Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Sailor...

Sometimes people look at my photographs and say: “You must be shooting with a really good camera.” I smile. Yes, I can’t complain about having a bad camera. But unfortunately, my good camera doesn’t get up at five in the morning and drive out to the middle of nowhere to take those photographs. I’ll go further - every morning I demand that it go off to the shoot while I luxuriate in bed or drink coffee on the couch in front of the TV. And so far my camera has never once left for a shoot without me. Maybe it isn’t good enough? Maybe.

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People often ask me what equipment I take with me on my travels. On the one hand, the question means nothing at all, because no piece of photo equipment is capable of taking a photograph on its own - that is the photographer’s prerogative. Even the very best equipment, used wrongly, will give birth to nothing but bad photographs. And the other way around: even imperfect equipment in the hands of a master can create a masterpiece. Of course, all of this is stating the obvious. But how often that obvious truth gets forgotten in the endless race for new and perfect photo gear.

Of course, a good camera, quality lenses and specialized accessories can make your work a great deal easier and give you a certain degree of comfort and convenience. But the mere fact that you own the very best photo equipment means only that you have invested serious money in buying these various photographic things. And nothing more. You don’t become a professional by buying a professional camera. And even the most perfect lens will not improve the quality of your photographs.

On the other hand, I can tell you that I am myself a great lover and connoisseur of all sorts of photographic accessories and gadgets. And of course I want a modern camera and new lenses sitting in my backpack. There is nothing wrong with that. Nothing wrong, as long as you find the time to actually do photography. As long as the main point of your photographic existence is making photographs and not assembling a collection of the most perfect photographic equipment. I think I’ll end the sermon here and move on to the thing you started reading this article for - a description of the photographic equipment I use on my travels.

Eeny, Meeny, Miny, Moe, Catch a Tiger by the Toe…

First of all I want to point out that I have no relationship of any kind with the companies whose products I am about to show you. Canon doesn’t pay me for the many years I’ve been devoted to their gear, I don’t work for Gitzo or RRS, and I certainly have nothing to do with Lowepro, Kirk, Singh-Ray and many other wonderful companies whose products I use in my everyday photographic life.

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Although, if they all suddenly decided to pay me for such loyalty, I wouldn’t say no. One more important thing about my equipment - it is definitely not an option for someone trying to save money or find the optimal balance between price and quality. Alas. My experience can’t serve as a guide for anyone who is only starting out and isn’t ready to spend on photo equipment a sum comparable to the price of a used car. Alas and alas, good things don’t come cheap. And good things made in small batches (and for many photo accessories that’s exactly the case) cost a whole lot. And unfortunately, I have no answer for where to get the same thing cheaper. Because everything I’m about to talk about is not a recommendation and not buying advice.

It’s simply what’s inside my backpack.

The Most Faithful Friend

You probably thought this would be about the camera. No, the camera is my instrument. My friend is the backpack. Because it’s the backpack, not the camera, that spends the most time in contact with me. Camera out, shot for an hour or so, camera away. And the backpack on your shoulders for three hours on the way there and another three on the way back. And in airports, on trains, in hotels and on ships. The base of all bases. The foundation for everything you decide to take with you. Some things you’ll leave at home. Not for this trip. The backpack - never. So take choosing it seriously. Someone is bound to ask - why a backpack? True, a backpack isn’t the only alternative for carrying photo equipment. Although in some situations I don’t know of any other. When you have to climb a mountain or wade through water, when your hands must be free and your balance must not be thrown off - there is nothing better or more comfortable than a backpack.

There is in fact another system for carrying photo equipment - the so-called modular belt. In that case the camera and the lenses go into small tubes and pouches that clip onto a special belt like grenades. Which system is better is for you to decide.

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Right now I have a Vertex200 AW backpack from Lowepro. Before that I had a CompuTrekker Plus AW, and before that a Nature Trekker. But since my new laptop no longer fit in the old and trusted Nature Trekker, which suited me in every other respect, and the CompuTrekker Plus AW turned out to be too bulky, I now use the Vertex 200 AW. The main advantage of this backpack is that it sits very comfortably on the shoulders and lets you carry heavy loads over long distances in comfort (and a camera with lenses weighs plenty). I’d recommend that you choose your best friend from Lowepro’s range. They are among the best. And I wouldn’t advise saving money on this piece of your kit. Over the years of traveling I’ve seen plenty of bags and backpacks fall, plenty drown, and an enormous number come unzipped. As you can guess, this did the photo equipment no particular good. But the owners of Lowepro bags almost always got away with nothing worse than a fright. Of course, no backpack will save your camera if you forget to close the zipper and then swing it sharply onto your shoulder. Unfortunately, nobody has yet invented an idiot-proof backpack. You need to choose a backpack for the set of equipment you intend to carry around. And of course you should have some room left over for portable photo storage, cleaning kits, a flashlight and so on. But we’ll talk about that later. Besides the volume of the backpack, you may care about the following things:

• a special mount for carrying a tripod (I don’t use it, since I always carry my tripod in my hands);
• a special waterproof cover you can wrap the backpack in if it rains;
• extra accessories for memory cards, film, lenses and the rest.

If you’re inclined to go with the belt system, then I recommend the company Think Tank Photo. By the way, this company also makes wonderful backpacks, though only one model - the Airport Addicted. To my taste this backpack is a bit on the large side, but if you plan to cram all of your photo equipment into it, it will unquestionably be the best choice.

What Would a Dog Do with a Fifth Leg?

It really has no use for one. And you have no use for a fifth leg either. Or a fourth, for that matter. Three will be quite enough. Guessed what I’m getting at? The tripod, of course. The most needed instrument in a traveling photographer’s arsenal, and at the same time the most troublesome. Why the most needed? Because it’s practically impossible to shoot a single sunset or sunrise without a tripod (I’m not counting the option of perching the camera on a parapet and propping the lens up with your wallet). Night shooting and “blurred” water without a tripod you can also forget about. And a great deal else besides. So where’s the trouble here? - you’ll reasonably ask. In the size, of course. In the weight. In the fact that you have to lug this contraption around with you all the time. And that isn’t always convenient, isn’t allowed everywhere, and isn’t easy at all. And while you can put up with the inconvenience, after a few kilometers of steep climbing the weight of your tripod will triple.

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Maybe more. And that’s the moment of truth. Trying to solve this problem, a lot of beginning photographers focus mainly on weight when buying a tripod. And they end up buying a telescoping antenna for picking up the local Top 40 station. Forgetting that the tripod’s main job is, after all, to hold the camera and lens MOTIONLESS, whatever the weather. The weight of the tripod does play a serious role in the choice, but it must not become the only goal. So you need to choose a tripod from a known manufacturer (otherwise it may simply fall apart at the least convenient moment) and definitely by the weight it’s designed to hold. And that weight is the sum of the head, the camera and the heaviest lens you intend to use. Added it up? Now you know what weight your tripod has to bear. Better a bit more, to leave a margin. There are a few more parameters you can take into account when choosing a tripod, but I won’t claim this is the absolute truth. You do remember that we’re talking about the contents of my backpack specifically. So don’t take my words as the only correct ones.

So, what would I pay attention to when choosing my three-legged friend?

• Tripods with a built-in head are no good at all. It’s inconvenient and inflexible. You’ll want to change the head and you won’t be able to;
• The tripod should not have a center column - it brings instability into the construction and ALWAYS sways in gusts of wind. At the very least, the tripod should let you remove the center column;
• The absence of a center column brings another plus - such tripods can usually be lowered down to ground level. Practically laid flat. For macro lovers that’s an invaluable quality;
• The tripod should be tall enough when fully extended, much taller than the photographer. How you’re going to operate the camera at that height is a separate question. But believe me - figuring out how to get yourself up to the tripod’s level is far easier than figuring out how to raise and STEADY the tripod itself;
• The legs should extend easily and lock rigidly in any position. If that requirement isn’t met - run from that tripod the way a grubby kid runs from bath time;
• If money is no object - get a carbon tripod, of course. It will be thirty percent lighter than an ordinary one and about twice as expensive. Such is the sad arithmetic.

Well, that’s all theory. My practical advice is that there are no tripods better than Gitzo tripods. It’s just that when you see the price, you’ll probably feel a strong urge to doubt my words. In that case it’s worth looking at Manfrotto tripods. Those are good tripods too. Not as magnificent as Gitzo, but perfectly respectable. And they’ll let you get by without robbing a bank. For many years I shot with an aluminum Gitzo G-1340 and only quite recently moved to the carbon G-1325. This tripod holds 12 kilograms and weighs only two kilos itself. If you think that’s not much - you’re mistaken. Even in carbon, it’s a fairly heavy tripod. But then it doesn’t sway in strong gusts of wind, it can hold my camera with a 600 mm lens (the lens weighs 5.3 kg), and it unfolds with a pleasant little smack. Of course the sound has nothing to do with anything. It’s just that this tripod has no other virtues left. And does it need any?

Besides tripods there is an enormous number of various devices for holding the camera still. You’ve most likely heard something about monopods. That’s a one-legged tripod, used mainly by photographers shooting concerts and sporting events (you may have seen them on the sideline of a soccer field with h-u-u-uge lenses on skinny sticks). A monopod can also come in handy for reportage in the city, especially in the evening, when shooting handheld is no longer possible. You won’t believe it, but there are also strappods - an elastic strap that attaches to the camera, and you step on the other end with your foot and pull it taut as you bring the camera up to your eyes. Surprising as it is, the tension created by the strap acts as a factor that stabilizes the camera (despite the fact that you’re holding it in your hands). But that’s more of a “spy” device for shooting on the evening streets of Rome, where the police forbid shooting from a tripod.

But there’s one more device that once a year I take out of the dusty closet (don’t ask me why it’s dusty - I’d like to know myself). I take it out before a trip to Africa. The thing is, shooting on an African safari mostly happens from a vehicle. And usually with whatever telephoto you could afford. Which is to say, as big as they come and quite heavy. Shooting handheld (even in daylight) is very hard. And have you ever tried setting up a tripod inside a car? I won’t tell you what happened to those who tried. Better let me tell you about my African tripod, which is called a Window Mount. And that’s exactly how it works. A mechanism resembling a clamp attaches to the glass or the frame of the car. And an ordinary head goes on top. That’s all. Shoot to your heart’s content.

This Window Mount is made by Kirk Enterprises. Besides it they make other useful little things for photographers, but I’d like to draw your attention to this “window mount” in particular. On an African safari the thing is practically irreplaceable. Some of my friends even take two of them along - one clamped to the right window of the jeep, the other to the left. So they can move from one side to the other faster and more easily - click, click. Well, where are you, kings of beasts? Step right up, one at a time!