Nevada Wier  
 

PRIMARY CAMERA BAGS

I primarily use the Lowepro Orion AW or the Street & Field 85 AW; both have a built-in hip belt and can also be used as a backpack. I carry my computer in a Lowepro Tropolis 1250. I carry my Infrared Camera separate in a Lowepro TopLoad Zoom AW. www.lowepro.com

CAMERAS

  • Primary Camera: Canon EOS 5D Mark II
  • Backup Camera: Canon EOS 1Ds Mark III
  • Converted InfraRed Camera: Canon 5D with 24-105mm f/4L IS USM lens
  • Compact Camera: Canon S90 (for fun); Canon G11 (underwater photography)
  • Film Camera: Canon EOS 1V with a Power Drive Booster PB-E2 or Battery Pack BP-E1 (I am primarily digital but I am keeping my film cameras for backup on extended expeditions without electricity.)

    • **Note: I use a Ec-D Laser Matte with Grid Screen in all my cameras and protect my LCD with a Hoodskin film. www.hoodmanusa.com

LENSES (in camera bag)

  • Canon EF 15mm f/2.8 fisheye
  • Canon EF 28mm f/1.8
  • Canon EF 16-35mm f/2.8L II
  • Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8L IS
  • Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS
  • Lensbaby Composer for Canon cameras www.lensbabies.com

FLASH ACCESSORIES

  • Canon 580 EX II Flashes (with a Kodak Wratten 81A gel taped to the output)
  • Canon Transmitter ST-E2
  • Pearstone Dome Bounce Diffuser (kept on flash)
  • Gary Fong Lightsphere Cloud C4
  • LumiQuest FX. I use it without the gels or sometimes with the amber gel.
  • LumiQuest Pocket Bounce with Gold Reflector
  • Honl Photo 5" Speed Snoot
  • Honl Photo Autumn Filters
  • Honl Photo Gobo Bounce Card
  • Visual Echoes Flash X-tender (I rarely use this, for ultra long lens use for wildlife)
  • Canon Compact Battery Pack E-2 (only put in bag when I need extra recycle power)

REFLECTORS

  • Photoflex soft-gold reflectors (12" in camera bag)
  • Photo flex Multidisc 5-in-1 (24" carried separately)

FILTERS

  • I use Singh-Ray Hi-Lux filters on all lenses for protection.
  • Singh-Ray LB warming polarizer
  • Singh-Ray Vari-ND (Variable Neutral Density Filter)
  • Singh-Ray Graduated Neutral Density Filter (a set of four: 2 & 3 stop each of hard line and soft line filters) Note: I sometimes (but less and less) use these for landscapes.

BACK UP GEAR -- SOMETIMES BROUGHT ON TRAVELS & ASSIGNMENTS OR AS BACKUP EQUIPMENT

  • Canon 1.4x II tele-extender
  • Canon EF 300mm f/4L IS
  • Canon EF 50mm Compact Macro f/2.5
  • Canon 70-200mm f/2.8L IS
  • Wireless Controller LC-4
  • Timer Remote Controller TC-80N3

CAMERA STRAPS

Accessories in camera bag: Micro-fiber cleaning cloths, rechargeable batteries, 12" Photoflex soft-gold/white reflector, compass, pen, small mag-lite flashlight, neon green Gepe Card Safe Extreme Watertight Case with 16GB cards, model release forms, Swiss army knife (have to remember to remove it for plane rides though), ASMP press card, business cards, the above mentioned flash accessories, small notebook, Wet-ones, and model releases.

IN EXTRA BLACK CASE

Separate accessory bag: Camera and flash manuals, black duct table, extension for cable release, Canon off-camera shoe cord 2, Lensbaby accessories, black duct tape, small towel, lens cleaning fluid, super glue, screw drivers, Leatherman tool, Q-tips, cleaning cloths, extra lens caps, pens, Sharpies, tabletop tripod, and extra quick release tripod plates for my tripod.

Separate battery bag: Extra rechargeable batteries (AA, AAA and other pertinent sizes), lithium AA batteries, AA ad AAA akaline batteries.

Separate cord bag: Extra USB, Firewire cords, and any cord I can think of that might fail.

And the rest: Extra model releases, CF card recovery disk, backup Mac OS disks, Monster-Power Outlets To Go Power Strip, extra flash, lens hood for 100-400mm lens, CF card reader.

For Sensor Cleaning: Visible Dust Sensor cleaning brushes and swabs. www.visibledust.com

TRIPOD and BALLHEADS

  • Gitzo Traveler Tripod 6x Carbon G1550T with GH2781TQR quick release Ballhead (I do not use a tripod often, and have found this to be the perfect compact tripod for when I must use one.) www.bogenimaging.com
  • Gitzo Mountaineer G1227 carbon fiber tripod with Manfrotto Proball 468RC
  • Gitzo Explorer 6227 carbon fiber tripod with Gitzo G1276 M
  • Cable Release (Remote Switch RS-80N3)

FLASH CARDS

  • SanDisk Extreme IV 8 - 16 GB in Gepe Card Safe Extreme Watertight Case (Neon Green). Sandisk 4 - 8GB SD (for 2nd slot in Canon 1Ds MarkIII)

CARD READER

  • SanDisk Extreme (Firewire). Currently the fastest download with Sandisk Extreme IV cards.

PORTABLE STORAGE

NOTE: I usually bring a 15" MacBook Pro on my travels for simple editing. I download the CF card to two portable hard drives. When I have limited electricity or do not want to bring a computer, then I use the two Colorspace O digital wallets. I edit off of one hard drive and do not touch the RAW files on the 2nd hard drive or digital wallet until I have a backup at my main office.

EQUIPMENT FOR OTHER TRAVEL SITUATIONS

    Travel:
    For the main international flight: I put my LowePro Orion AW bag inside a regulation size 22" Eagle Creek roller carry-on that also holds my hard drives, extra camera body, camera charger, and such. I take all my little accessories out of my camera bag and put them in a separate pouch so everything is simple to hand check if they ask to look inside. I carry the LowePro Reporter as my "purse" with my Apple 15" Macbook Pro computer and things I need on the flight.

    For my extra flash, filters, and other accessories I pack them inside a medium sized 1520 Pelican case (with all the inserts removed) and put it inside my duffel bag padded by all my clothes and such. This bag will be checked in. There is no way I can hand-carry all my gear these days, and this is a workable solution for me. I use TSA locks on my checked luggage.

    Once I get to my destination I reorganize everything so that I leave a bag at the hotel (usually I return to the same city for my return flight). I also leave the roller bag that I used for carry-on. On my main trip I usually only bring a soft suitcase for clothes and my Pelican case for gear, along with my camera bag and small bag with my computer (although sometimes I also leave this behind and put the computer in the Pelican case).

    I carry my valuables in the Departure Pouch attached to my belt; I've never been robbed with one of these (sometimes I also use an undercover money pouch in conjunction with the Departure Pouch). And, I lock everything with Eagle Creek's 3 dial security locks. I use a lot of their other products but I know this is beginning to sound like a commercial - but, truthfully, I was using Eagle Creek products since they first came on the market (this is true also for Lowepro, Canon, Gitzo, and others.) www.eaglecreek.com

  • Pelican 1520 Case (Interior: 17.88"L x 12.88"W x 1.75" Lid over 4.88" Base)

  • Eagle Creek Hovercraft Upright 22" For international flights.

  • Eagle Creek Hovercraft Upright 25" I put my pelican case inside this for international flights.

  • Eagle Creek HC2 Hovercraft Duffel 25 For my clothes

  • ORV Gear bag for a third bag or if I need a bag without wheels for a trek

    Trekking:

  • Lowepro Orion AW, a shoulder bag with a waist belt and a detachable day pack.
  • Lowepro Street and Field System: I like the Light Belt with various pouches for a comfortable lightweight system when I don't want to be carrying a bag. I also attach different S&F pouches to my Orion AW on the belt.

    Sea Kayaking/Rafting/Snorkeling:

  • Tundra SeaKing or Pelican hardshell cases. Pelican cases are also integrated into the Lowepro Omni Extreme Series
  • Canon G10 or S90 Underwater Housing (for a cheaper alternative, you can use the Ewa-Marine flexible housing for most cameras and camcorders. www.WeatherOrNotPhoto.com and www.rtsphoto.com

    Horseback riding:

  • Lowepro Topload Zoom AW or Topload Zoom 2

    Running or hiking:

  • Lowepro Photo Runner
  • Occasionally, I use the Pro Photo Trekker AW or (if I really need to carry a ridiculous load) the Super Trekker AW.

COLOR MANAGEMENT

WORKFLOW AND FILE MANAGEMENT

  • For Digital editing: Adobe Lightroom 3 and Photoshop CS5 www.adobe.com
  • For Digital cataloging: Adobe Lightroom 3
  • For Film: Fotobiz www.fotobiz.net

ADOBE PHOTOSHOP CS5 PLUG-INS

DIGITAL PRINTING

Paper and Printing Supplies:

I use an HPZ3200 44" printer. Currently my favorite paper is Hahnemühle Photo Rag Baryta

Printer Profiles:

DIGITAL WEBSITES

BOOKS

  • Camera Raw with Adobe Photoshop CS5 by Fraser and Schewe
  • The Adobe Photoshop Lightroom Book by Martin Evening
  • Color Management by Fraser, Murphy, Bunting
  • Photoshop Restoration and Retouching (3rd Edition) by Katrin Eismann
  • Adobe Photoshop CS4 for Photographers by Martin Evening
  • The Adobe Photoshop CS4 Book for Digital Photographers by Scott Kelby
  • The Hot Shoe Diaries: Big Light from Small Flashes by Joe McNally
  • The Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 2 Book for Digital Photographers by Scott Kelby
  • The Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 2 Book by Martin Evening
  • Lessons in DSLR Workflow with Lightroom and Photoshop by Jerry Courvoisier

PODCASTS

  • Adobe Lightroom Podcasts on iTunes
  • Photoshop TV
  • The Russell Brown Show