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Other? You mean film? Or digital? Or video? Or art? Or science?
No - I mean the two lands divided by a gulf - on one shore people who venture out for a shoot with a camera in one pocket and a sandwich in the other - and on the other, those who walk down the road with a semi-trailer strapped to their backs. The blasé and the burdened.
This came to mind at the recent PhotoLive Expo when I saw a section of smart-looking backpacks from a maker new to me. Shimoda is apparently the successor to F-Stop.
The bags I saw were their Action X 30, X 40, and X 50 models in several colours. The literature says there are various insert packs that can adapt the basic holder to many types of gear, though the core pockets for laptops and tablets always stay there. There are also pockets for tracking devices and waterproof covers. The whole is torso-adjustable for long or short bodies. The basic model empty would put an extra 2.7 kilos on your shoulders.
It got me thinking…
a. Is all that storage necessary for most shoots that are of an urban nature? I know people do trek the mean streets with many more lenses than they use, but could they do better with an X 25 kit?
b. Ditto for bush shoots. Will a photographer do better with two lenses or six? If there is a long trek, should the backpack be less photographic and more survival oriented?
c. Is the colour - in this case a choice of black, olive, blue, or yellow - important? For a sapper crawling forward under fire with a backpack full of mines… yes. Bright colours are no fun. On the other hand, the person trekking through the Yukon in winter will appreciate the bright yellow as an aid to aerial rescue.
d. Is there an aerial rescue colour for Australia? In the Snowies, the yellow, but it would sort of blend in to some desert colours out back. So would green or black. Would there be a place for a brightly reflective silver outer cover? Someone will know.
Okay - now for the other side of the gulf. No, I do not go out on a paying shoot with a camera and a sandwich. I do reckon up the lens or lenses I will need and constantly pare down the numbers. Repeated experiment has told me when I can expect to get away with just a zoom, and how small it can be. I keep an image of Henri Cartier-Bresson with his one lens and camera in mind and now that my hair style is approaching his, I am hoping the creativity will start.
For most of my walking or riding to work I use a Crumpler soft messenger bag or a Barber Shop flapped tote. A good choice is also the doctor’s bag or the Gladstone style. If you do not have to run and gun, you have time to rummage. If you are wise enough to include a small hip flask and that packet of sandwiches the rummaging can become joyful.
Note to those photographers who employ or dragoon assistants: You are under no obligation of restraint. You can compel relatives or employees to strap a player piano on their back and trot in your wake. If what you take a fancy to optically is not to hand instantly it is their fault - not yours. Insist on obedience and prepare yourself for staff turnover.
