Packing for a trip
This is definitely my last post until I get back. I have a plane to catch, after all!
I realized as I was getting everything together that packing photographic equipment for a trip is hard. How do you decide what goes and what stays? How do you optimize for weight and space? How do I make sure nothing gets broken? Have I forgotten anything?
Of course I’ve forgotten something. But I won’t know what it is until I’m already on the plane. Then I’ll smack myself on the forehead and say “Dag nabbit, I forgot my discomboobulator! ” If you learn one thing from reading this blog, it should be “Never forget your discomboobulator.”
Here’s a snapshot of what I’m bringing with me.
Let’s see…
- Hasselblad 500c/m.
- YashicaMat 124G (for color film, mostly, but also as a backup in a pinch).
- Manfrotto 190XDB tripod with 486 RC2 ballhead (the 055XProB is just too big).
- Minolta Spotmeter F (with extra battery) plus an old General Electric selenium meter for emergencies.
- Various filters, hoods, cable release.
- Trusty notebook.
- 31 rolls of Ilford HP5 120 (should be good for 14 days, right? Two rolls a day is a lot for me) plus three rolls of Fuji Pro 160S color negative film just for fun.
- Spare 120 take-up reel. I’ve never actually needed one of these, but, why not?
- Screwdriver in case the Hasselblad locks up.
- Lens cleaning tissue.
- Kitchen timer for night photography.
- Italian phrasebook.
- Bubble level.
- Baseball hat (Brooklyn Cyclones, yeah!), lip balm, chewing gum, sunglasses, canteen, granola bars, sunblock.
- A nice Tamrac Adventure 7 backpack to put it all in. (Well, some of it will be checked, but you get the idea.)
So what am I forgetting???
June 15, 2008