Sure, the cameras, and the glass are the mainstays of the bag that get the job done.
What about the other stuff that fills in the nooks and crannies, pouches and side pockets, extra sections in the bag?
We need all of this stuff, too.
Before packing for any assignment in town or out of town, here are some of the things that usually are in the bag.
And if they are not there when you need em’, it’ can be a big deal.
You can get the shots with the main stuff but you need some support.
So here we go:

You will need a little Wi-Fi shortly after your arrival and for any uploading, and the Verizon Mi-Fi is a great solution for up to 5 devices. It does run down in about 4 hours so be ready to charge it back up. Always check the charger off on your list.
Many hotels give you free internet access via an ethernet cable (hello, 2004). You may want a little more freedom to move and set up camp so this Airport Express goes into the luggage for back-up.
We are probably about to see our smartphones become wi-fi blocks, so you may save a unit in the near future.

One of the first things you’ll need to do when you get to your hotel room (or buddies spare bedroom), is get everything up to full charge. Above is a Belkin surge protected power strip with 2 USB charging outlets. You’ll need em all.
The new ThinkTank Photo Battery Holder is a great way to carry 8 rechargable batts in a soft case. Alongside is an Apple, 2 batt charger. Prefer our La Crosse 4 batt charger, but this thing is tiny.

A mixed bag in this group: We always have a Gorillapod in the bag, and we added a ball head for versatility. Some earplugs are stashed in that Nikon trapazoid, a good quality lens cloth and Duracell iPhone charger. It’s an external battery that adds 1 full charge to your iPhone,and hangs off it looking goofy. But when you need the juice, you need the juice. Yes, we always carry a flash drive to either transfer files or carry a presentation in our pocket.

Speaking of juice, this iPhone 4 has the latest Mophie iPhone battery case. We can’t say enough good things about this. For 10 days, we never had to search for power once, with this rig. Once the iPhone ran through it’s charge, we just flipped a switch and we were on our way to getting all juiced up again.
Our schedule was pretty much from 9:00 Am to 2:30 AM, daily.

When it came time to upload, we packed light and brought a Lexar multi slot 24-1 USBcard reader. we only used 2, CF and SD, but had slots for more. If we used a different kind of smart phone the mini sd would have been a handy slot to have. But we don’t.

Remember to be kind to those around you. Cinnamon gum kills bad breath better than most and with all of the food tasting going on, you’ll need it.
Of course, have business cards on hand (in the “Hello, my name is” case). Sure we’ll all be using #Hashable and bump at some point soon, but til then…..
And of course a good small, powerful, LED flashlight. Check your batteries before you leave on the trip.

A good mesh, semi see-through cable bag is essential. Know what you have and what you may be missing. The Mophie charger looks like a reg USB to mini, but it’s not.

And last, but not least, is one item that is always in the bag, no matter what:

No, it’s not mints, but a small box my daughter made for me with a tiny polaroid of her, a secret note, and an origami bird and a star.

A small item, but makes every shoot better.

Next up: The road software. very simple, but why?

(hmmmm..now what did we forget to mention?)

This entry was posted on Tuesday, March 29th, 2011 at 10:50 pm and is filed under Photo News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.