If you want to shoot more interesting sunsets, put more interesting stuff in front of them… oh, and you’ll need to have your camera with you as well.
I don’t carry a camera everywhere, perhaps because I no longer expect to find a career-defining image on my way to the corner store. But the opposite is true almost everywhere else or when I travel. I’m not willing to miss an unexpected opportunity simply because I was too lazy, tired, or it was inconvenient to bring my camera along.
Which brings me to the image here.
I hadn’t seen this sunset developing at dinner in a restaurant with my back to the view. As we finished dinner, I turned around and saw what was happening across the water. With 15 minutes to sunset, there was no time to return to the hotel to retrieve a camera. Now, the image itself is simply a result of “f/8 and be there.” It’s nothing complicated, no secrets… but I did have my gear with me.
If there is a secret here, it’s that I don’t carry my gear everywhere in a large backpack, as do so many participants in my location workshops. I think backpacks are great for transporting gear through airports and onto airplanes. But using one exclusively means having to schlep all your gear with you all the time — and that is seldom necessary. Certainly, a backpack is the way to go if you are heading into the wilderness to photograph wildlife or landscapes. But navigating a crowded outdoor market or a busy urban area with a 40-litre pack on your back can be problematic. Having to set it down to access your gear and then get it back on your shoulders without knocking over produce displays or nearby people can be challenging. There really is no one camera bag that is suitable in all cases or at all times.
This is why I generally travel with two bags: a small backpack (ThinkTank Airport Essentials) to get the bulk of my gear where I’m going and a flexible messenger-style shoulder bag (a Tenba DNA 16 Slim) to work out once I arrive. Both products are well-designed and absolutely bulletproof. I love the Tenba, and it’s hands down the best shoulder bag I have owned in over 40 years. With it, I can carry two APS-C mirrorless bodies, three zoom lenses, a half dozen batteries, filters, and other sundry items like lens and sensor cleaning supplies. The bag features a top zipper for quick and easy access to your gear and the most comfortable shoulder pad I’ve ever used. If I need to carry more gear than will fit in the Tenba, it goes into the Think Tank backpack, and then the Tenba carries my laptop, iPad, headphones and anything I may need on the flight. The Tenba easily fits under the seat in front of me while on the plane, and the Think Tank fits in the overhead. If I want to travel carry-on only, in addition to the gear mentioned above, the Tenba can also carry my Laptop and iPad, leaving room for a carry-on bag containing clothing and my tripod, chargers and related paraphernalia in the overhead bin.
Most importantly, the Tenba messenger is small and discreet. It doesn’t look like a camera bag and easily slips under your chair or the table in a restaurant without drawing side-eye glances from other diners or the management.
You miss 100% of the images you don’t take, and capturing an image without a camera is impossible. When you travel, think about a gear-carrying strategy that will give you a flexible, low-stress way to always have your camera with you.
