Interesting ¨What´s in your bag?¨type article...

My bag is currently empty. It might have a roll of film in it, but I hope not. When I go shooting, I put stuff in it. What I put in depends on a lot.
 
i have about a dozen bags...i use about 3 mostly and of the 3, 2 are the same bag, one for winter and one for summer.
i pack my bigger lenses and smaller lenses in separate bags and the cameras get shared.
sometimes i just throw a camera over my shoulder (with a lens attached)
am i a gear head? yes i am.
but i also love photography and still get excited about a good shot. as i mature i also appreciate other's images as well.
 
JoeV said:
I dunno, I'm skeptical of this trend of unveiling the contents (supposedly) of one's camera bag.

There's one rather well known website that features camera bag contents with a Japanese focus (ahem), and the typical example is two film Leicas, a Hasselblad, spot meter and gobs of film. Oh, and the typical EDC (everyday carry) items like a flashlight, folding tactical knife and Moleskine notebook and pen.
Click to expand...

I think I alluded to this in my OP. I posted this article because it felt more genuine.
 
Photography takes all kinds of photographers. Some could be called gearheads. W. Eugene Smith was known to use all kinds of cameras and lenses. Apparently he was intrigued by them. Some are minimalists like Lewis Baltz who has said he had to borrow a camera to shoot one of his projects. I like to know how other photographers work and that includes the tools they use. We're a diverse bunch using a wide range of tools and producing a diverse range of pictures. It's interesting.
 
The thing that struck me was the fact that most of the VII photographers chose simplicity and reliability. The average advanced amateur/semi pro would be ashamed to walk out the door with no more cameras and lenses in his bag than some of them carry on assignments around the world.

Each of these photographers seems to have his/her style down pat and looks for the kind of photographs he/she can make with the equipment they carry, rather than trying to cover every possibility, which often results in missing many of those possibilities while fumbling with equipment.

In the '80s and '90s when documentary assignments took me to 28 countries around the world, I settled on a kit of two Olympus OM bodies and 24, 35, 85, and 180mm Zuiko lenses. Reasonably light, and covered everything I needed to cover. Sometimes I also carried a Leica and a few lenses, but trying to use two systems never seemed to work well for me.

The attached photo is of a Bulgarian goatherd, probably made with an OM Zuiko 85mm lens while on a tour of eight Eastern European countries in February/March, 1990 to document changes resulting from the fall of the Berlin Wall.
 

Attachments

  • Bulgarian Goatherd 1990 OM Zuiko 85mm.jpg
    Bulgarian Goatherd 1990 OM Zuiko 85mm.jpg
    49.1 KB · Views: 0
Dave Jenkins said:
The thing that struck me was the fact that most of the VII photographers chose simplicity and reliability. The average advanced amateur/semi pro would be ashamed to walk out the door with no more cameras and lenses in his bag than some of them carry on assignments around the world.

Each of these photographers seems to have his/her style down pat and looks for the kind of photographs he/she can make with the equipment they carry, rather than trying to cover every possibility, which often results in missing many of those possibilities while fumbling with equipment.

In the '80s and '90s when documentary assignments took me to 28 countries around the world, I settled on a kit of two Olympus OM bodies and 24, 35, 85, and 180mm Zuiko lenses. Reasonably light, and covered everything I needed to cover. Sometimes I also carried a Leica and a few lenses, but trying to use two systems never seemed to work well for me.

The attached photo is of a Bulgarian goatherd, probably made with an OM Zuiko 85mm lens while on a tour of eight Eastern European countries in February/March, 1990 to document changes resulting from the fall of the Berlin Wall.
Click to expand...

Hi Dave;

I agree. It's easy to see from the perspective of someone who's worked in places where you had to lug your gear around daily.

Many of these people, in addition to making stills, have to deliver video content with good quality audio. If you want an optical viewing system, that means having a blimp. Mirrorless cameras are quiet.

After traveling and reassessing, after an edit, picking necessary lenses is an easier task. I often lugged a Nikon 180 2.8 around. It was great when I needed it. But the need was rare. I could have gotten by with a 200 f4 at about half the weight. Same with a Leica 90 f2. The 90 got left home. I never used it after the one long term assignment it was purchased for. The thing I remember most about that lens wasn't the quality images it made, it was how heavy it was.

I think lots of experienced pro photographers make most of their images with just two or three lenses. The zooms you see some packing are used for their long end, a one body one lens thing, when you don't know what to expect (no info) and as a backup. Most get the slow ones that are light and small, as they aren't used much.

The standard PJ thing is two bodies and two zooms. One short and one long. The more creative folks seem to want a couple of fast primes, as they often, frame in their heads without a camera.

pkr
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom