just like any other photo person, I have several different types of bags for different kinds of trips. When heading out on location in my vehicle, I take huge bags with all the gear I can shove in the car. When having to carry the gear exclusively, sometimes my preference is a Tenba or Crumpler shoulder bag. Other times, and more frequently these days, I love to use Think Tank modular gear and a Pro Speed Belt. These are the trips where I need quick access to gear and things are constantly changing. What is missing from my camera bag arsenal for the most part is a camera backpack. I still have, and probably will never say goodbye to , the trusty Lowepro Mini Trekker. It is a great bag, but anymore it just doesn’t work for me to put the bag down to get out gear, and it doesn’t hold enough of a variety of things for me to be able to travel with it.

For this trip to Tanzania I have many requirements for the perfect bag:

• Can it haul camera gear and personal gear – the 1 carry-on bag allowance problem?
• I don’t want it to scream out “camera bag, camera bag”.
• Can it be used on-location to shoot out of?
• Can it be worn all day long without too much discomfort? There is no place to leave gear back at the hotel or in a vehicle on this trip.

My solution is a two-part one. Shown is all of the gear, nicely packed into a combination of Think Tank and Lowepro modular bags. The body (no grip on this trip) and 24-105mm go into the Think Tank Digital Holster 20 (which can be used on-location to handle the body and any of the lenses I am taking because it zips out to a longer length). The 70-200mm f/2.8 goes into the Lowepro Zoom 2. The Thank Tank Chimp Cage (for now) is holding the 10-22mm, 1.4x Extender, 580 EX II, Omni-bounce, and filter pouches. The G12 goes into the Think Tank Modular Pouch. All the tiny stuff went into the Lowepro pouch. The travel tripod will go into checked baggage. [NOTE: Also shown is the Think Tank Lightning Fast, off to the side. I still haven’t decided if the 50mm is going. If it is, I will move the flash over to this and pack it in with the other lenses. If the 50mm isn’t going, I don’t need this bag. However, it is a great sized bag for holding all sorts of things once there and great to have along. This is obviously something that needs to be sorted out soon.]

Right about now is when you are going to call me either crazy or brilliant, and I figure it is the later. Shown below are several images illustrating where the modular bags are headed and why. Enter the Mammut Nirvana Pro (35L) technical pack. Where do I start on why this is the perfect one bag solution? This is a snow pack. These are a little different than other technical packs and this is why this works for me:

• Camera gear is placed in the back, using the full zippered access and reachable from the top/front of the pack through a different zipper.
• Personal gear like a change of clothes, toiletries, music, phone, glasses, passport, etc. goes in the middle/front section.
• The pack is lightweight, but very durable.
• The pack has a real waist belt and internal frame to help out with the load.
• It has a removable hip belt which could be replaced by the Think Tank Pro Speed Belt. [The existing waist belt has room to accommodate one modular pouch on each side so I can leave the Speed Belt at home if I want and the shoulder straps will help distribute the load.]
• It even has a hydration chamber.
• This thing will even fit under the seat, fully packed, in small Regional Jets.

Do I have to keep going?

For me, this is about as perfect a solution as I can come up with. That however, is all just in theory. We will see as the adventure unfolds. This will be my last post here before the trip. If possible, I will post updates along the way on Twitter. When I return, I will follow up and post info on how it all worked out, exactly what gear I decided on, and what I wish I would have or wouldn’t have taken along!

Traveling With Photo Equipment – Part 1 – What to Take

Let me preface this multi-part series about traveling with photo gear by saying that for the most part, when having to travel for work with photo gear, I typically have the luxury of driving to the site. That means I have no limits on what I can take with me. On a few occasions, I travel by air, but those situations are rare. So, for the most part, I am a nubile when it comes to major travel with photo gear. This fact, however, may be just the reason that you are reading this, as you too may someday be faced with exactly what I am.

Trip: 10 days in Tanzania.
How: 3-4 plane changes and 30 hours in transit
Why: I will need to hand carry all gear (plus personal items) in one carry-on and once on-site I will have to carry everything 24/7 – no opportunity to leave anything back at the hotel
What: I will be documenting work we will be doing for my company’s Foundation: Play For Power

“In February 2011 the well and water distribution system will be installed at the Sinai school in Babati, Tanzania. We will also spend time with students at the Sinai primary school and Kwaang secondary school in Babati Tanzania. We will be commencing the sister school story exchange (writing curriculum), and starting 14 level book circles (reading curriculum), as well as working on other exchanges with the students.”

This first part of the upcoming series is devoted to what to take on the trip. After an insane amount of reading blogs of other traveling photographers and consulting all of my photog friends, I have decided on what gear to take. The list of gear won’t be presented in this installment – sorry, you will have to stay tuned. Instead, I will be sharing how I go about getting ready for packing my equipment.

I guess I should say that during the days, some of work I do for my company is to write code. Lines and lines and more lines of code. It was only natural that I would make use of the required anal nature of code writing and extend it to my photography. I can’t remember why, but I needed to work on something for somebody dealing with MS Excel. When I write code, I always do the preliminary work on some sort of personal project. This provides a great test bed and gives me a real world test of the code. So in this instance I decided to write an Excel Photo Gear packing list. Turns out, it was a great project and I have been using the result for years.

I prefer to be prepared for travel. Okay, I will say it as I know you are thinking it – I prefer to OBSESS about travel. I am not one of those folks that pack at the last minute and in the hour before the flight. Rather, I agonize over what gear to take and how to pack it from the instant I know I am headed somewhere right up to the moment before I need to leave for the airport. I have been wrestling for this trip for over a year. – It sucks to be me! –

Back to the Excel spreadsheet. In the spreadsheet I have a line item for every item of gear in my arsenal. Included are the manufacturer, description, category, quantity, and serial number. Anal yes, but handy for many reasons. When a trip is scheduled, I go to this trusty spreadsheet and begin to select the items I am taking for the trip. When I am done, a handy packing list is ready to be printed out. I print two copies: 1) to go into a file for later reference and 2) one to take with me on the trip. This serves as a list to use to pack, a reference when leaving to make sure I return with all I took, and a list of the equipment and serial numbers of items I am traveling with for customs or in case of loss or theft. In addition, on the packing list I have columns for “Used” or “Not Used”. I typically take more gear than I probably need and by noting if I actually used something I can better refine future packing lists to just the items I know I will use.

Shown in the accompanying image are three pages from the spreadsheet: 1) the page in which I go through and select the items I want to take, 2) the automatic refinement of the list from all items to just what I have selected, and 3) the final packing list for printing.

Maybe a little obsessive, but it works for me.

Coming next: What I am taking and how to pack it!