A Broad Abroad

i gave a lot of thought to what would be part of my “technology entourage”.  photography was important to my travels and i’d previously traveled to india and senegal with my Canon Digital Rebel XTi, but the whole question of lenses, bags, protection, and photo-uploading gave me fits.  I thought i would share with you what i ended up bringing and how i might change the selection in the future.

as i mentioned, i was attached to my Canon XTi but my load needed to be manageable.  the best way to do this was by only carrying 2 lenses:  my all purpose Canon EFS 17-85 mm and a telephoto Sigma 70-30 mm.  i also have a lovely Canon 10-22 mm wide-angle lens (nice considering the angle-of-view loss in digital SLRs) but i couldn’t justify dragging 3 lenses around.  since i’m a people photographer more than a landscape photographer, the telephoto won out (no need to get in people’s faces to get a good shot).  the 17 mm would have to do at the wide end.   so that’s my body and lenses.

My small, canvas Domke bag was inconspicuous while traipsing around and offered easy access to my camera (as opposed to a backpack-style). slung over the shoulder it looks like a grubby messenger bag, not a target screaming “steal me!” it’s a smallish bag and i wanted to leave room for my guidebook and a snack, hence the decision to bring only 2 lenses. It will carry the camera body and 3 lenses in a pickle, but not much more than that.  this bag does not have a zip-closure over the top of the camera, only a flap, so i needed a quick solution in case of a downpour.  i did this by carrying a small, lightweight sea-to-summit drysack.  it was easy to zip this up in the side pocket of my bag and in a rainstorm my entire domke bag could be stuffed inside.  in dusty locations i would carry my lens and body in individual ziplock bags.

sooo…how to store and/or upload pics?  it’s not a problem if you are gone for a short period and can carry all the pics you want on your memory card(s).  but when your pics are 10MB/per and you are gone for 5 months, having your pics on cards is plain $illy.  my dilemma was this:  carry an external storage device or bring my 12″ powerbook.  why did i want my powerbook?  mainly for these two reasons.  One – to blog.  I could type my entries off-line and upload when i had wi-fi (increasingly easy to find) or got wired-up.  Two – I could “work” on my pics while i traveled.  surprise!  my pics on flickr are generally straightened and cropped at a minimum.  the prospect of coming home and culling then editing hundreds of pics was daunting.  but if i could do it on quiet evenings while traveling – that would be so cool. OK – so the powerbook and a neoprene cover joined the entourage.  whenever i traveled in wet places or on a boat my powerbook got its own little drysack :).

now – knowing i would go places i didn’t want to carry my SLR, i brought a point and shoot as well.  I choose the Canon SD870 IS ELPH.  good all-around, tiny camera.  while in its padded bag it still fits easily in a ziplock.  great for adventures and i liked having the movie (avi) capability.

accessories?  padded lens filter holder, 2-format card reader (waaay faster than uploading from the camera), battery chargers and extra batteries, for the SLR two 2GB cards and two 1GB cards, for the ELPH one 2GB card, a few lens cleaning accessories and that’s about it.  oh, i brought an iPod.

so that’s a fair bit of loot.  i definitely had my concerns about traveling alone with this much equipment, but i did make it home with everything.  how did i safeguard it?  i had my backpack for all my “regular” gear.  that is what got thrown on top of the bus.  in addition i had a large Patagonia Critical Mass messenger bag.  it has a padded laptop sleeve and my camera-loaded Domke bag fit inside the main well, still leaving room for several books, a water bottle and a few other necessities.  this bag, filled with all my goodies, stayed with me while on buses, etc.  and i ALWAYS kept a good eye on it.  no stuffing it under my seat where it could be pilfered.

i didn’t carry my laptop and camera everywhere i went.  i did accept some risk and left it in my room at times.  I stayed in many budget hostels but not in dorms.  I was fortunate and never had a break-in.  i know lots of people debate whether it’s wise to bring laptops, nice cameras, etc.  i can only share my (fortunate) experience.  my photography was important to me and having my camera and laptop enriched my experience because i was able to better capture the beautiful world around me and share it with my friends and family (and maybe you, too!). and don’t worry……….i unplugged often :).

what would i do differently?  i was surprised to find that even tho i was skeptical about my laptop, i really liked having it and would bring it again.  but my camera, which i had no second thoughts about bringing,  i would re-think….at least for loooong trips (unless photography is my main objective).  what i would look for is an “advanced point-and-shoot”.  something with a good zoom, that shoots in raw format, good manual controls, and image stabilization, etc.  these are really evolving and i met several people on the road who had these and i was very impressed with the performance.  this would allow a much smaller camera “package” and reduce a LOT of weight.  that messenger bag did get darn heavy.

so B and H Photo – i guess i’ll be back :).

The Dust of Several Continents……that is what i saw floating around you in my tub. yes, i bathed you lovingly in preparation for our TX-family-visit. i’m terribly attached you, my decade-old pal. how old are you in pack-years? we both cut our travel teeth on our first journey to Africa when we met my sister at her peace corp home in Niger. since then you have been with me to other parts of Africa as well as India, Europe, Turkey, much of the USA and, of course, you were my constant companion for 5 months in Central America. i looked at the brown water and the memories came flooding back. you have been mercilessly thrown on and off buses, planes and boats, dragged across floors, sat upon, laid upon, survived encounters with flowing vomit, fish juice and other substances that roll across floors of the aforementioned buses, planes and boats. you have taken all these indignities with dignity.

my passion for travel began on that trip to Niger, where you first met my back. i never gave you a name because i didn’t even realize how attached i’d become to you until recently. in central america i saw many younger, sleeker, firmer models with fashionable color palettes and a dizzying array of straps, buckles and zippers. they only made me love you more. they made me fearful of the day you are no longer able to contain the burden i carry. i, from this day forward, pledge to take better care of you and prolong your life as best i can. you deserve nothing less. thank you for your faithful service and companionship as we’ve traversed the globe. and here’s to many more amazing journeys!