A Case of G.A.S.
I will admit, for a while - especially while I was doing a lot of portrait photography - that I developed a serious condition. It hampered my judgement, made me doubt my technical and artistic abilities, and left me wanting more. For sure, I would spend many waking moments thinking of my next "fix" and how I would pay for it. It was getting pretty serious and I thought about seeking professional advice.
That condition is known as G.A.S. No, not that kind. I'm talking about Gear Acquisition Syndrome, that relentless lust for the newest, best photography equipment that results in a closet full of sometimes necessary camera toys - and an empty wallet. It's easy to see how that can happen - as photographers we are tempted into thinking that only the best the camera body, lens, filters, lights, etc. that will help us capture the "perfect" image. And more is better - you never know what the shoot will call for or what kinds of lighting conditions you'll face. So you may as well be prepared and have all your bases covered.
Except that's not true.
You really don't need all of the best camera gear to take an awesome photography. Don't believe me?
My friend and landscape photography phenom Josh Cripps opened my eyes while attending one of his and Jim Patterson's Sea to Summit Photography workshops. Josh does a lot of backpacking into amazing locations for days at a time and has to pack light. So he'll typically haul a lightweight wide angle zoom, a 14mm Rokinon prime lens, one camera body (Nikon D810 or D750 - Josh is Nikon ambassador), a sturdy tripod, filters, extra batteries and extra memory cards. And that's about it. Go ahead, click on his link above. I'll wait for you to come back...
Right?
He took a lot of those photos with his basic rig. Crisp, bright, unbelievably sharp and impeccably composed. And that's my point. Josh takes award-winning photographs with a simple rig.
So what's in my bag?
- Nikon D810 full frame camera with a 64GB memory card
- Nikon 24-70mm f/2.8 lens on the camera
- Nikon 18-35mm f/4 lens (though I'm on the hunt for a used 14-24 f/2.8)
- An assortment of neutral density filters and a couple polarizers
- Gitzo 3542 carbon fiber tripod with an Acratech tripod head and a Really Right Stuff L-Bracket
- Extra batteries, memory cards, microfiber wipes, a lens pen and a small spray bottle of lens cleaner
- REI microfiber towel (very handy), a small first aid kit, and a headlamp
- All carried around in a MindShift Horizon camera backpack
That's really not a lot of stuff and you know something, it's really nice to not have to schlep around a ton of gear. It makes hiking more enjoyable and it cuts down on the guesswork for what lens I should use or what gadget I should try. I get to focus more on composition, lighting and viewpoints, which is really 90% of my work in the field.
What's in your bag?