I recently shot a wedding with Julie James from JDS Photography in Edmonton Alberta. Julie shoots mainly natural light with fast lenses, offering her freedom from complicated lighting setups and zero recycle times.
I walk a different path, I carry light modifiers, stands, and multiple strobes with me on location. Not having the proper gear to haul speciality equipment around quickly punished me last time around, leaving me a whimpering mess by the time I got home.
Things I’ve added to my gear since:
- Kata 3N1 Camera Bag
I had previously used a Crumpler Karachi Outpost bag -which holds a ton of gear (including a 17″ MBP), however I quickly realized I didn’t need to haul my computer along on a location shoot, as I wasn’t doing any tethered shooting or editing in the down time. The Kata 3N1 Holds 3 strobes, 3 lenses, 3 speed lights, a canon point and shoot, along with my various remotes, cards, filters, gels, etc. Its ability to move from backpack to slingbag is second to none. I bought my Kata bag in Vancouver for 90 bucks, but I see McBain carries the same one locally for $120 or so. - Ball Bungees
Favoured by David Hobby of Strobist Fame, a set of ball bungees (I got mine from Canadian Tire – less than 10 bucks for a set) quickly tames any umbrellas you may be carrying into an easy to carry set. Extra bonus: the bungees can be used during a shoot to secure strobes to weird places, or receivers on lightstands. - Shotgun Case
Yes, I realize it may get chuckles for my wedding clients, but my light stands are the perfect size and shape to fit into a padded shotgun case. I got mine from the Canadian Tire sporting goods section – it was 20 bucks.
Now I carry my bag, umbrellas and stands in one hand – ready to rapidly move from location to location without the drama of packing too heavy, or simply too much. Let me know if any of these tricks help you on your next shoot, or if you have tips I haven’t mentioned that should be shared.
