VSP Workshops Blog

Packing for Photo Trips & The Photo Vest Trick

Flying can be a stressful time for photographers.  Imagine telling your young kid that he he’s going on an amazing journey – but he can only take one toy along.  That’s more or less reaction we have as we realize that all the kit we want to take with us will weigh the equivalent of your average DHL cargo plane.

You squeeze everything into your bag – camera body, spare body, long lens, wide lens, that expensive portrait lens that you never use but you never know this could be the trip when I get to photograph in a dark room during a power cut and use that single solitary f1.2 aperture……

You stand over your suitcase in the days leading up to your trip, wandering whether you can get away with one pair of trousers…somehow hoping that the few grams / ounces that it frees up, will make a difference to the 4 kilograms of battery chargers you have stuffed inside your underpants.

And then the airport scene.  You ask several of your friends to help load your camera backpack on your back.  As they lift it into your shoulders, you hear your spine make a noise like somebody sitting on a bag of peanuts.  You approach the check-in desk, trying desperately to make the your 10kg cabin allowance not seem like the half ton you have.

We’ve all been there, and bottom line, it’s a struggle to get all the camera kit you need, plus clothes and other less important things within your weight allowance.  I’ll stick my neck out and say that 80% of photographers take way too much kit.  So here are a few suggestions of how to pack sensibly for that big photo trip – and one little trick that can save your bacon at the airport.

 Tip 1

I’d say that lenses are the number one culprit when it comes to excess baggage.  Unless you’re going on a wildlife safari or similar, do you really need that 400mm lens?  If you’re visiting towns and doing what I’d call your average shoot locations, then 200mm can be more than adequate, unless you’re hoping to photograph the detail of a baby owl’s feathers whilst they’re perched on the top of the Eiffel Tower.  Same goes for wide angle.  If you’ve already got one lens that goes as wide as say 16mm, then do you really need that 12mm fish eye?

Tip 2

I know for a fact that this rings true for a lot of photographers out there.  If you’ve fallen prey to the temptation to buy that uber-sharp portrait lens – you know the f1.2 50mm or 85mm type…..and you use it once a year, and that’s by mistake…..then leave it at home.  Chances are you’ll have that focal length covered by one of your other lenses, and more importantly, you will rarely shoot at f1.2 unless you’re trying to do something very specific.  This is one to leave at home in my opinion

Tip 3

This is the golden goose.  The get out of jail free card.  Up until now (and please let us know if you’ve had conflicting experiences)….airport authorities and airlines make no stipulation as to how much stuff you can put in your jacket pockets.  Think of this as the smart-ass come back for the photographer.  It’s our payback for all those over zealous security guards that ruin our day.  It’s our little loophole.  Buy yourself a proper photographer’s vest – the type with big strong pockets.  Pack as normal, but keep the photo vest with you.  Should you find that your camera bag is too heavy to go in the cabin with you, simply slip the vest on, and proceed to put your heaviest lenses in the pockets.
Let’s say on average, your cabin weight allowance is around 10kg (22lbs).  If you took out two lenses – let’s say the classic 24-70mm and the trusty 70-200mm.  This will free up 950gr (2lbs) for the 24-70mm, and a further 1.5kg (3.2lbs) for the 70-200mm.  In total you’ll be taking away 2.4kg (5.2lbs).

So far, this has worked for me and anyone else I know.

 

A cautionary tale to conclude on…..somebody that came on one of our workshops, did this very trick on his flight home.  Worked a treat, had a great flight…got home pretty jetlagged….only to realize he’s left his photo vest, along with his three best lenses, under his seat.  I’m not sure he got them back actually.

In a couple of weeks time I leave for India to run our India photo tour.  We’re all going to attempt the photo vest trick, and we’re all flying in from different parts of the world.  Will be interesting to see how it goes….watch this space…

Feel free to share your stories as it would be really helpful to hear if you’ve had different experiences with this.

Oh, and I found this useful blog post that lists a load or airlines’ cabin weight allowances.  It dates back to 2009, but looks like a useful reference

Safe travels!