From the sidelines

[rickmayphotos]

What’s in my Bag

This is the most asked question I get. So, I thought that since I recently finished 11 days up in the Canadian Rockies, in the dead of Winter, I’d share what was in my bag, and why. 

First, I needed a bag that I could carry, that would stand up to the rigors of the cold AND would  protect my gear. For these types of trips, my go to is the Tamrac Expedition 9X. No longer made, this is a staple in my collection for the above the reasons.

Bodies

Knowing I was going to be doing some heavy astrophotography and landscapes, I took two Sony ar7iii’s, and one Sony a9. 

I always travel with an extra body because you never know what might happen. It’s also nice to have a spare body in case my primary is being used for a time-lapse or video. Additionally, the ability to have a different lens on each is great in rough environments when I would rather not expose my sensor to elements with a lens change (like the snow blown frozen lake for example). The Scout motto still rings true: Be Prepared.

What? An a9? Yup.

As a sports photographer, I always have a fast body\lens combo with me as you NEVER know when you’ll need it. Once, and ONLY once - I traveled and regretted not having the right gear with me. I vowed to never let that happen again.

With the ar7iii, I get incredible resolution, use and functionality. With my a9, I had speed.

Go Pro Hero 6:

I just love having a small, compact video tool that can take a quick snap. During times fo waiting, I can transfer and edit directly on my iPhone, ready to post at days end.

Lens

I did some research and made sure I had a great wide open lens for my astrophotography efforts. My Sony 24mm didn’t arrive in time - (it came the day after I left), so I opted for the Zeiss 18mm Batis. Stunningly sharp, this lens never left a body. I had no idea how light this lens was. It feels as if there was nothing there - but oh the images. Simply stunning! 

I also brought the Sony G Master 16-35mm, which offered flexibility, tack sharp images across the range of focal lengths and was light.

Just as a precaution, I added the Sony 24-105 F/4 to my bag. There is something about having one lens to cover virtually everything. I think  this is a holdover from my days with Nikon. None the less, I enjoyed having it as it provided a small measure of peace of mind.

I mentioned above that I brought the a9. There was no way I was carrying my 400 f/2.8, but I added the 100-400mm, and was I ever glad I did! Compact, light and with incredible reach, I was ready for anything the trip through at us - camera wise.

I gave careful consideration to both my 24-70mm and the 70-200mm, f/2.8’s. Knowing I had a sports event I had to covert the day I returned meant I opted to keep these safe and at home.

Lights

The original plan had us heading up to Jasper to shoot the ice caves. Unfortunately, the weather had other pans as we had over 50cm of snow, closing the road after the Saskatchewan crossing. My vision was to use the Sony HVL-F60RM’s, blog with Honl Lighting gels to create an otherworldly scene.

I also brought along the Westcott Ice Light, again planning to use it to creatively add light to the scene.

Honl Light gels, in rool-ups. I have over 64 colors at my disposal in easy to use gels. If you haven’t seen these, visit Honl Lighting.  Dave developed these after his years as a correspondent and it shows. Killer gear, great effects.

Batteries

All of my cameras have hand held grips, which allows for dual batteries. Still, being winter, I opted to bring four additional batteries - just in case. You can never be too prepared!

Memory Cards

Sony TOUGH & Sony G SD Memory Cards: I exclusively use the Sony TOUGH and ultra-fast Sony G SD memory cards. I’ve yet to have one fail and the read/write speeds do more than keep up with the demands of my cameras and the environments I use them in.

Extra Batteries: One of my favorite upgrades to the Sony α7R III was the inclusion of the newer Sony Z batteries. I’ll often  be able to get through a whole day of shooting with my α7R III with just one battery, but it’s still always a good idea to bring along a few spares.

GITZO Carbon Fiber Travel Tripod and A Really Right Stuff Ball Head

Any long exposure photography, astrophotography, time-lapses, etc. – they all require a tripod to alleviate camera shake. This one is great because of its compact size and weight, which is important for travel and long carry. When I need extra weight, I’ll hang my bag from the hook below the center column for added stability.

Assorted Lens Filters from B&W, Hoya and Lee: Primarily polarizing and neutral density filters (and a few step up rings to minimize the number of filters needed for different lens thread sizes) are key ingredients in my kit. These filters help to cut glare, create proper exposures in camera, slow shutter speeds, and so much more.

Apple 15” MacBook Pro 

Besides my camera and lenses, this is the next most important element in my kit. All of my post-processing is done in Adobe Lightroom and Photoshop.

Apple iPad Pro (2nd Gen)

On long trips, I load up with movies, music and reading material. It’s lighter, fast and so easy to edit a few images during down time and when I don[t have the space for my MBP.

Lacie Rugged Hard DriveI

 I travel with multiple hard drives that I store my RAW files and  Lightroom catalog on. Even when I’m traveling, I like to keep a backup in case of drive failure. Assuming I have internet access, my computer and drives are also backed up to cloud storage.

Headlamp

Whether it be for lighting a trail, just around camp after dark or helping me find something in my bag when light fades, a headlamp is an integral part of any outdoor photographer’s kit.

Lens Cleaning Kit

Keeping the optics clean is simply essential, especially when I’m subjecting it to some pretty gnarly environments sometimes. I’d much rather spend a few minutes cleaning my lenses and blowing out dust on my sensor ahead of time rather than hours of spot removal in post.

Beanie/Gloves

In cold weather, these are key. I actually can recommend the following if you are headed to extreme cold. Not only were my hands warm, but I was able to use my fingers for fine tuning as well. 

Hand Warmers  

I use these for either their intended use (keeping my hands warm) or sometimes to keep my batteries warm, helping to extend battery life in cold climates. I also tape several feet of gaffer tape around my tripod legs, so that I can wrap these around my battery grip.

Bose QC-35 Headphones 

The best headphones I’ve ever owned, hands down. They’re comfortable for extended wear (long flights, for example) and have incredible noise cancellation, which is key to getting some rest or listening to hours of my electronic Jax, chill and ambient tunes on international flights without being interrupted by engine noise or screaming babies.

Passport 

Like my American Express, I never leave home without it (on a trip). I’m not going far without it.

Not many think of this last pieces  as essential, but I don’t shoot without it - Insurance.

My company, Taylor & Taylor ROCKS! Anytime I am on the road, I let them know and should anything bad happen, I’m covered. No questions asked. Not to mention my liability coverages exceeds most job requests.

Advil

Sitting on ice, shooting multiple sports, hiking miles into the backcountry - this helps alleviate the aches and pains.