Web: www.fishfotoworldwide.com -- E-Mail: fish@flyingwithfish.com
7/10/2008 - Staying Safe In An Unfamiliar Environment : Don't Be A Lost Tourist
A significant concern of many photographers when working in unfamiliar surroundings is protecting themselves and their equipment.
When working in an unfamiliar location many photographers have a tendency to either have a false sense of security or become hyper-paranoid. Neither of these tendencies does us any good and there are safe and easy ways to protect yourself and equipment from potential predators while on the road.
As a photographer I travel often, but I learned how to keep myself, and my gear, protected while shooting a wide variety of assignments. The assignments that have taught me the most about my personal security include some of the following: spending multiple-months walking around one of the worst crime ridden and drug infested housing projects in the United States ; photographing a few dozen riots; working in a city after massive natural disaster has devastated the area; working in environments where I have clearly been in the 'wrong place at the wrong time' intentionally.
When I travel with my gear, which can be the next city over or halfway around the world, I make sure my gear is secure in a few ways. For starters, my gear is almost always out on my shoulders. I can't work if my gear is hidden away. I travel with my lenses facing inward and the of my camera facing outward. I usually keep my longer lenses in front of my body so they can't be snatched off the body, and the smaller lenses stay tucked up under my body.
When I carry my bodies I keep my thumbs inside the straps so if someone tried to snatch-and-grab my camera they'd also be grabbing my thumb. This gives me a moment to pull back and allows the thief a moment to release. This can be effective for snatch-and-grab as well as the pseudo-pickpocket.
I NEVER NEVER NEVER use the OEM straps. I don't want a huge Nikon/Canon/Leica/Contax logo on my shoulder. My gear is used and beat, and I keep it looking that way. My longer 'white' lenses are taped black. The tape minimizes the visual attraction to my lens, and while it has been beaten around, even a brand new lens wrapped in black electrical tape will look like well worn and cause many thieves to look for another target.
I don't tape over the Nikon/Canon logo, but I do have tape on the body, it minimizes the glances from would-be thieves who want the newer nicer looking cameras (although some will grab whatever they can get.)
When I walk, I walk confidently. I make sure my body language does not make me an easy target.
If I am in an unfamiliar place I never pull out a map and read it on the street. If I need to use a map I step in some place. Pulling out a map is a big red arrow to thieves. I often e-mail myself directions and read a Blackberry while walking. Everyone reads a Blackberry so it does not draw any attention, plus my directions are clear in text without orienting myself with a map.
Very often when I am in an unfamiliar area I memorize a map the best I can. Being familiar with a city you have never been to can allow you to walk clearly through a city's streets, head up, looking for images rather than stopping to read directions.
My bag selection is key in not being a target. My photo backpacks either have the access flap facing my back (ie: a thief would need to get it off my back to access it) or they are locked with small locks making it difficult to unzip the backpack without me noticing it. I choose backpacks that are not obvious 'photo backpacks.' I never travel with a Nikon or Canon backpack and choose designs that do not look like traditional photo bags.
When I am not using a backpack, which is common, I use a waist pack or belt/pouch system. With these I waits packs/belt systems I keep my gear either directly in front of my body or under my arm, towards the front of my body. By having the pack in front of you it is very difficult for someone to access your gear in stealth like manner.
As for keeping a thief from slitting your camera strap I have moved to the PacSafe Carry Safe 100 straps. These straps are slash proof. I do remove the shoulder pad, leaving me with only the thin strap, but these straps are light, easy to use, comfortable and have a safety lock so they can't even be unlatched if the thief fails to slice the strap. You can find more info on the PacSafe CarrySafe 100 strap, as well as find a link to my write up on these straps, here:
http://www.pacsafe.com/www/index.php?_room=3&_action=detail&id=16
PacSafe may be releasing new versions of these straps in the future, but at US$20 a strap, pick up two!
Happy Flying!
Showing posts with label personal security. Show all posts
Showing posts with label personal security. Show all posts
07 August 2008
iPhone 'App' Of The Week : If Found
Web: www.thetravelstrategist.com -- E-Mail: fish@flyingwithfish.com
7/08/2008 – iPhone 'App' Of The Week : If Found
Anyone who has lost their mobile phone knows the frustration of wondering if someone will find their phone, and then will they be able to find out who owns the phone to return it. We increasingly keep our lives on our phones, the numbers we call, the schedules we keep and with the iPhone the music we listen to and some movies we watch.
The iTunes 'App Store' has a great free 'App' appropriately named "If Found." "If Found" is now my screen saver because quite simply this 'App' tells anyone who finds your phone who the phone belongs to and how to return it to them.
“If Found” allows you to list your general contact information, as well as a specific phone number to call and e-mail address to contact if you have alternate contact information. You can even list a reward for the return of your iPhone (my reward is set at US$250)
There is no flashy gimmick to "If Found.” This ‘App’ can't tell you today's baseball scores, it can't give you the latest stocks, it can't find you the nearest Starbucks, it won't even tell you if your flight is delayed...........but it will very clearly let anyone who may find your phone (should you lose it) know who the phone belongs to and how to return it.
Below are three images of the iPhone with "If Found."
Happy Flying!
--Click Images To Enlarge Them--
7/08/2008 – iPhone 'App' Of The Week : If Found
Anyone who has lost their mobile phone knows the frustration of wondering if someone will find their phone, and then will they be able to find out who owns the phone to return it. We increasingly keep our lives on our phones, the numbers we call, the schedules we keep and with the iPhone the music we listen to and some movies we watch.
The iTunes 'App Store' has a great free 'App' appropriately named "If Found." "If Found" is now my screen saver because quite simply this 'App' tells anyone who finds your phone who the phone belongs to and how to return it to them.
“If Found” allows you to list your general contact information, as well as a specific phone number to call and e-mail address to contact if you have alternate contact information. You can even list a reward for the return of your iPhone (my reward is set at US$250)
There is no flashy gimmick to "If Found.” This ‘App’ can't tell you today's baseball scores, it can't give you the latest stocks, it can't find you the nearest Starbucks, it won't even tell you if your flight is delayed...........but it will very clearly let anyone who may find your phone (should you lose it) know who the phone belongs to and how to return it.
Below are three images of the iPhone with "If Found."
Happy Flying!
--Click Images To Enlarge Them--
06 May 2008
Protecting Your Bags In The Airports 101 – Part 1
Web: www.fishfoto.com -- E-Mail: fish@flyingwithfish.com
6/05/2008 - Protecting Your Bags In The Airports 101 – Part 1
When traveling through an airport or train station there are simple ways to protect your bags against theft.
The simplest way to secure your bags is a compact combination lock and short cable. These two items, that are between US$7 and US$15 will generally deter a thief before they even put any effort into devising a way to steal from you. A thief must be quick and quiet, and it is very difficult to be quick and quiet when breaking into a locked bag.
When walking through the streets, a train station or an airport, I lock the zippers of my bag. By making sure my zippers are locked, and pulled all the way down to one side it makes it extremely difficult for a thief to get into my bag without me noticing it. On the street, or in a train station, a skilled thief can use a sharp knife to slice into a bag, which is why it's always best to use a bag of a thicker material, such as ballistic nylon. When looking for a bag, I like to find bags that have some additional internal padding on the bottom that would make a quick "slice and dice" more challenging. Inside an airport a knife is much less likely, but a lock keeping your zippers shut keeps fast hands out of your possessions.
When I spend any time in a single spot for more than five minutes while in a train station, an airport, or even when riding on a train, I use a lock and cable combination to keep hands out of my bag and to keep my bag exactly where I left it. Most bags look alike and can be easy to walk away with. I often travel with a backpack and either a waist pack or belt system. Both can be very easy to snatch, so to prevent this I use a short cable from Eagle Creek with a three-dial combination lock.
To secure my bag I run the short cable through two points in the backpack, generally the top handle and another secure point in the backpack. For the waist pack or belt system I loop the cable through two secure points in that system, then wrap my cable around a metal post in a bench, along the floor or through an arm rest or seat back two or three times. The looping of the cable through a bag more than once makes it tighter and harder to pull away at first tug. If there is no easy 'snatch' most thieves will move onto the next target. A thief can't stand next to a bag's owner and struggle trying to walk off with a bag.
You can find the cable and lock set at www.eaglecreek.com , or at REI, EMS or other travel shops. A combination travel lock can be found nearly anywhere and are made by a variety of companies.
Below are a few photos of my bags and how I secure them. The first photo is of the Eagle Creek lock & cable kit; the second photo is of how I use a single lock to secure four zippers on my North Face Borealis backpack; the third photo is of my Newswear belt system and North Face Borealis backpack secured to a bench at Hartford/Springfield Bradley Int'l Airport.
Happy Flying!
--Click The Images Below To Enlarge Them--
6/05/2008 - Protecting Your Bags In The Airports 101 – Part 1
When traveling through an airport or train station there are simple ways to protect your bags against theft.
The simplest way to secure your bags is a compact combination lock and short cable. These two items, that are between US$7 and US$15 will generally deter a thief before they even put any effort into devising a way to steal from you. A thief must be quick and quiet, and it is very difficult to be quick and quiet when breaking into a locked bag.
When walking through the streets, a train station or an airport, I lock the zippers of my bag. By making sure my zippers are locked, and pulled all the way down to one side it makes it extremely difficult for a thief to get into my bag without me noticing it. On the street, or in a train station, a skilled thief can use a sharp knife to slice into a bag, which is why it's always best to use a bag of a thicker material, such as ballistic nylon. When looking for a bag, I like to find bags that have some additional internal padding on the bottom that would make a quick "slice and dice" more challenging. Inside an airport a knife is much less likely, but a lock keeping your zippers shut keeps fast hands out of your possessions.
When I spend any time in a single spot for more than five minutes while in a train station, an airport, or even when riding on a train, I use a lock and cable combination to keep hands out of my bag and to keep my bag exactly where I left it. Most bags look alike and can be easy to walk away with. I often travel with a backpack and either a waist pack or belt system. Both can be very easy to snatch, so to prevent this I use a short cable from Eagle Creek with a three-dial combination lock.
To secure my bag I run the short cable through two points in the backpack, generally the top handle and another secure point in the backpack. For the waist pack or belt system I loop the cable through two secure points in that system, then wrap my cable around a metal post in a bench, along the floor or through an arm rest or seat back two or three times. The looping of the cable through a bag more than once makes it tighter and harder to pull away at first tug. If there is no easy 'snatch' most thieves will move onto the next target. A thief can't stand next to a bag's owner and struggle trying to walk off with a bag.
You can find the cable and lock set at www.eaglecreek.com , or at REI, EMS or other travel shops. A combination travel lock can be found nearly anywhere and are made by a variety of companies.
Below are a few photos of my bags and how I secure them. The first photo is of the Eagle Creek lock & cable kit; the second photo is of how I use a single lock to secure four zippers on my North Face Borealis backpack; the third photo is of my Newswear belt system and North Face Borealis backpack secured to a bench at Hartford/Springfield Bradley Int'l Airport.
Happy Flying!
--Click The Images Below To Enlarge Them--
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