BTJ – Yellowstone
400,000 & Counting!
My favorite app just announced to me that I’ve just now traveled over 400,000 air miles in the last five years. No wonder my Eagle Creek Duffle looks like hell! All those miles are photographic related, traveling to and from projects with camera gear. If you’re new to traveling with gear, it can be scary and some of the kind words of advice I see, of not much real help. So I thought I’d put out my formula for traveling with gear in the hopes it might give you ideas and confidence. I basically have two modes of traveling with gear and they both depend on the subject of the project. For everything except wildlife, this is what I do.
Depending on the size of the project, I use the Think Tank Airport Security, Int’l or Airstream. All three of these bags are rollers and I use the one that holds the amount of gear needed for the project. Aviation project is always going to be the Airport Security, Landscape will either be the Int’l or Airstream. A number of airlines are now restricting the placement of wheeled bags in the overhead of smaller, commuter flights. This will at times effect which bag I take as the Security won’t fit under the seat where the Airstream will with ease. You can see in the packing video what goes in the carry-on. That means what you don’t see in the video, tripod, chargers, cables and the rest go in the belly of the plane. Yes, there is the real possibility your checked luggage might not show up which is why I always have all batteries charged. Knock on wood but in all my miles, my luggage has never been permanently lost but a couple of times, delayed. (there are packing videos for all my bags on our YouTube channel)
Now when it comes to wildlife (which means the 800mm is going), then the only bag is our MP-1 V2 (re-released this June). My original design, the MP-1 is still the only bag that will hold a large telephoto like the 800mm or 600mm AND fit in the overhead of small commuters jets (pictured here yesterday in CRJ200). This is important because on smaller flights like I mentioned, you can’t take roller bags which means it has to go in the belly. Most photographers freak at this prospect.
The other part of air travel to consider is your boarding. Many photographers on their first trips have either no earned miles or flight priority so have to board near the end. This is typically when all the overhead space is full. While it’s more money, paying the extra when you check in to board early will avoid a lot of the stress in air travel with camera gear. I’ve heard all the horror stories and sure some will have to share theirs with me after reading this post. I’ll knock on wood again because I have none. Boarding a plane with a plan, a smile after proper packing makes travel as stress free as it can be. That makes your photo trip just that much more fun!
OK, So it Sucks
It reminded me of a drug deal. Standing behind a booth at an annual trade show, I handed him the dvds and he gave me cash. This is how for years I delivered and was paid for articles for a European magazine (this was long ago when the images were film based and scanned for delivery). After doing this for a couple of year, I got a call one day from the editor, “what does suck mean?” (with in a very heavy Slavic accent), he was editing my text I’d given him. I said, “Sucks mean that its so bad it has no redeeming value, indescribably bad, not worthy of showing, really bad, stinks and should have never been taken in the first place. It sucks.” After a long pause he said, “sucks … it says a lot!”
OK, so your photo sucks … so what? If you’re being paid a lot of money to create it, you might have an issue but otherwise, really, so what? For a long time, the word sucks was a permanent part of my vocabulary. Why, because it was used to describe my photography. Who said that about my images? Why, I did! It doesn’t take much reading or listening to advice for the self doubt to creep in and instantly, you can’t do anything right and your photos just suck. I still say, so what? If you hadn’t heard, perfection is boring so if you achieve perfection, not only are you boring but you now have no further to go, you’re done! I hear on a nearly daily bases from a photographer who’s peers have said their photograph sucks and they think their world is coming to an end. It’s not! It’s part of the creative process so don’t let it get you down, don’t take those words or the person who said them seriously and get back out shooting. You’re not alone, my photos suck too!
Simple Click – Hoar Creek
Nikon 70-200f4 VR
The 70-200f4VR is a really great lens that I had given a test drive when it first came out. I didn’t acquire it then, had the 70-200f2.8 in my bag and its two unique features weren’t what I needed at the time. Current projects brought it back and this time, into the bag. What are the two special attributes why I wanted this version of 70-200? The real biggie is its closes down to f/32, the f/2.8 version only goes to f/22. Why is that important? In my air to air work and shooting in Shutter Priority, that f/32 really makes a difference. You might be wondering about the other end, wide open? If I need 70f/2.8, I’ll use the 24-70VR otherwise the f/4 is shallow enough DoF for me for this lens. The other biggie for me is it weighs just about nothing. It shares the same tripod collar as the 300PF which is nice but it’s filter size required the purchase of a new polarizer. Its optical performance, ease of handling and light weight, responsiveness make it a favorite of mine.
A2A Workshops 2016
Want to go flying? Better yet, want to photograph another aircraft while you’re flying? It would seem a whole bunch of you want to, so much so we added one more K&M AirAdventure to our 2016 schedule, 11-13 Nov., in Mesa, AZ. How about learning how to work with pilots, finding the aircraft, those dramatic static shots and so much more? We have the perfect adventure for you where this is just the start of your learning process. The K&M AirAdventure (air to air is separate) is like no other with its ground and air instruction providing you the knowledge you need to be out and shoot your own successful photo mission.
In 2016, we’ll be based out of Minot, ND (where video above was filmed) and now again in Mesa, AZ. We’re offering just four AirAdventures in 2016 and ONLY FOUR shooters per Adventure. We can’t add any more so once full, that’s it for this year.
27-29 May – 1 spot
01-03 July – full
09-11 Sept – full
11-13 Nov – 4 spots
(all scheduled aircraft are not guaranteed as aircraft do break down)
This blog post doesn’t really tell the whole story. Can’t recommend enough to call and talk to the one here who flies the most, Sharon! Give her a call 661.204.1506 and she can tell you all the fun you’ll have, all that you’ll learn and get you signed up for your next photo mission!