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When One Bag Just Won't Do It...

By Dale Scherfling

15 May 2007

One thing about photographers - We collect a lot of gear.

It started out innocent enough - a single camera with one lens. But it only took a week to discover two things: I couldn't get a good shot of my little leaguer at second base and I couldn't get that nifty out-of-focus Bokeh with a standard-issue 50mm. lens.

"Honey," I said. "I need a telephoto."

After that I wanted a still longer telephoto, then a faster telephoto and then a wide-angle lens. With so many decisions to make I did the only thing I could at the time and bought all three - along with a second body for easier handling. I don't juggle too well - especially with expensive glass.

"Why didn't you just buy a zoom lens," she asked?

Good idea, I thought. Now I also own three zooms - two for daylight and a smaller, faster one for low light. Of course, I soon discovered the faster one was plenty fast but just not long enough.

"Honey, we need a longer zoom."

"We already have a long zoom."

"Yes but we need a FASTER longer zoom."

This, by the way, didn't happen overnight. My collection began back in the darkroom days and continued to grow well into the digital era - which brings us to computers.

Software was no problem. There's that initial expense for a basic photo-editing program but they threw mine in free with my first computer. It was Microsoft Digital Image Pro 7.0 Picture It, which I'm still using. It's fine for my type of shooting, concentrating on up-front photography and little as possible in post-production. Digital Image Pro does everything I need and I never tried anything else. I did add PIXresizer, for reformatting digital images, either up for publication, or down for e-mailing, and Neat Image, for cleaning up excess digital noise. Since both were free downloads I didn't get into any more trouble than usual on the home front.

It's the hardware that's costly. My first computer was a PC, which we used for a year until the son (the same one we couldn't shoot at second base) took it off to college. Then came a laptop with the biggest screen available at the time, 17 inches and "ideal for both home and travel," I said, making my now-familiar sales pitch.

Then came the latest ten-inch laptop 'for my work in the field.'

"Isn't that why you bought the first laptop?"

"You don't want me to take that expensive 17-incher out into the field do you?" I argued, avoiding the fact that the smaller ten-inch model cost $300 more than the first laptop.

Then there's storage and transportation. Where do we keep all this gear and how do we move it around? Here we have a practical rule to follow: Big bags for transporting, small bags for working.

While I own almost as many bags as I have lenses, the good news is, I seem to be spending less and less as I go in this category. I travel a lot, sometimes overseas, and this calls for taking more gear. It's always better to have it and not need it than need it and not have it, especially when that far from home. I once had a big and expensive wheeled bag designed for both camera gear and laptop. It even had straps for backpacking but I wasn't that ambitious. I ran into problems the first time out, starting with airport security who insisted I unpack the laptop for inspection, and then in stowing on the plane. With everything packed it wouldn't fit in the overhead and was too big to go under the seat. I took two bags next time - my cameras in a backpack and the laptop in a lightweight computer pouch. Life became easier and I had instant access to either bag for in-flight use.

There were times when I didn't need all the equipment and could leave some back at the hotel. I turned more and more to the zooms if the light was good, and supplemented them with a couple of smaller fast fixed focals, carried in more manageable soft bags or waist pouches. Today I usually shoot with just one camera, keeping the second strictly as backup. I also lean more to belt packs or sling bags and lately I've taken to just slinging the belt pack over my shoulder. It's even easier to use that way and more comfortable. That's the way I work now and best of all, the waist pack-turned-sling bag set me back just $20 at a backpack store. All those expensive cameras and lenses in a $20 bag? Go figure but it works for me. You have to remember to keep those zippers closed when you sling it though.

I have a friend who haunts Yellowstone full time, photographing scenics for coffee table books. He's big on view cameras and heavy tripods and drives to all his photo sites in a specially tricked-out van. It has built-in cushioned storage compartments for all his gear and everything he needs is never more than a few steps away.

"Honey," I said. We need a van."

"Why don't you just buy another camera bag instead?"

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