C.S. Muncy is a freelance photojournalist based out of New York City with a client list that includes The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Newsday, The New York Daily News and The Village Voice. As a freelancer, he’s covered such subjects as the BP Oil Spill, the fight for same-sex civil rights, the takeover of the state capitol in Madison, Wisconsin and Occupy Wall Street. A graduate of the Defense Information School, he enlisted in the United States Air Force in 2002 and is currently a photographer with the New York Air National Guard.
I’m lucky in that I have a place to stay that’s literally across the street from the convention. If I was forced to stay at say, a motel ten miles away, I wouldn’t be able to bring nearly so much. Typically I’ll only bring what I can carry, and even though I can carry quite a bit with my Chest Vest (not pictured,) that’s still only about half of what you see here.
The D700, D3 and Hasselblad XPan will stay with me throughout the week, both for shots inside the convention hall and out. The N90s is light and thin enough that I can carry it in my vest, but I’ll probably keep that in reserve. The vast majority of my film shots (twenty rolls of T-Max 3200, ten rolls of Tri-X 400 and ten rolls of T-Max 400) will be panoramic, so I imagine I’ll go through them quickly. I’ve also brought a few rolls of mixed Kodak and Fuji slide film, just in case.
The helmet, mask and goggles were a tough choice. The RNC was mostly a wash as far as physical confrontations were concerned (or so I’ve been told) but I’ve found through personal experience that it sucks to not have these things when you really need them. I’ve ordered a full face mask (replacing my old one, which was difficult to see through) but unfortunately it hasn’t arrived yet, so I’ll just have to make due with these. No big deal, they’ve worked before.
The 300mm 2.8 and the Arsat 80mm 2.8 tilt-shift I’ll probably save for the President’s speech. I love the Arsat- for a Russian lens it’s tack sharp, and it’s sturdy as a Soviet-bloc tank.
The hand-held scanner proved useful in Chicago during the NATO protests. It’s a good way to keep track of police activity in your area; but I’ve learned to be careful counting on it too much. Keeping a finger on the pulse of the crowd you’re with can be much more useful than chasing down a scene five blocks away.
Also not pictured are a few other mandatory items. First on this list are my two laptops. My netbook, which I’ll be carrying in the event I need to file something immediately, and my more powerful personal laptop, when I’m editing later in the evening. Second, a heady dose of caffeine. I have a pile of old MRE-supplied single-serving coffee pouches. In a pinch, you can down them like pixie sticks and follow them up with a big gulp of water. Not the tastiest way to get your coffee, but it’ll keep you walking long past the point of exhaustion.
