Sep 6, 2007, 20:10
I'm not prone to doing things suddenly. I don't generally make rash decisions. But this evening my brother told me that he's flying down to Reno, Nevada to pick up an old Suburban four-by-four next wednesday. Two thousand miles across the American midwest in a truck that's older than either of us with 35" tires: how can I not offer to come along?
My mechanical skills suck, I can't drive, and I'm only moderately useful as a navigator.
(On the positive side of the ledger, my vision isn't as bad as my brother's, and I have a more even temper.)
To say that I'm in a bit of a spin is an understatement. The good thing is that I only just got back from Australia, so I have the memory cards and portable drive already. I've done the big flight and nomadic thing once already this summer, know what works and what to avoid, and know how long my batteries last - literally and figuratively. My iPod's playlists are all set.
The problem is, I want to bring everything!
It took me a month to pare down what I brought to Australia into a fully-tricked-out and still relatively compact 12-pound package. But that was a three-week trip that centered around reconnecting with family, not photography. I was flying, taking trains, buses, and small cars. I needed to be highly mobile and there were a lot of constraints that helped me focus my needs.
This time I'm going in a truck. A big truck. I want my five-pound 35-100 f/2 zoom. I want my uber-wide 7-14mm lens. I want my workhorse 11-22. I want my lensbaby, long telephoto 50-200, my teleconverter, and my full-sized tripod. I want my hammer-a-tent-peg-with-it E-1 with its all-day battery grip. I want my high-resolution image-stabalized E-510. And I only have five days to figure it all out.
Shesh!
My mechanical skills suck, I can't drive, and I'm only moderately useful as a navigator.
(On the positive side of the ledger, my vision isn't as bad as my brother's, and I have a more even temper.)
To say that I'm in a bit of a spin is an understatement. The good thing is that I only just got back from Australia, so I have the memory cards and portable drive already. I've done the big flight and nomadic thing once already this summer, know what works and what to avoid, and know how long my batteries last - literally and figuratively. My iPod's playlists are all set.
The problem is, I want to bring everything!
It took me a month to pare down what I brought to Australia into a fully-tricked-out and still relatively compact 12-pound package. But that was a three-week trip that centered around reconnecting with family, not photography. I was flying, taking trains, buses, and small cars. I needed to be highly mobile and there were a lot of constraints that helped me focus my needs.
This time I'm going in a truck. A big truck. I want my five-pound 35-100 f/2 zoom. I want my uber-wide 7-14mm lens. I want my workhorse 11-22. I want my lensbaby, long telephoto 50-200, my teleconverter, and my full-sized tripod. I want my hammer-a-tent-peg-with-it E-1 with its all-day battery grip. I want my high-resolution image-stabalized E-510. And I only have five days to figure it all out.
Shesh!
matthewpiers.com • @matthewpiers | robertsonphoto.blogspot.com | @thewsreviews • thewsreviews.com
