Alex Jones is a freelance commercial and editorial photographer in Boston, Massachusetts. A native Texan, Alex developed his love of spot news photography while working at The Monitor on the Mexican border in McAllen, Texas, where he was frequently accused of starting fires by his newspaper’s editors because he arrived at them so quickly. He became a Volunteer Firefighter in 2009 before moving to Boston. Alex is proud to be an alumnus of The University of Texas and Barnstorm XVII.

I like covering spot news.  A lot.  I’m fortunate to be able cover a wide variety of features, sports, portraits, commercial assignments, and the like – but the thing I enjoy most is chasing the news as it breaks.  My wife rolls her eyes when a hurricane is churning up the east coast because she knows I’ll be like a 5 year old on Christmas Eve waiting for it to come in.  Being able to shoot it well requires lots of very specific things, but most importantly, you need scanners.  More than one. This means that I get strange looks from people the first time they get in my SUV.

From top to bottom, that’s:

- A Uniden HomePatrol HP-1
- iPhone 5 with data tethering plan
- Radio Shack Pro-2055 scanners (x2)
- Kenwood TK-380 handheld UHF radio in a koozie from my old newspaper
- Kenwood TK-880 UHF radio

All wrapped up nicely in a Havis vehicle specific console.  I took this approach to avoid having 4 radios and a mess of charging cables flying around the inside of my vehicle all the time.

This setup allows me to hear the police and fire departments around me in Boston, where I work.  Listening to it when all 3 scanners are going can be a little like trying to talk to all your friends at once at a loud bar, but you get used to it.

The thing that frustrates people the most about getting all this equipment set up and working right is programming in all the radio frequencies.  Let me offer a few tips:

Bookmark radioreference.com

If you know what departments you want to listen to and have a reasonable amount of patience, go to radioreference and find their frequencies in the database.  Pick up whatever scanner is in the back of the equipment closet and follow the instructions.  Prepare to spend an evening doing this.

If you know you don’t have the patience, or don’t understand what things like Trunking and P-25 mean, get ready to spend a lot of money on something like the HomePatrol HP-1.  It comes pre-programmed with the entire US RadioReference database, and can be updated with a (Windows) computer over USB.  It can also use a GPS receiver to determine its position and what it should listen to.  It happens to cost $500 (plus accessories).

The Uniden BCT-15 would be what I would buy now if I didn’t already have my discontinued Radio Shack 2055’s.  It can also be programmed through software and a USB cable, and only costs $200.  Of course, if your local departments use digital radios, you’re looking at a $500 scanner like the BCT-996XT that can decode P-25.

Scanners, great as they are, have a very hard time determining what’s important – all they can tell is that someone’s talking on one of the hundreds of frequencies that they know they’re supposed to watch.  Frequently, one department will be talking about something unimportant or doing a department-wide radio check while another is paging out the address of that fully involved structure fire that you really need to get to right now.

Enter: the little bird.

Scanners, it turns out, are not exclusively owned by news photographers.  There’s an entire community out there of people who enjoy listening to them, and lots of those people are on twitter.  Police officers, firefighters, TV assignment editors, HAM radio guys with stacks of radios that put mine to shame… they all enjoy listening to the same radio traffic that I do.  I tweet when I hear about something important, they tweet when they have something, and collectively, we form a cloud of information on what is currently on fire and where.

I also subscribe to a paging service (1RWN.com) that is active in my area and sends text summaries of incidents to my phone.  Especially useful when you’re away from your radios or asleep, as I was when it alerted me to a 5 alarm fire in Boston’s Allston neighborhood last fall.

Speed is the most important part of covering spot news.  Getting there fast is part of it, but so is getting the pictures out quickly in a day when everybody has an internet-connected 8 megapixel camera in their pocket.  That’s why I love my Eye-Fi card.

My 5D Mark III has a slot for it right next to the 32 GB CF card that I actually shoot to.  It’s configured so that all I have to do is chimp my way through my photos on the back of my camera and copy the ones I like over to the Eye-Fi card.  I can then open the included app on my iPhone and transfer them over, do some quick editing in Photogene, and send them off to my clients without ever leaving the scene.  I stay as long as I need to, then come home and write invoices.  Life is great.

Equipment list:

- Havis Vehicle Specific Console for Ford Escape (ordered from MHQ in Marlborough, MA)
- Faceplate for the scanners
- Faceplate for the Kenwood TK-880
- Cupholder
- Switch plate
- Mic clip bracket for iPhone mount
- Storage box
- Armrest
- Uniden HomePatrol HP-1
- HomePatrol Mobile Mount
- HomePatrol DC adapter
- Uniden GPS Receiver
- Blue Sea Systems Fuse Block (inside the console for power)
- Automotive Fuse Taps
- Radio Shack Pro-2055 (x2)
- Kenwood TK-380
- Kenwood TK-880
- ProClip USA iPhone 5 Adjustable Holder
- RAM Mount Diamond Base (bolts to the iPhone holder)
- RAM Mount short arms (x2)
- Eye-Fi Pro X2 16GB

Marc Piscotty is a commercial and editorial photographer based in Denver, Co. specializing in food, portraits, sports and assignment based work. He is a two-time Pulitzer Prize winning photographer with a rich background in newspaper and documentary photography. He has covered everything from major sporting events such as the Super Bowl and the Olympics to major news events such as Columbine and the Democratic National Convention. He also continues to work on an ever-growing collection of stock photography and is available for assignments and commissions worldwide.

The Canon versus Nikon debate has raged for years now and underscores the fact that gear is a highly personal choice and there’s no one right setup for everyone. What I’m offering up is what has worked for me and what I’m comfortable with…Hope it offers up some interesting reading.

I’ve pulled together a kit that I would use on a pretty standard restaurant and food shoot for a magazine or the establishment itself. In the past I’ve used White Lightning x1600‘s with softboxes or umbrellas or even grid spots but the issue with strobes tends to be that they take up a lot of space and are fairly distracting inside a small space like a restaurant which is a problem if they’re open for business while I’m working. That setup also tended to throw light everywhere and I was looking for a light source that was a bit more directional, spotty and controllable. So when I came across the LED lights that have become pretty popular for video work I was intrigued by the possibilities. They turned out to be great for food work, are super compact, affordable and dimmable as well. The only drawback can be highlights on glasses because of all the tiny LED points of light effect (with careful placement and/or diffusion though it can be avoided). I’ve put together four or five of them as well as a couple of even smaller pocket sized LEDs that I’ll use at points on shoots to fit into the tightest of spots or use them as highlights in a scene (they’re not dimmable but a little gaffers tape goes a long way at controlling light output). I have all the bigger LEDs on Joby Gorillapods to make positioning them easy and the whole setup pretty light and quick on the fly. I highly suggest the rechargeable Li-Ion batteries as well – I think they last longer and are way easier on the environment.

There are times I’ll use either some Canon 430EZ II’s with Pocket Wizard Flex TT5s or my White Lightning x1600s and Pocket Wizard Plus III‘s but it tends to be overkill for most of the type of jobs I’m shooting and I find the 430′s tough to shape and direct the light the way I want it many times.

For white balance issues I’ll use a small white balance target or an Expodisc for challenging or mixed light. The less I have to do in terms or post production color correction the better as far as I’m concerned – no reason to not get it right in camera as much as possible.

I shoot mainly with a Canon 5D Mark III because I love the full frame aspect and the image quality is amazing (it’s incredible even looking back five or six years at the differences in files from back then to now). I tend to work mainly with a Canon EF 24-70mm 2.8L or a Canon EF 100mm 2.8L Macro for most of the food shoots sometimes using a Canon EF 70-200mm 2.8L or Canon EF 85mm 1.8 as well. I find a tripod can be handy at times especially in a dimly lit restaurant but I’ve never been a big fan of working off a tripod if I can avoid it (it always seems like I can’t get exactly the angle I want off a tripod for some reason). I always make sure I have plenty of spare freshly charged batteries as well – nothing worse than showing up and finding out most of your batteries are dead.

The couple of other items I’ve found handy for food shoots are translucent reflectors to control any harsh light from a window or toss a bit of fill light onto a scene, a couple of small 1/4 clamps to mount LEDs or 430s in tight spaces, cinefoil to control light spill and gaffers tape always has a million and one uses. I always try to grab a damp clean kitchen towel from the staff as well to clean tables, silverware, glasses, etc. I tend to do a bit of food styling but I usually don’t go too crazy on site.

As for post production I use Adobe Photoshop most days and mix in a few Rad Lab filters at times (nothing too heavy handed but i think a few of the filters really can help the final look of many of my food photos). I’ll also do some Photomerges in Photoshop at times for interiors/exteriors of restaurants when appropriate instead of shooting a scene wide – it gives it a completely different look.

I hope a few of these suggestions help someone out there and I always think that there’s no one way to do things just a way that works for you and your style…I’ve always preferred to keep it simple so there’s less that can go wrong and you can concentrate on making pictures.

List of gear:

- Canon 5D Mark III
- Canon EF 24-70mm 2.8L
- Canon EF 100mm 2.8L Macro
- Canon EF 70-200mm 2.8L
- Canon EF 85mm 1.8
- Canon 7D
- Canon 430EZ II (x 3)
- Pocket Wizard FlexTT5 (x3) + Mini TT1
- Pocket Wizard III (x4)
- White Lightning x1600 (x4)
- LED lights (x5)
- Joby Gorillapod (x4)
- Expodisc

G.J. “Gerry” McCarthy is a staff photojournalist for The Dallas Morning News, where he has worked since 2007. Before relocating back to his home state, he worked at the Columbia Daily Tribune in Mid-Missouri. Gerry plies his trade as a daily assignments photographer at TDMN, covering just about anything and everything — features, breaking news, sports, as well as the odd (literally) self-generated essay from time to time. He also regularly shoots and edits video, and works shifts on various photo editing desks as needed. He is a graduate of the University of Texas’ School of Journalism; a former musician but a terrible dancer; and, the proud father of a two-year-old boy. Give him coffee, or give him death.

I did a version of this type of article for Bert Hanashiro’s newsletter like a year and-a-half ago; you can read it here. In that time some aspects of both my gear and approach have changed, so I’ll address that with this article. Let’s break it down …

The Goldilocks Effect

Over the years I’ve ebbed and flowed on what combinations of cameras and lenses I shoot with, always looking for that “just right” setup. With the release of the Canon 5D Mark III last year, I feel like I’m as close as I’ve ever been.

- Canon 5D Mark III (2)
- Canon 28mm 2.8 IS
- Canon 85mm 1.8
- Canon 580 EXII + OC-E3 off-shoe cord
- Batteries, cards

It’s funny that this article series is called “In the Bag,” because I stopped using them back. Like any good photographer, I still have more bags than I know what to do with, but now I mainly work out of a couple Think Tank rolling cases in my car. Depending on the assignment I take what I need, usually minimal gear I can carry on my person.

The above setup suits me perfectly for everything I photograph that isn’t sports. I used to be more of a snob about the glass, shooting all the fast, L-series stuff. But once the Mark III came out, I paired down a bit. I find its high ISO capability to be just fine for smaller apertures. Plus to be honest, I rarely shot my old, fast glass wide open — too tricky to really nail the sharpness consistently, if you ask me.

The flash is there for decoration; it’s like parsley on a plate of food. I maybe fire off a few strobe pulses a month, if that. Probably to a fault, I’ve just never been much of a flash guy. It’s a nice thing to have handy, but honestly, it usually is sitting somewhere on the floorboard of my car … lonely, unused.

I put one 16-gig SanDisk card in each body, and just throw a few more cards in a pocket. It’s not a particularly careful system, as I’ve washed most of my CF cards in the laundry at least a dozen times each, lost many more, and once somehow managed to run over one with my car. Yes, it still worked — I called that one “Lucky” till I retired it.

Put Me in, Coach

I didn’t grow up with much of an interest in (or playing) sports, but have spent a large chunk of my professional career earning a keep documenting it, from the high school level up to the pros. I’m still not that interested and only maintain enough of a knowledge to do my job. Whether I do that “well” or not is up to the jury.

But, it would be fair to call me a “sports shooter,” and accordingly the gear needed to meet that end is an important part of what I work with.

- Canon 1D Mark IV (2)
- Canon 5D Mark III + BG-E11 grip
- Canon 16-35 2.8L Series II
- Canon 24-105 IS 4L
- Canon 70-200 2.8L IS Series II
- Canon 400 2.8L IS Series I
- Canon 1.4x TC Series III
- Slik “The Pro Pod” 4-Section monopod

Much like my daily approach, I don’t really use any bags when I shoot sports. Over the years I tried everything from Mountainsmith to Kinesis to Newswear, but I never got comfortable with something hanging off my waist.

So, again, I just work with what I can carry in my hands or over my shoulders, if that makes sense. The basic setup is three bodies: Mark IV + 400 (on monopod); Mark IV + 70-200; and Mark III + wide.

The wide varies on the sport, but is usually that 24-105. I might switch over to the 16-35 at halftime to be ready for post-game react. As a rule I generally don’t like to shoot that wide, especially on a full frame body, but in some of those crazy scrums after an NFL game or the like, you have to try and work your way in as close as possible, so in that sense I’d rather be too wide and crop in.

I keep the teleconverter handy — usually in a pocket — along with some extra CF cards. Thankfully, I’ve yet to launder (or run over) the converter.

Video Killed the Newspaper Star

I know some of you folks at other papers think we here at TDMN are the devil and blame us because you had to start shooting web video or — hopefully not — publishing frame grabs. Misnomers, both ways. We don’t shoot as much video as you think, and I seriously cannot remember the last time we ever ran a frame grab.

But, video has been a part of my wheelhouse for a while now, and it’s fairly common that I get asked to shoot stills and video at the same time during an assignment. Not the easiest thing, but I try my best.

- Canon 5D Mark III
- Canon 24-105 IS 4L
- Beachtek DXA-SLR
- Seinnheiser EW 112-p G3 wireless mic set (2)
- Seinnheiser ME-66 shotgun mic + SKP 100 G3 wireless transmitter
- Seinnheiser MKE 400 Miniature camera-mount mic
- OWLE iPhone Video Mount

Pretty straight forward. I sometimes use one of those Zacuto viewfinders, too, but more often than not I just work off the LCD screen of the Mark III as is. The way I compose and shoot video, I usually have time to pre-focus as needed. Oh, and it goes without saying that headphones should be somewhere in the mix — monitoring audio is like one of the biggest battles in the war of good video capture, if you ask me. I use Apple earbuds.

And speaking of audio, I don’t use that Beachtek much any more since the new 5D has a headphone jack. I bring it out when using the lav mics so I can run them off of XLR inputs rather than the 1/4″ mini jack. I’m sure I’m being delusional, but I swear the audio sounds better through XLR … warmer.

The shotgun and transmitter combo is another rare use for me but nice to have. Comes in handy for any kind of a scrum-like interview in a locker room or such where you need that little bit of extra reach to the subject. Also, when I get bored, I can wave it around like a light saber and make “whooshing” sounds with my mouth.

Lastly, the OWLE I use as a stabilizing grip for iPhone video, which we only really do for breaking news. The wide-angle attachment is a bonus, as is the little hotshot that lets you mount a small mic up on top.

And yes, I do have a tripod and such but rarely use it, relying more on the lens’ IS.

Goonies Never Say Die

I think of that movie line every time I shoot film, which is something I actually do quite often “just for me.” Maybe it’s because I get bored easy and have one of those brains that needs something to do all the time, but I always have these little essays — self-generated things — going on the side. A few have gotten published in the paper, but mostly I just do them for fun. Anyway, the gear…

- Hasselblad 500 C/M body + 120 back (x2)
- Carl Zeiss Planar 80/2.8
- Graflex Speed Graphic
- iPhone 5

The 4×5 and iPhone are the two newest things in this set, in that order. I bought the Graflex off eBay several months ago and have not run too many sheets through it yet, but so far I’m happy with the results. And my AT&T upgrade came up recently, so my Christmas present to myself was to switch my old iPhone 4 out for the latest model just the other weekend. Love it so far, too. And for those keeping score at home, I’ve now dropped it six times. Thank the gods for Apple Care.

I know what you’re thinking: Gerry, you pretentious bastard, why show off this stuff but also show ignorance by not having a light meter in the mix? Good question.

The reason for including the iPhone in this set (aside from loving to shoot mobile pics) is I have a little light meter app that is a real dandy. It’s more like a spot meter than an incident, but it’s good enough for government work and gets me pretty damn close exposure wise. I tested it out against a Sekonic meter, plus the spot meter on a dSLR, and it’s really pretty outstanding for something that cost like $1.99.

Let There Be Light

If any of my coworkers (specifically my editors) read this article and make it this far, I will be made fun of at the office mercilessly. Why? Because I suck at portraits and usually don’t light them, preferring what I once heard a guy call the “Washington Post soft box look” (meaning, find a big window with indirect sunlight and make your subject stand real close to it). Still I carry this kit in my car and do use it on occasion, so it’s worth noting:

- Dynalite Uni Jr. moonlights (2) + reflector and speed right
- Metal grid set
- Chimera medium softbox + fabric grid
- LPA MultiMAX Transceivers (3)

To steal a line from a viral marketing campaign, I don’t always light my portraits, but when I do, I prefer soft boxes with fabric grids on them. Seriously, just love them. I also enjoy getting the modifier about as close as I can to the subject while watching their facial expression get progressively more nervous looking.

Anyway, add to this mix some air-cushioned stands, Jackrabbit packs (that are never charged), a bunch of A-clamps, gaffer’s tape, myriad sizes of white foam-core board (read: cheap reflectors) and black fabric, etc. Even though I rarely light my portraits, when I do, I like to make the biggest mess possible while setting up. I think it makes me look important.

Hack the Planet!

[if you get that reference, we should be friends]

What journalist on the go is complete without computing gear? Not this guy …

I don’t really see a need to make a list version here. So, um, ya.

My paper supplies me with a 15-inch MacBook Pro. If you want to know about the processor and all that stuff, go play some D&D, nerd!! (kidding, email me). I have a mix of card readers but prefer the old Lexar firewire 800 one — super fast. I also regularly use 1-terabyte Western Digital “My Passport Studio” hard drive to back stuff up on and edit video off of. The pretentious Moleskine and pencil are for taking notes and writing down the ridiculous things I hear people say while sitting at coffee shops and the like. The little black thing is a flash drive shaped like a camera lens that my DOP gave us a couple years back. It’s so cute! Lastly, the PacMan bag is full of all the cables, dongles and such one needs while … well, computing. Oh, and yes, Apple earbuds for those times I don’t want to listen anymore to the idiots at the coffee shop. Oh ya, and gum. It’s what’s for dinner.

If You Made it This Far, You’re a Saint

No really, I had no intention to writing this much. I was just trying to be thorough, not pen a manifesto! But, as a reward, I decided to go dig around my car (not the hatchback area) and come up with a list of the things I found in there. After all, I basically live in my vehicle; I figure at half of the random shit in there is pertinent, and the other half, well, it should be entertaining.

[note for people who take everything seriously: some of the things below are "make believe" … a joke. you figure it out.]

- Prescription sunglasses with the left lens held on by masking tape. Hey, you think that’s silly, imagine how I looked before I found the left lens under the car seat after it popped off one day.
- Empty coffee cups and water bottles, crumbled bags of eaten jerky and similar salty snacks, a bottle of CVS brand nicotine lozenges that spilled open, and sundry other evidences of my existence. If I ever get abducted by aliens and they decide to go through my car, they’re going to think we humans are a sad, unhealthy lot if they base any assumptions of us just on me. At the very least, they’ll think we’re very messy.
- Speaking of salty snacks, I found a Corn Nut in my glove box; just one, and it smelled like it used to be Ranch flavored. I don’t eat Corn Nuts. I think I should be worried.
- Two cans of Fix-a-Flat. Better safe than sorry.
- Individual packages of generic “Wet Naps” and a roll of toilet paper sealed in a plastic bag. Again, better safe than sorry.
- Extra pairs of socks and underwear. See above.
- Emergency poncho. I always have a rain jacket in my car, so I never have cause to wear these as designed. But, with some careful cutting and liberal amounts of taping, they make decent rain covers in a pinch.
- Gym bag with two lengths of 50-foot nylon rope, zip ties and duct tape. I’ve been thinking for some time now this will not look good if I ever get pulled over and my car tossed by the cops. “Officer, I can explain!” Funny thing is my wife was just given a huge bowie knife for Christmas by her brother. Don’t ask. I think I’ll borrow it indefinitely and throw it in the bag as well, along with some latex gloves. What’s the worst that can happen?
- Speaking of the domesticated life, a couple of empty sippy cups, some toddler toys and books. I have a toddler. He needs stuff.
- Speaking of books, copy of Dave Eggers’ “What is the What” and “In the Garden of the Beasts” by Erik Larson. I love to read, and I generally have a few books going at once.
- Canon 580 EXII + OC-E3 off-shoe cord. I wasn’t kidding earlier.
- The remote for our VCR. Always the last place you look!
- Laminated card with the “Prayer to Saint Christopher” on it. I also carry one in my wallet. I was raised Catholic, and my mother (who will probably be canonized one day) is a worrier.
- Empty shell casing of a bullet. Again, don’t think this is mine. “I don’t even own, *a* gun.” I bet it belongs to the Corn Nut guy.
- And finally, an unused trash bag. See one day, I may get around to cleaning out my car.

We’ve had a lot of great contributors in 2012, so we thought it’d be fun to take a look back at our most popular contributions. Not surprisingly, y’all love the posts about gear! So take a peek through our top 12 post from 2012!

1. Nikon 28mm f/1.8G Review – by Brian Blanco

Tampa, FL-based photographer Brian Blanco reviews the new Nikon 28mm f/1.8G lens. Read more here.

2. Nikon D800 Review – by Preston Mack

Orlando-based sports photographer Preston Mack reviews the new Nikon D800 while shooting gigapans for Major League Baseball. Read more here.

3. In My Bag “Olympic Edition” – by Mark J. Rebilas

Phoenix-based sports photographer Mark J. Rebilas shares a list of the gear he’ll take to London to cover the Summer Olympics. Read more here.

4. 10 Tips for Photojournalism Students: How to Succeed Visually and Financially – by Daniel Reimold

College Journalism Scholar Daniel Reimold, PhD, wrote an article with the 10 tips photojournalist Al Diaz gave to students during his lecture at the Society of Professional Journalists Region 3 Conference. Read more here.

5. I Love My New Camera – by Brad Mangin

San Francisco Bay Area sports photographer Brad Mangin just loves his new iPhone, which combined with the use of Instagram has given him a whole new look on MLB’s Spring Training. Read more here.

6. Leica X2 Review – by Chip Litherland

Sarasota, FL-based photographer Chip Litherland reviews the compact Leica X2 while on location in the Caribbean. Read more here.

7. Think Tank Retrospective 7 Review – by Robert Caplin

Manhattan-based photographer Robert Caplin reviews the new Think Tank Retrospective 7 camera bag. Read more here.

8. Canon 5D Mark III Review – by Angus Mordant

Melbourne, Australia-based photographer Angus Mordant put the new Canon 5D Mark III through its paces and gives his detailed analysis of the new camera. Read more here.

9. “Morning After” Photography: The Real Story (NSFW) – by Michelle Jonné

Wedding photographer Michelle Jonné recently became well-known after her “Morning After” photo sessions went viral on the internet. Blogs, newspapers, magazines, and their readers cried foul and railed on her calling the genre bad for the industry. Interestingly, none of the blogs or media outlets spoke with Michelle herself about the new genre of wedding photography she created. In this Photo Brigade exclusive, Michelle responds to all the critiques and justifies her art. Read more here.

10. Photo Brigade Holiday Photo Gift Guide 2012

It’s that time of the year again! Time to make your photographic gift list in hopes that Santa will bring you everything your camera bag desires. Also, it’s a great time to get your last-minute shopping in before the end of the year so you can deduct the purchases on your taxes! Read more here.

11. Traveling Aboard Air Force One – by Luke Sharrett

DC-based political photographer Luke Sharrett shares what it’s like to travel aboard Air Force One with the President of the United States. Read more here.

12. Nikon D600 Review – by C.S. Muncy

NYC-based photographer C.S. Muncy reviews the new Nikon D600. Read more here.

David Welker is a recent graduate of Missouri State University and a freelance photographer based in Springfield, Missouri. David regularly covers sports, news, and events. His editorial clients include Getty Images, the Missouri State High School Activities Association (MSHSAA), and newspapers throughout Missouri. David’s work has been seen in publications such as ESPN.com, Sports Illustrated, TOPPS Baseball Cards, MiLB.com, and various others. When he isn’t behind a camera David is on the golf course or is spending time with his wife and puppy.

As a self-proclaimed “gear nerd” I love seeing what other photographers use to get the amazing images into publications around the world. Some kits could be considered pretty humble, others are insane. So, I thought some of my blog followers might like to see what’s “In My Bag” when I head out to photograph any event, such as professional baseball and weddings, and so I can answer that reoccurring question, “Wow, what all do you have in there?” So here we go:

My Bag: Think Tank Photo Airport Security V2 Roller

Before I bought this bag, I was using a backpack and tried to fit as much gear as I could into it. Let’s just say, things got very heavy, very fast. This bag has been a huge lifesaver when it comes to the amount of weight it takes off by it being a rolling bag. One thing I love about this bag is the safety cable that allows the bag to be locked in place when I cannot be next to it. The bag also features a combination zipper lock for when I leave it. Think Tank Photo describes the Airport Security as:

“Designed to meet USA domestic carry-on size standards, this roller provides advanced security features for traveling with the maximum amount of equipment. “

And they mean the “maximum amount of equipment. Here is what I fit into the Airport Security:

Camera Bodies:

- Canon 1D Mark IV

This is my main handheld camera, and is attached to my 400 f/2.8 IS, 90% of the time.

- Canon 1D Mark III

This is mostly used for remote work, however, when I shoot weddings, it quickly becomes a second handheld camera.

- Canon 1D Mark II N

The Mark II N has been a real workhorse for me over the past few years, but I really only use it for remote work now.

- Canon 5D Mark III w/ Battery Grip

The newest addition to my bag, the 5D Mark III is my main second handheld camera while out in the field. The addition of a full-frame body to my bag has proved to be invaluable thus far, and I have really enjoyed the camera.

Lenses:

- Sigma 15mm f/2.8 EX DG Fisheye

- Canon 16-35mm f/2.8 II

- Canon 24-105mm f/4 IS

- Canon 70-200mm f/4

- Canon 70-200mm f/2.8  IS II

- Canon 300mm f/2.8 IS

- Canon 1.4x II Teleconverter

Accessories: 

- Canon Speedlight 580 EX II Flash

- Canon Speedlight 430 EX Flash

- Vivitar Auto Thyristor SMS 30 flash

- Canon Off-Camera ETTL Flash Cord OC-E3

- Manfrotto Variable Friction Magic Arm (Knob Type) (x2)- Used for my remote work, one has a camera attachment platform.

- Pixio Wired Camera Release

- Pocketwizard Plus IIIs and Mulitmax Transmitters- These are kept in a vinyl money case from Walmart. The Pre-Release Cables are also in with the Pocketwizards.

- Pre-Release Cables (x2)- for use with my Pocketwizards

- Canon Eyepiece covers

- DIY “Shim” for a floor remote- AKA Two Batteries taped together using Gaffers Tape

- 30 yard roll of 1″ Gaffers Tape

- Lens Cleaning Cloths

- Extra Batteries for all cameras

- Manfrotto 681B Monopod (gets attached to the side of the bag)

- Think Tank HydroPhobia 300-600 V2- Ziptied to the outside of the bag

- Safety Cables

- Leatherman Tool

- 2012 Pocket Calendar

When on a deadline, I bring my 15″ laptop with me and put it inside a Think Tank Artificial Intelligence 15 v2 and use a Cable Management 30 for all of my computer cables and card readers. These get attached to the Airport Security with a carabiner.

It is amazing how much I have actually stuffed into the single Think Tank Bag. I always bring along my Think Tank Photo Modular Belt Pack using the Pro Speed Belt. I use the belt pack while I am out and about in the stadium, on the field, or shooting weddings because it helps me have most of my gear right at my fingertips. I use a Pixel Pocket Rocket to keep roughly 60GBs of memory cards with me.

When I do have longer traveling distances, I will usually put my Canon 400 f/2.8 IS in a Think Tank Photo Glass Taxi.

The last bag I use is a Targus Messenger Bag. This sling bag used to be a backpack for me while I was in high school, but I found it to be a great photo accessory bag. The bag has two large spaces inside the zippered compartment, a front zipper pocket for smaller items, and a back zippered area for thin items. In this bag I always have:

- Avenger Clamps (x4)

- Multi-Plug Extension Cord

- Various Cables

- Power Cables for Alienbee B800s

- Chargers for all of the camera batteries

- Flash bracket

As you can probably tell, I love my Think Tank Photo Gear, and highly recommend their products for both the amount of gear you can fit in their bags, but also for the quality products they create. This ends my segment of  ”In My Bag”.

All the Gear that fits into the Airport security. All Camera Bodies, Lenses, and Accessories. The Think Tank Photo Artificial Intelligence 15 v2 and Cable Management 30 are sitting on top of the Airport Security V2.

Melissa Golden lives in the DC metro area, but she isn’t really from anywhere in particular.  Her nomadic childhood, courtesy of the United States military, has led to a life marked by continuous change, renewal and wanderlust.  Her work is influenced by all the places she’s called home at some point- the brazen oddity and beauty of Southern California, the tradition of the Deep South, the storm light of rural Florida, the heady intrigue of the Middle East and the stiff formality of the District of Columbia.  She may not know where she’s going next, but her pictures help her to keep track of where she’s been.

After a few years of carrying shoulder bags and backpacks, I decided rolling bags and beltpacks are the only way to go if you want a healthy back.  I’ll bust out a shoulder bag on occasion, but I don’t load it up with heavy things. My rolling bag is a Think Tank Airport AirStream.  I got it a few years back and it’s been serving me beautifully ever since.  It fits under the seat in front of you in airplanes.  If you’ve ever been on a puddle jumper where they asked you to check your rolling bag at the gate, you will know this is huge.  I would never allow my cameras to be checked, and with this bag, they can stay with me at all times. When I don’t have the luxury of stashing the big bag, I use a Think Tank belt system and pare things down slightly.

I don’t carry a lot of large gear.  I prefer my cameras without battery grips and I roll with speedlights and various little accessories.  I take the following with me to most assignments:

- Canon 5D Mark II
- Canon 5D Mark III
- 35mm 1.4
- 50mm 1.2
- 135mm 2.0
- 3 Pocket Wizards
- 2 580EX II speedlite
- 580EX speedlite
- Speedlite modifiers (diffuser and grid)
- Various cords and cables and mounts
- Black gaffers tape
- Body and lens caps
- Litepanels MicroPro (for video interviews and some close-up portraits)

My other bag essentials include:

- Business cards
- Tons of rechargeable AA batteries
- Extra camera batteries
- Pens and sharpies
- Notepad
- Press credential
- Gels (which I never use, but they take up no space, so why not?)
- Earplugs
- Moleskin (A hiker’s friend, I carry this in every bag I own. When you get a blister, this is a great quick-fix)
- Lens cleaners
- Altoids Smalls
- Leatherman
- CF Cards
- Energy gel (just in case I’m on the verge of crashing from hunger and there’s no food around)
- Shine paper (if you shoot portraits, this is great for taking the shine off people’s faces. I sometimes carry translucent powder too, which I think is the ultimate tool in a makeup artist’s kit.)

DC-based photographer Stephen Voss compares the shutter sound from a Leica M6 to the new Canon 5D Mark III.

I received my Canon 5D Mark III’s last Monday and have been shooting pretty much every day with them ever since (short review: AF finally works, thank goodness, and the hand grip is deeper, which is nice). In perusing the online reviews, I saw a mention of the Silent Shooting Mode. Having used this on the 5D Mark II, my impressions were that it was a pretty interesting idea, but badly implemented. Basically, on the Mark 2 the mirror would stay up as long as the shutter button was held down, making for an exceptionally long blackout time and having to consciously think about releasing the button every time you took a picture.

Read the full review and hear the shutter sound on Stephen’s blog.