Hector Guerrero is based in Guadalajara and Mexico City . He works for Agence France Presse. He has been a fellow by the Inter-American press society and State Council for culture and the arts in Mexico, where he worked under the tutelage of Maria Mann. His photographs have been exhibited in more 30 exhibitions across Mexico. Is part of Pedro Meyer Foundation and Image Center in Mexico City. In the last two years in collaboration with renowned  photographers to participated in over 15 festivals dedicated to photography in different cities of Mexico.

I am a documentary photographer, currently working on a project about environmental impact in my country and giving coverage to the Mexican drug war. This is my basic equipment that I always carry with me.

I love the Hasselblad camera for the optics, and the Fuji X10 camera allows me to be discreet and unnoticed. I do video in confined spaces with the GoPro. I use a headlamp when there is low light conditions because I do not use flash, and I’m prepared for wet or dry weather.

Gear list:

- Domke F-5XC large shoulder bag
- The Hasselblad XPan II
- Fujifilm X10
- GoPro Hero2
- GoPro Hero3
- Newswear pouch for flash
- Newswear pouch for telephoto
- Eye-Fi X2 Memory Card
- Storm Jacket for rain
- Domke wrap
- Fujicolor Proplus II color negative film
- Lens Pen
- Battery pack and protective case for iphone
- Handmade notebook
- Petzl headlamp
- GU Energy Gel
- Dry pouch

More than 70,000 people have been killed in rising drug-related violence in Mexico since December 2006, when President Felipe Calderon deployed soldiers and federal police to take on organized crime. These images come from patrols with the Mexican army that were destroying laboratories of synthetic drugs and marijuana plantations.
In the image: Mexican soldier burns marijuana plants found in Hostotipaquillo, Jalisco State, Mexico on October 06, 2012 in the border area between the Mexican states of Jalisco and Nayarit. Members of the Mexican military conducted an operation in the area where so far they have destroyed 290 hectares of marijuana plantations and burned more than 350 tons of plants.

Mexican soldiers cross in front of the flames caused by a gas pipeline explosion in Zapotlanejo, 30 km from Guadalajara city, Jalisco State, Mexico on October 19, 2012. The fire took more than 18 hours to extinguish.

A fireman fights a massive fire at “La Primavera” forest in Guadalajara, Mexico, on April 22, 2012. More than 200 firefighters were sent to the site where the fire had been burning uncontrolled for more than 7 days and had consumed over 13,000 hectares.

 
Valerie Millett is a landscape photographer based out of Arizona who often goes to, what some would consider, extreme lengths to get the photographs that best represent her experiences in nature. Hiking and camping in remote areas with only her dog for companionship, Valerie’s dedication to her art shines through her images.

When I head out to shoot the landscapes I’m pretty spontaneous. I’ve headed for the Grand Canyon and ended up in Colorado. I may shoot close to my SUV or wander around for 8 hours so my camera gear is always stowed in a backpack equipped with everything I need to shoot, food and water and if necessary some survival gear. If I get stuck somewhere I’m equipped to camp.  I may be in the heat of the Sonoran Desert or wading up to my chest in some creek but I’m prepared for wet or dry, including extra clothes and dry bags.

I’m often shooting in dirty dusty locations so I also prepare myself to be able to wipe down all my gear, blow dust and clean my sensor if needed out in the elements.

I use my three lenses equally, just depends on my mood and the scene that I’m presented with. Wide angle for large vistas. I love to use my Canon EF 70-200mm to search for landscape “patterns”. (See shot of the painted desert in Arizona at the bottom of the post)

My Canon EF 24-105mm I sort of just see as my second set of eyes viewing the landscapes, as is.

List of gear:

- Induro Tripod AT114 with BHD0 ballhead
- Spare Induro Locking and Drag knobs/tools
- Canon 5D Mark II
- Canon EF 24-105mm f/4 L IS USM lens
- Canon EF 17-40mm f/4 L USM Ultra Wide Angle lens
- Canon EF 70-200mm f/4 L IS USM lens
- Polaroid Right-Angle viewfinder
- Lee 4×6 ND Grad.Filter .6
- Lee Filter Holder System
- Black Diamond Headlamp with spare batteries
- Counter Assault Bear Spray
- Flex Lens Shade
- Gorillapod
- Sensor Cleaning Kit
- Zeiss Lens Cleaning wipes
- Brush and Blower Cleaning tool
- ProMaster Polarizer Filter
- ProMaster UV Filter
- First Aid kit
- Multi-tool/Swiss Army Knife
- Gloves
- Emergency Space Blanket
- Dry Bags
- CF card holder
- Strike Force Fire Starter tool
- Protein Bars
- Mirror
- Water container
- Colored tape (Trail marker)
- Food
- Water
- Dry Clothes

Painted Desert, Arizona

Every job requires different gear and tools, but this bag goes with me every time that I shoot and it’s contents haven’t changed since I got it.  The Mark 4 is soon to be replaced with a 1Dx.

- Canon EOS 5D Mark III
- Canon BG-E11
- Canon EOS 1D Mark IV
- Canon 35mm f/1.4
- Canon 50mm f/1.2
- Canon 85mm f/1.2
- Canon 24-70mm f/2.8
- Canon 24-105mm f/4
- Canon 70-200 f/2.8
- Canon 580EX
- Quantum Turbo SC
- Quantum cord for Canon
- Think Tank Airport International V 2.0
- Think Tank Airport International V 2.0 rain cover
- Emergency Poncho
- Canon EOS 5D Mark III instruction manual
- B+W 77mm circular polarizer
- Hoya 72mm ND x64
- X-Rite Mini ColorChecker
- 6ft USB tethering cord
- Canon BG-E11 battery tray for AA’s
- Canon LP-E6 (2)
- Canon LP-E4 (2)
- AA batteries (4)
- Hot shoe mounted level
- Gary Fong flash diffuser
- Mini screwdriver kit with pliers & needle nose pliers taken by TSA
- Think Tank camera strap (2)
- Canon camera strap
- Fine point black Sharpie (2)
- Ultra fine point black Sharpie
- Lens cleaning cloth
- Business cards (10+)
- Canon OC-E3 off camera cord
- PhotoShelter branded Think Tank Pixel Pocket Rocket
- SanDisk 32gb Extreme Pro CF card (4)
- SanDisk 32gb Extreme CF card (2)
- SanDisk 16gb Extreme CF card (2)
- SanDisk 8gb Extreme IV CF card (2)
- Canon Angle Finder C
- Canon LC-E6 charger
- SanDisk Rescue Pro free download certificates (5)
- Tenba 10-inch Messenger Wrap

I’m heading to Vietnam for six weeks to work on a couple long-term photo stories (and hang out with my family on the side). This is my standard bag o’ tricks for when I’m traveling and shooting personal work — a fairly basic digital kit, and my beloved Yashica D TLR for shooting film. I’m bringing a Zoom H2 just in case any multimedia opportunities arise (I’m trying to avoid fragile gear like my RODE mic, which I’m pretty sure would get back to London in little pieces). The bulkiest part of my gear back is my massive bag of film (only about a third of it is pictured here).

- Canon 5D Mark III
- Canon 24-70mm 2.8L
- Canon 70-200mm 2.8L
- Canon 35mm 1.4L

- Lensbaby Pro Effects Kit (courtesy of The Photo Brigade!)

- Yashica D Twin Lens Reflex Camera
- 50 rolls of 120 film: Ilford HP5, Kodak Tri-X, Kodak Portra NC

- MacBook Air 11”
- iPhone 4 (for Instagram)
- iPhone 3 (to jailbreak)
- Vietnamese Nokia cell phone

- Zoom H2 Recorder
- Western Digital 1TB My Passport Portable HD
- Aputure Intervalometer

- 118GB in CF cards
- 24GB in SD cards
- CF/SD card reader
- 4x Canon batteries
- Rechargeable AA batteries
- Electrical tape + gaffer tape
- Converters (UK to Vietnam, US to Vietnam, US to UK)
- Moleskine
- Press passes
- Cleaning wipes
- Swiss army knife
- 16GB USB drive
- Playing cards
- Book (B.H. Liddell Hart’s History of the Second World War)

Robert Bostick is a freelance photographer and photojournalist based in Dallas Texas specializing in event, editorial, and assignment photography. Robert is a regular contributor to various print and online magazines, including The Dallas Observer, Modern Luxury,  360 West,  D Sidedish,  CRAVE dfw,  Culturemap,  Pegasus News,  Edible Magazine and many others. Robert has been an official photographer for Chefs for Farmers, Swing For Relief, Dallas Association of Young Lawyers, Cafe Momentum,  Barn Aid,  The North Texas Irish Festival and The National Kidney Foundation. Robert is also a volunteer photographer for The American Red Cross Public Affairs Office and received the Presidents Volunteer Service Award and the Call to Service Award under the Obama Administration.

I get a wide variety of assignments, everything from covering natural disasters to shooting food and I can usually anticipate what to bring and what to bring it in.  There are times when the assignment is rather broad and that’s when I bring the “Main Bag” which has everything but the kitchen sink…

Bag

- Manfrotto MB SB390-5BB VELOCE V Backpack
- Prophoto Expandable Tripod Bag

Cameras and Lenses

- Canon EOS 7D
- Canon EOS T2i with BG-E8 Battery Grip (B-camera and video)

- EF 28-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS USM
- EF 50mm f/1.8 II
- EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS (soon to be replaced by the EF 17-40mm f/4 L USM)
- EF-S 55-250mm f/4-5.6 IS II
- Lensbaby “Control Freak” Tilt Shift Lens w/optic kit

Lighting and Modifiers

- Canon 420 EX II TTL Flash
- Yongnuo YN-560 Manual Flash  (not pictured)
- Yongnuo NPT-04 Wireless Flash Transmitters (2) and Receiver
- Sunpak Readylite 20 Video Light
- Bayco 30 LED “Lightwand”
- Maglite Mini

- Sto-Fen Diffuser  (for 420 EX or YN-560)
- Rouge Flashbender Large
- Rouge Flashbender Small
- Rouge Flashbender Softbox Small
- Dynex 18″ Five in One Reflector
- Impact 12″ Silver and White Reflector

Audio / Video

- Alesis Palmtrack 24 bit Wave/MP3 Recorder
- Sima MZM-1 Directional Microphone
- Dynex Video Accessory Grip
- Video Monopod /Stabilizer

Misc. Stuff

- Polaris Flashmeter (yes I use it sometimes)
- 52 mm Circular Polarizer
- 52 mm ND 4 Filter
- 58 mm Circular Polarizer
- 58 mm ND 2 Filter
- 58 mm Closeup Filters +1, +2 and +4
- Quantaray Camera Straps (2)
- Canon EOS Camera Strap With Eyebolt (for flash)
- Mini Tripod (for Audio)
- Hakuba Mini Tripod
- Flash Stand
- Lens Pen
- Zeiss Lens Wipes
- Inclement Weather Sleeve
- BG-E8 AA Battery Grip Magazine (for T2i)
- Canon RC-1 Remote Shutter Release
- White Balance Cards
- Bag Straps (2)
- Various Tamrac MAS Cases

Power Supply

- Batteries for 7D (2)
- Batteries for T2i (2)
- Eneloop AA Rechargeable Batteries (18)
- Eneloop AAA Rechargeable Batteries (4)
- Battery Charger for 7D
- Battery Charger for T2i
- Charger for Sunpak Readylite 20 Video Light
- Duracell Mobile Phone Battery Chargers (3) (not pictured)

Storage

- CF Cards Various Capacities  (44 GB Total)
- SD Cards Various Capacities  (44 GB Total)
- Card Wallets (2)

Misc.

- Pens
- Notebook
- Credentials
- Altoid Gum
- N-Joy King Electronic Cigarette
- Leatherman Blast (not pictured as it’s always on my belt)

Tripod / Lighting Bag

- Manfrotto MKC3-P01 Compact Tripod
- Light Stand
- Light Stand Head
- Umbrella 18″ Three in One

Other Bags Used

- Tamrac 5534 Messenger
- Tamrac 5630 Long Lens
- Tamrac 5768 Velocity 8x
- “Frankenbelt” (Husky tool-belt with various Tamrac MAS, Lowepro and Denali cases)

 
Jack Megaw is an award winning photographer currently based in Philadelphia. He specialises in the photography of sport and motorsport and is available worldwide. Jack’s images have been published globally including in the New York Times, The Guardian, Daily Mail, The Sun, The Independent, ESPN the Magazine and Sports Illustrated.
 

About 90% of my work is photographing sport. Mostly soccer, rugby, cycling, motor racing, ice hockey, boxing and cricket. I also photograph some news, feature, travel and documentary work and even some portraits so my kit needs to be slightly varied to accommodate all of those.

Camera Bodies:

- Nikon D3 (x2): Mainly I use two bodies. Both Nikon D3. The one D3 I have had for a few years and the other I recently picked up to add a second full frame camera to my arsenal. Normally I will work with the newer D3 as my main body and the older D3 as a second body or a remote behind a goal if I’m photographing soccer. I also have a Nikon D200 but it rarely comes out of the cupboard unless I need a third body for a remote. I have the original Nikon D3 strap on my main and an unclippable NPS strap on the other for when I do remotes and want to get the strap out of the way.

Lenses:

When it comes to wide glass I use primes. Mostly because they make me work and move my feet in order to make a picture rather than just taking pictures.

- AF NIKKOR 24mm f/2.8D: Wide prime. Good remote lens behind a goal or as a floor remote for basketball. Also works well as a handheld lens when photographing an event or celebration scrum after a game.

- AF-S NIKKOR 50mm 1.4G: Beautiful bokeh and at f/1.4 great in low light situations. Also makes for a decent portrait lens. My go to lens when I’m doing feature pictures and documentary work or even just going out to do street photography. It’s simple and uncomplicated (and that is no bad thing!) My favourite lens at the moment.

- AF-S NIKKOR 85mm f/1.8G: A great portrait lens and has lovely bokeh. Another good lens for street photography with a bit more length.

- AF-S NIKKOR 200-400 f/4G ED VR II: My main lens when I’m photographing sport is the AF-S Nikkor 200-400 f/4G ED VR II. Much of my work is photographing soccer so the flexibility was my main motivation for choosing the 200-400 over the 400 2.8. With the 200-400 is the photographer is over-lensed much less often so as a result fewer pictures are missed where one would otherwise miss a moment switching bodies to one with a wider lens. The downside is a stop is lost from the 400 2.8 and sometimes I do miss it when working in dark stadiums or using a teleconverter.

- AF-S Teleconverter TC-14 E II: I don’t use the teleconverter very often but sometimes when covering cricket or motorsport it cannot be avoided. The autofocus slows down as expected but I will prefocus a lot with the teleconverter or set the ‘memory’ on the lens so with the push of a button it snaps to the spot previously selected.

- AF NIKKOR 80-200 f/2.8D ED: It gets less use now than it used to but still does the job when called upon. Normally used as a wider option on the second body with the 200-400 on the main body for when the action gets close. For basketball and ice hockey it gets a lot of use. I will also use it when covering an event as a longer option.

- AFS NIKKOR 24-70 f/2.8G ED: A great lens and again the flexibility comes in and gives it the edge over the primes when I am shooting a high pace and intensity sport like boxing. Sometimes when photographing sport something entirely unexpected can happen and it’s easier to have that lightning reaction time whilst using the zoom rather than the prime.

Flash

- Nikon SB-600 AF Speedlight: To be honest I barely use flash at all and almost always go with natural light. But there are times that flash does need to be used when things get dark or for fill flash. For that I use the Nikon SB-600. I also use the Sto-Fen Omni-Bounce to diffuse the flash.

Camera Support

- Monopod: The monopod I use is a basic aluminium Gitzo which I have had for a few years now. I like that it’s uncomplicated and simple to use. Also it packs up nicely and slides easily into the front of my roller.

- Manfrotto 244 Variable Friction Magic Arm with Camera Bracket (x2) and Manfrotto Super Clamps (x4): Great for mounting cameras high up. If I am doing a timelapse I will use magic arms to mount the cameras but they are mostly used for mounting cameras for remotes. Manfrotto make a few versions of the magic arm. I recommend the Variable Friction Magic Arm (with the knob) since it can be tightened and loosened gradually for adjustments and is more reliable.

- Mini tripod: Used for placing remotes behind goals for soccer matches.

- Pocketwizard Plus II (x2): Used for firing remotes. I also use pre trigger cables from www.flashzebra.com since I know I’ll end up breaking a few each year. Much cheaper to replace than the ones from pocketwizard. I keep a spare handy in the bag also.

Camera Bags:

- Think Tank Photo Airport International V2.0: I can’t say enough about this bag. I went for the smaller international version since I do a decent amount of transatlantic flying each year. The idea of checking $20,000+ worth of camera gear sends shivers down my spine so it’s great to have one that can fit in the overhead locker on any flight. Lenses and bodies fit snugly into the bag with the notebook, credentials in the pockets. There is a great pocket in the top of the bag for a business cards which is convenient when you want to hand one out.

- Think Tank Photo Modular Component Systems: I use the Thin Skin Belt – midrange of the Think Tank Photo belts. Well padded and can be worn all day. Takes the weight of the back and the modular components distribute the weight well around the waist. For the modular systems I use the Lens Changer 15 V2.0 and the Lens Changer 75 Pop Down V2.0 to carry the lenses when not on a body. I use the Strobe Stuff pouch for the flash and a lens cloth. I also have a Pocketwizard case clipped onto the belt with Pocketwizards and a pre-trigger cable.

Other:

- MacBook Pro (15 inch)

- Lexar Professional USB 3.0 Dual Slot Card Reader: Fast and reliable. I work almost exclusively in RAW so a fast card reader is vital when working on a deadline.

- iPhone 5

- Headphones

- Notebook/pen for taking names/captions etc.

- Moo.com business cards

- Credential holder: Lots of the time credentials will just be a bit of paper on a string so it’s always useful to have a spare credential holder so it doesn’t tear off. Security people don’t tend to be very understanding in those type of situations.

- Bright yellow gaffers tape: A lot of the time when I do remotes I really want to be able to see my gear from a distance so I know nothing has shifted or has ‘disappeared’. That was the reason for the choice of tape colour. The yellow stands out well against the black even from a distance. The other reason is to distinguish my gear in a press room so it doesn’t become mixed up with other photographers’ gear.

David Keochkerian lives in Amiens, France and works in the field of physical medicine and rehabilitation. He has been practicing photography for two years now, although he fell into the cauldron when he was a child: his dad is now a retired photographer. So this is how he grew up, with the smell of chemicals, the shutter snap or the purr of his roller transport print processor…Though photography has become a passion for only two years. He then felt the need to create, to express himself.

Photographer David Keochkerian was drawn to Ambleteuse on the northern coast of France, not only for its beauty, but also for its history.

Henry VIII of England built two forts there. In a couple of years, they were taken over by Henry II of France. Later, Napoleon created a harbor there and during World War II, Vichy France built bunkers and a concentration camp on the site. What follows is Keochkerian’s recollections of his recent shoot there.

The North coast of France is beautiful. The water is not clear and turquoise, but so many things have happened here that this coast has a soul. Ambleteuse is just one of the places there that is rich in history.

The morning I was there the weather was not very good, rain and wind, but there was interesting light. The wind was actually really strong, 80km/h, but the sun piercing through the clouds was just sublime so I took out my D800, Nikon 16-35mm f4, Lee Big Stopper, and my Induro CT114 tripod and PHQ1 pan head. I need a multi-purpose tripod that can be taken anywhere and is very stable, even in fairly extreme conditions.

For each composition I made several different exposures, in general -2EV,-1EV, 0, +1 EV, +2 EV, with and without the filter. I generally take about 10 images of the same composition, which allows me to combine those that interest me in Photoshop. I really need a very rigid and stable tripod because my processing technique depends on images that are perfectly aligned.

This shoot was a real treat and the weather made for amazing moods. The North coast of France is truly a special place.

Gear list:

- D800
- D700 modified for IR (590nm)
- D700 modified for IR (720nm)
- Nikon 16-35mm f/4
- Nikon 105mm f/2.8
- Nikon 50mm f/1.4
- Nikon 24mm f/2.8
- Nikon 20mm f/2.8
- Nikon 16mm fisheye f/2.8
- Nikon 70-300 f/4.5-5.6
- Lee Big Stopper long exposure filter + + 0.9 + 1.2 ND
- Induro CT114 carbon fiber tripod + toolkit (included with the tripod) + PHQ1 head
- Phottix TR90
- Lensbaby Muse
- Nodal Ninja 3 MKII
- Batteries for D700 (x3)
- Batteries for D800 (x3)
- 32GB SD cards (x2)
- 16GB CF card
- 4GB CF cards (5)

See more of David’s work on DK Photographie. He has prints for sale, including the one in this post!

 
Dustin Franz is a freelance photojournalist based in Cleveland, Ohio. Before moving back to his hometown in the fall of 2012, Dustin was the photo editor for The Athens News in Athens, Ohio. Some of his clients include The New York Times, The Washington Post and Education week. He also shoots weddings and events locally.

In the fall of 2012, I quit my full time newspaper job to move back to my hometown of Cleveland to pursue the world of freelance. It has been a constant learning process ever since. While I miss having the stability of a paycheck with benefits, there are many things that I enjoy more about trying my hand at freelance. Being my own boss is probably one the nicest things about my transition so far. If you have ever worked for a small newspaper and had a last minute shoot for the Ad department come up during a busy news day, you know what I’m talking about.

I shoot Nikon, always have, can’t say I always will, but for now I do. I love the way the camera feels in my hands and the ergonomics of the build. It just works for me. My two favorite lenses are the 35mm 1.4 and the 85mm 1.4. They probably get the most use on my camera. The 85mm is one of the sharpest lenses I’ve ever used and is wonderful for portraits. I like shooting primes for many reasons, the main being their faster apertures. I also like that they are smaller and lighter on the camera than zoom lenses. I also really love my Mamiya. I don’t always take it with me but I usually try and make a few frames with it while I’m out shooting. It is a lot to carry around though so I’ll only bring it if I absolutely know I’ll be using it.

Gear list:

- Nikon D700
- Nikon 24mm 2.8D
- Nikon 35mm 1.4G
- Nikon 50mm 1.4D
- Nikon 85mm 1.4D
- Nikon 135mm 2.0D
- Nikon SB-800 Strobe
- Extra batteries/cards
- Mamiya RZ67 w/ 90mm 3.5
- Extra Kodak Portra 120 film
- Business Cards
- Pens
- Off camera flash cord
- Manfrotto tripod
- MacBook Pro
- Lacie 500GB Rugged Drive
- SanDisk Firewire CF Reader
- Think Tank Pixel Pocket Rocket
- Swiss Army Knife (because you never know)
- Lighter (even though I don’t smoke anymore)
- Domke F-6 camera bag

Seth Rubin is a travel, portrait, and wedding photographer currently based in Washington, DC. He’s recently returned from four months traveling through Southeast Asia and Nepal for which his images have been printed in PDN, Action Asia, East-West Traveller, and China’s Outdoor magazine. Returned to DC, in 2013, Rubin looks forward to following up his well-received 2010 exhibitions benefiting Kenyan NGO aid work with exhibiting these recent award-winning photographs. Rubin keeps inspired with a strong espresso and soulful tunes and enjoys late-night editing sessions with a glass of bourbon and Bob Marley’s Songs of Freedom… Disc 2.

Looking back to May 2012, as I was gearing up for a four month backpacking photographic journey through Southeast Asia, Nepal, and a bit of Europe, I found myself once again considering what should be in my bag. Four months on the road required carefully negotiating space as well as weight and a computer with enough (well hardened) hard drive space to accommodate tens of thousands of new images. And photographing a wide variety of portraits, land/cityscapes, and street, the list included not only your typical camera(s) and lens range, but also outdoor landscape filters, a modest lighting setup, and other small though valuable travel items.

Regarding the camera set-up itself, newer technology was filling a gap where large-sensor rangefinder sized digital cameras hadn’t yet existed. Through my previous extended backpacking trips, a full two DSLR setup stressed both the body and mind and this time around I was ready to leave this setup at home… travel lighter, feel freer, for a first time.

And with the anticipated launch (at that time) of the Fuji X-Pro1 and the Olympus OM-D E-M5, the decision of what gear to haul such long distances surely wasn’t an easy one. DSLR set-up? Micro 4/3rd’s set-up? Two micro 4/3rd’s? A mixture? Would the micro 4/3rd’s camera(s) be suitable? Would the DSLR be too heavy or would the extra weight warrant the potentially better photos? Could the micro 4/3rd’s provide the telephoto capabilities of the DSLRs? With the need for a laptop and external hard drives, what would adding a DSLR and a few lenses really hurt? The bag’s already so big, right? … And on it went, considerations back and forth and back again, but eventually the following set-up was finalized.

And now settled back in DC and reflecting on the travels, the choice of equipment couldn’t have been more perfect. The GX1 micro-4/3rd’s body with various lenses ruled the show and was always with. For street and travel images especially, its discreet compactness and high quality, low light, lenses performed wonderfully. For less candid and more intensive shooting including proper portrait shoots, NGO work, adventure rock climbing and the such, the 5DII performed like the workhorse it is.

Lastly, the one potentially overlooked element could be the two all-weather and shock resistant external hard-drives (see below) which provided a feeling of security throughout the trip, knowing all backups and data were well secured on two backup drives in two different bags (and burned onto DVD in a third bag). The ultra-rugged ioSafe drive boasts inherit protection from drop, crush, salt water, sand, rain, altitude, and chemicals. Needless to say, the team at ioSafe doesn’t f@#! around.

For photos from the trip, visit Seth Rubin Photography on 500px and on his blog.

CAMERAS & LENSES:
- Canon 5D Mark II with 4 batteries (tip: I use pieces of masking tape reading “CHARGED” on each battery. Once the battery is expended, I peel the tape half back and tuck it under, indicating it needs a charge. Good way to keep track and not find yourself in a bind with no charged batteries – it happens)
- Canon 16-35mm f/2.8L
- Canon 50mm f/1.2L
- Canon 70-200mm f/2.8L IS
- Panasonic Lumix DMC-GX1 (micro 4/3rd’s) with 4 batteries (2 shown here, 2 more picked up on the road)
- Olympus 12mm f/2.0 (24mm equiv)
- Panasonic 20mm f/1.7 (40mm equiv)
- Olympus 45mm f/1.8 (90mm equiv)
- Canon S95 (point & shoot) with 2 batteries

LIGHTING:
- Canon 580EX flash
- Canon STE-2 wireless transmitter
- RadioPopper PX Transmitter & PX Receiver with holder and handle
- White balance correction/adjustment gels
- Small cheap LED continuous light (only good for dark selective light portraits – not strong enough otherwise)
- 4×6” LED dimmable continuous light (not shown) (great for dimly lit portraits)
- Petzl Tikka Plus LED headlamp (all-around usage, not necessarily for photography)

FILTERS:
- Cokin P filter holder with 72 and 77mm adapters (these Cokin and Singh-Ray filter setups are key for landscape photography and useful for many travel situations as well)
- Singh-Ray Galen Rowell’s graduated neutral density filters (P size) – 2 stop soft, 3 stop soft
- Singh-Ray Daryl Benson’s reverse graduated neutral density filter (P size) – 3 stop hard
- Singh-Ray Vari-ND filter (77mm) (great for slowing the shutter down to show motion)
- B+W UV filters and multi-resistant coating (MRC) polarizing filters for each lens

MEMORY:
- 46 GB of SanDisk Extreme III & IV CF cards – (1) 16 GB, (2) 8 GB, (3) 4 GB, (1) 2 GB
- 20 GB of SanDisk Ultra & Extreme SD cards – (1) 16 GB, (1) 4 GB
- Lowepro card wallet
- SanDisk multi-card reader

TRIPODS:
- Gitzo Mountaineer GT0530 3 section carbon-fiber tripod
- Giottos MH1302 ballhead with MH655 quick release assembly
- Joby small and large GorillaPod flexible tripods (large tripod missing from the photo – purchased on the road)
- Canon simple cable release

AUDIO:
- Zoom H2 digital voice recorder with windscreen

COMPUTER & EXT HDDs:
- Apple MacBook Pro 15.4″ (pre-Retina)
- ioSafe Rugged portable hard drive with Firewire 800 & USB 3.0 (1 TB)
- Silicon Power Rugged Armor A80 portable external hard drive with USB 3.0 (1 TB)
- Thule Gauntlet MacBook Pro sleeve (this sleeve is bad-ass, highly recommended)
- Several international outlet adapters

BAG & ACCESSORIES:
- Think Tank Street Walker HardDrive backpack (good pack to accommodate all these items, although definitely recommend the reinforced (optional) waist belt, the one that comes with the bag is hardly effective. And the bag is quite deep, not necessarily ideal for “street walking”, unless you really need all your gear in the bag)
- Pacsafe 55L cage system bag protector with exomesh (most often the Think Tank bag gets left behind and smaller daypacks get used… this exomesh makes sure the Think Tank is still there when you get back each day – attach it to a toilet or other ‘permanent’ structure)
- TSA combination locks (not great, but better than nothing)

Daniel Dreifuss was born in Santa Cruz and grew up in sunny San Diego playing ice hockey and listening to punk rock music. Daniel found his love for photography after taking graphic arts course in high school. Daniel attended Brooks Institute of Photography in Santa Barbara where he majored in Commercial Advertising. During his time at Brooks Institute, he co-founded Volatile Magazine, an online music magazine. Volatile Magazine gave Dreifuss the opportunity to interview and photograph many of his favorite bands, including NOFX, Anti-Flag and Flogging Molly and in countries as far as Tel Aviv. In Tel Aviv, Daniel landed an internship with Flash 90 photo agency – one of the largest agencies in the Middle East – where he worked alongside the top photographers in Israel. Back in California, Daniel became the photo editor for the award-winning college newspaper, The Mesa Press. He also did freelance work for some of the best publications in San Diego: The La Jolla Light, San Diego Union-Tribune and The North County Times. Today, Daniel continues to grow as a person and photographer at Lee Central Coast Newspaper (Santa Maria Times, Lompoc Record, Santa Ynez Valley News and Adobe Press). Daniel’s work has been published in CNN, Corbis, European Press Agency, Homadia, Reuters, National Geographic, The Guardian and The Economist. In his time away from work he enjoys going to LA Kings games, riding his Vespa, film photography, and wine & microbrew tasting.

Working for Lee Central Coast Newspaper has brought me so much closer to the community. Here, I a feel privileged to work in a newsroom with hardworking journalists and other talented photographers. On any given day, I may go from a fire to a feature story about someone in our community that has made a difference – and I usually end the day with a high school sporting event. I cover everything from sports to portraits, news, features, weather art to wild art. I always am looking for ways to shoot differently. To me, being creative and trying new techniques is the key to being a better photographer. My lens of choice is my nifty 50 followed by 16-35mm and 70-200mm.

Camera Gear

- Canon 16-35mm f2.8
- Canon 50mm f1.8
- Canon 15mm f2.8
- Canon 70-200mm f2.8
- Canon 300mm f2.8 (only sometimes)
- Canon Battery Grip BG-E6
- Canon 580EX
- Canon 580EX II
- Canon 5D Mark II
- Canon 7D

- Op/Tech Rain sleeve
- CowboyStudio radio slaves
- Olympus digital voice recorder
- Canon RS-80n3 remote switch
- Calumet 8′ light stand
- Rubber Bands
- Giottos lens brush
- Lens cleaner
- RPS Studio Flash mini soft box
- Pens
- Reporter’s notebook
- Microfiber cloth
- Black Sharpie
- Mints
- Domke F-6 bag
- Calumet BP935 backpack for traveling

Memory Cards
- SanDisk Ultra II 2GB
- SanDisk Ultra II 4GB
- Delkin Devices 2GB
- SanDisk Extreme 16GB

Computer
- Dell Latitude (work provided)