This evening is the night before my next photoshoot. It’s going to be a twilight fashon shoot in the City of London. The idea is to make the most of the fading light as we approach and pass through the sunset, creating stunning images as we go.
I’m really looking forwards to this one too. Plenty of off-camera flash which is always great fun and a great opportunity to move outside my comfort zone to boot.
In the run-up I’ve just packed my bag for tomorrow. The emphasis, as always is on keeping the weight down.
First things first, it’s a few weeks since I’ve used some of this kit so I spent some time this evening trying out the tings I’ll be doing tomorrow. It isn’t rocket science but well worth doing. Knowing your equipment, how to use it and it’s limitations. One of the great things about location work is the problem solving aspect but learning how to use the flash guns and triggers on the fly shouldn’t be a part of it. It should be second nature.
Next came battery charging, lens cleaning and card formatting. All obvious really but often surprisingly overlooked. How many times have you taken your camera out of the bag only to discover the lens is dusty and don’t have anything to clean it with?
The last thing is to pack the kit bag, remembering that we’re travelling light. As light as possible. So, what am I taking. Very little actually…
- Camera body with 24-105 lens
- Three speedlites
- Radio triggers
- Speed grid
- Strobist gels
- Two lightstands
- Spare batteries and media cards
- Back-up drive and card reader
- Shoot through brolly
- Release forms
- Cleaning aids
That’s it. I’m deliberately not taking a longer lens because I want to get more full length shots. I did consider something wider such as the 16-35 and I may very well change my mind and swap lenses before I leave in the morning. I’ve done a lot of work with the 24-105 so the 16-35 will add a lot of difference to my portfolio.
