Packing Your Gear Bag Evg
What you pack in your gear bag doubtlessly changes from time to time to match the specific nature of the stock shoot or editorial assignment. Particularly for editorial shooting outdoors, it's important to have protection for the camera in inclement weather. The 5D Mark II has increased weather sealing over the previous model but not nearly the extensive treatment found on the flagship cameras. Storm Jacket (www.stormjacket.com) and Fotosharp (www.fotosharp.com) offer a variety of weatherproof covers for camera and lenses.
Some basic recommendations for packing gear for stock and editorial shooting include:
► One or two 5D Mark II camera bodies. In a perfect world, it would be wise to have two 5D Mark II camera bodies, one each for video and stills and with different lenses fitted for the assignment or stock shoot. Especially with location shooting where things happen in a hurry, you won't want to be changing lenses and risk missing a key shot. Having extra bodies with different focal length lenses speeds your workflow.
► Tripod and monopod. Having a lightweight but sturdy tripod is essential. In addition, a versatile ball head with a sturdy quick-release plate increases the steadiness of shooting stills and video, particularly with long lenses.
► CF cards sufficient for the duration. The number of CF cards that you carry depends on how many images you typically shoot and the length of the shooting session. I carry a variety of fast Lexar Professional cards in sizes ranging from 4GB to 16GB.
► Silver and gold reflectors. Collapsible reflectors of various sizes are great for filling shadow areas and adding a sparkle to the eyes when shooting individual participant portraits is part of the session.
► Spare camera batteries. Even with the healthy life of the 5D Mark II battery, I still have one or more charged spare batteries in my gear bag as insurance.
► One or more wide-angle and telephoto zoom lenses. My standard lenses are the EF
24-70mm f/2.8L lens and the EF 70-200mm f/2.8L USM. I also bring along the EF 1.4x II extender and EF 2x II extender to increase the focal length. Depending on the assignment or stock subject, having a very fast lens is also invaluable. Great additional lenses are the EF 50mm f/1.4 USM and the EF 85mm f/1.2L II USM.
► A laptop computer or portable storage device. Backing up images on-site either to a laptop or a handheld hard drive is an essential part of the workflow, and if you're traveling for an extended assignment, you'll want to back up the shoot on a laptop or portable storage device.
► EX-series Speedlites, light stands, umbrellas, octabanks or lightboxes, and a Speedlite Transmitter ST-E2. When shooting portraits is part of the event or assignment, a handy portable studio might include one to three EX-series Speedlites mounted on stands with light modifiers, such as an umbrella, softbox, or octabank, connected to PocketWizards or by using the Speedlite Transmitter ST-E2. This completely wireless lighting setup, along with a couple of reflectors and a small roll of background material, is quick to set up and tear down, takes up minimal space, and provides professional results.
- 12.3 This traffic shot for a story on bridges tested the low-light capability of the 5D Mark II to provide good depth of field for the length of the bridge. ISO 1000, f/16, 1/4 sec., with an EF 24-70mm f/2.8L USM lens.
► Portable background and stands. Whether it's a roll of white seamless paper or muslin, having a clean background that's easy to assemble and tear down for portraits is exceptionally handy. Very often, sales from events can be increased by offering to shoot individual portraits of some of the key participants.
► Silver and gold reflectors. Without question, reflectors of various sizes are indispensable for filling shadow areas and adding catchlights to the eyes if shooting individual participant portraits is part of the session. These are especially useful for getting some light up under hats and filling in backlit portraits.
► Plastic bags or drop cloths. For outdoor shooting, large plastic sheets come in handy for a variety of unexpected situations, including offering protection from a rain shower or wet grass, protecting camera and lighting equipment, or serving as a scrim for portrait sessions.
► Leatherman tool. This tool can solve all kinds of unexpected problems, from fixing camera and lighting gear to trimming foliage in an outdoor portrait setting.
- 12.4 Documenting a construction project, I captured this contractor working late after the sun had set. ISO 100, f/19, 1/250 sec., with an EF 70-200mm f/2.8L USM lens.
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