dispatches

The quest for power

My, I have a lot of things to charge up. The first task on entering a motel room is a recon of all the available outlets. I have:

 6 rechargeable camera batteries/2 chargers
 an iPhone
 an auxiliary iPhone battery charger
 a Kindle
 a MacBook Pro
 a Bluetooth headset

Then there are all the things that take batteries (3 kinds):
 2 microphones
 wireless transmitter
 wireless receiver
 Beachtek splitter
 Canon 580Ex Speedlight
 Mini-LED light
 Pocket Wizard trans and receive
 Zoom H4N recorder

Life was so simple when we used film. 

What else goes on assignment

 

Three weeks away from home. Four flights. Six assignments. Four college campuses. On carry-on luggage. Here's what else goes with me. 

I'm going to a dance camp too, so there's a bit more in here than I usually take. I expect to have to do laundry every 4 days. A lot of the camera gear goes into the carry-on (an ancient Eagle Creek bag) rather than the camera bag, like the tripod. Here's what else. 

camera gear

tripod
 Speedlite 580EX
 card readers
 battery chargers
 headphones
 3 hard drives
 extra CF cards
 condensor mic
 mic stand
 plug in wireless transmitter
 lens cloth
 bag'o cables
 bag o'batteries
 computer glasses
 GPS for car
 MacBook Pro

personal gear

dance shoes
 2 slacks
 4 ss shirs
 1 ls shirt
 4 socks
 4 underwear
 fold-up ball cap
 2 hankerchiefs
 toiletry bag
 vitamins for 30 days

 

Yes, that's a Kindle peeking out of the camera bag. 

What goes on assignment

 

2 Canon 5D Mark II bodies
24-105mm lens
16-35mm lens
70-200mm lens
15mm fisheye lens
1 1.4 tele-extender
580EX strobe
2 extra batteries
2 chargers
pocket white-bal calibrator
pocket Greta MacBeth color chart
Visible Dust sensor blower
CF cards: 3 16gb, 4 8gb, 2 4gb, 11 2gb
2 variable ND filters (77 & 67mm)
binoculars
gaffer tape
Litepanel LED
Zacuto finder
Flip minoHD video recorder
Sennheiser MKE-400 microphone
Sennheiser e835 cardioid microphone
Sennheiser XLR wireless transmitter
Sennheiser ew100 g2 wireless kit w/ lav microphone
Beachtek DXA-5D splitter for audio
Sony headphones
Zoom H4N w/ mini tripod and dead cat cover
Manfrotto mic stand
multiple XLR/phono/mini cables
3 portable hard drives
bag o'batteries (AAA, AA, 9v)
lens cloth
litedisk reflector
hand lotion
Gitzo G1158 carbon fiber tripod w/ Really Right Stuff BH-30 ballhead

 

Drinking the poison

 

I plopped down on Robin's couch in her home office. “I want to talk to you about a decision,” I said. “I'm leaving town for three weeks.”

“You want to open up the relationship. No.”

“Well, kinda.”

“Tell me more.”

“There's all these books I carry to read when I travel. I really want to take the new Atwood, but it's hardcover. I'm thinking of a Kindle.”

“So you're ready to drink the poison.”

“OK with you?”

“I don't care, sure. Look at our living room. It might be time.”