Contest Winner Of The Mountainsmith Amp

Web: www.comeflywithfish.com -- E-Mail: fish@flyingwithfish.com

20/11/2008 – Contest Winner Of The Mountainsmith Amp

On Monday, the 17th of November, Flying With Fish began a three-day contest to win a Mountainsmith Amp mobile phone holster.

This contest was in two parts.

The first part asked those who entered to answer what the Acronym 'Qantas' stood for. Nearly everyone who answered got this question correct, however six people did manage to find the incorrect answer through using search engines.

The correct answer is: Queensland And Northern Territory Aerial Services Ltd.

The second part of the contest was a Bonus Question. This Bonus Question allowed for the first person to properly answer what colours Pan Am used to print the airline's Clipper Cargo 'Press Luggage' tags would automatically win the contest.

Not one person got the Bonus Question correct. Some people were in the ballpark. Most people responded with 'blue & white' and one person answered the following.

"My guess is that the Clipper Cargo tags used some of the following colors, blue, white, black, green, yellow, orange, red, purple"

While this answer was tossed out, the answer did have the three colours used to make up the Pan Am tags.

So what is the correct answer? The Pan Am Cargo Clipper 'Press Luggage' tags are Red, Black & White.

..........so who wins the Mountainsmith Amp mobile phone holster?

The winner is Michael Kramer of the Red Tail Arabian's horse farm. Michael won by a random drawing, however as chance would have it, Michael had the closest answer for the Pan Am tags.

Below is a photo of my Pan Am Clipper Cargo "Press" tag for luggage. The tag is circa September 1965.

Happy Flying!
--Click Images To Enlarge--

Euro-Hop Travel Photography Boot Camp Details Announced!

Web: www.comeflywithfish.com -- E-Mail: fish@flyingwithfish.com

17/11/2008 – Euro-Hop Travel Photography Boot Camp Details Announced!

Photographers dream of seeing the world through their lens. Being a photographer on the road is exciting, it is an adventure. Traveling as a photographer is also a challenge!

The Euro-Hop Boot Camp transforms your excitement and sense of adventure as a photographer into a hand on, in-the-field, learning experience. This Boot Camp will maximize your knowledge, and further your skills as both a photographer and a traveller on the road.

Few places on Earth can rival Europe's history, architecture and proximity of world class cities. Europe is the perfect location to learn how to travel effectively, moving through a new historic city, in five different countries, in five consecutive days.

The Euro-Hop Boot Camp is designed to teach photographers of all skill levels a wide range of skills for traveling as a photographer. Going into this Boot Camp there will be significant challenges to overcome.

Due to the pace of travel,participants may only bring what they can carry on their back while shooting. There will be no checked luggage, and immediately upon arrival in each city we'll head straight into the city to begin shooting. While working on the ground there will be language barriers and jet lag issues that must be overcome. Throughout the Boot Camp everyone will learn to work outside of their personal comfort zone, to relax, open their eyes, and embrace the challenges that await them.

Your instruction will begin long before we board the first flight. Prior to our departure each participant will receive personal instruction on packing, gear selection, and overcoming the obstacles that wait for them during the Euro-Hop Boot Camp.

All participants in the Get Up & Fly Boot Camp will receive a Mountainsmith bag, selected by Fish, courtesy of Mountainsmith.

-- When is the Boot Camp?

The Euro-Hop Boot Camp is scheduled to depart the evening of February 7th and return on the afternoon of February 13th.

-- Where does the Euro-Hop Boot Camp depart from and return to?

The Euro-Hop Boot Camp will depart from and return to New York’s JFK International Airport

-- Where are we headed? Is there an itinerary?

The following is the current scheduled travel & shooting itinerary:

February 7th - Depart New York's JFK International Airport for Amsterdam
February 8th - Amsterdam
February 9th - Stockholm
February 10th - Frankfurt
February 11th - Prague
February 12th - Paris
February 13th - Depart Paris for New York's JFK International Airport
(any city may be swapped for a different city due to airline schedule changes)

-- What does the Euro-Hop Boot Camp cost?

The cost of the Euro-Hop Boot Camp is US$3,500.

The US$3,500 cost includes round trip airfare between New York-&-Amsterdam/Paris-&-New York; all intra-Europe flights, additionally all taxes associated with air travel are included this fee. Travel is expected to be on SkyTeam Alliance airlines, however this is subject to change due to flight schedules.

-- Are food and lodging covered in this cost?

Lodging is not covered and food are not covered. Once there is a final head count, tourist class hotels will be booked and split between 2 or 3 participants per room. A rough estimate will be US$100 per night for lodging.

Any questions? Drop me an e-mail at fish@flyingwithfish.com
Please Do Not Leave Answers In The Comments Section!


To visit the other Flying With Fish Travel Photography Boot Camps visit: www.comeflywithfish.com

Happy Flying!

CONTEST! : Win A Free Mountainsmith Amp

Web: www.thetravelstrategist.com -- E-Mail: fish@flyingwithfish.com

17/11/2008 – CONTEST! : Win A Free Mountainsmith Amp

A little less than two weeks ago I wrote about the Mountainsmith Amp mobile phone holster. In this post on Flying With Fish I also mentioned my plans to stockpile a few Amps, because they are scheduled to be removed from the product line in the near future.

Since I have loved using the Mountainsmith Amp with both my iPhone and my Motorola Razr, I've decided to give a brand spanking new Amp away. This give away is from Flying With Fish, not Mountainsmith (although they are welcome to kick in a few extras if they feel like it). Why am I giving one of mine away? Because I'm sure whoever gets the Amp will love it also both at home and on the road.

The contest to receive the Mountainsmith Amp is simple.....in two parts

Part 1: You must correctly answer this question - What is the name 'Qantas' an acronym for? (Careful, two websites that pop up when you Google this answer have the incorrect answer). Those who have submitted the correct answer will have their names entered into random drawing two days from now, on the evening of Wednesday November 19th.

Part 2: As a bonus question, the first reader of Flying With Fish who can correctly tell me the colours that Pan Am used to print their "Press Luggage" tags in the 1950 and 1960s, you'll jump the line and automatically win the Mountainsmith Amp.

.....here is a hint, the 'Press Luggage' tags were marked as "Clipper Cargo"

Have the answers? Drop me an e-mail at fish@flyingwithfish.com

For more info on the Mountainsmith Amp, read this post :
6/11/2008 – Mountainsmith Amp : A Phone Holster For People On The Run

Happy Flying!

7/11/2008 – The Weekly Round Up : Fish Joins Mountainsmith's Design Team : Locks : FBOweb : TSA Sells Ads Space : Mountainsmith Amp : Less Seats Fly

Web: www.fishfotoworldwide.com -- E-Mail: fish@flyingwithfish.com

7/11/2008 – The Weekly Round Up : Fish Joins Mountainsmith's Design Team : Locks : FBOweb : TSA Sells Ads Space : Mountainsmith Amp : Less Seats Fly

This week the most discussed topic on Flying With Fish was Election Day in the United States. This topic has nothing to do with photography and even less to do with travel, but it is a topic I feel strongly about. I hope you all went out and voted. I don't care whom you voted for, as long as you let your voice be heard! The two posts on Election Day were these:
4/11/2008 – U.S. Election Day : GO VOTE!

4/11/2008 – Do You Need Some Incentive To Vote Aside From Democracy? How About Free Coffee From Starbucks?

Aside from Election Day the exciting news on Flying With Fish was being asked to join Mountainsmith's Design Board. Mountainsmith has recognized my completely unsolicited enjoyment of their gear and asked me to pitch in. I head off to Golden, Colorado, in Mid-December for the first Design Board meeting. For more info, click here :
7/11/2008 – Flying With Fish To Join Mountainsmith's Design Board

Last week kicked off discussing the advantages to using a combination lock over a key lock on your bags. It may seem trivial, but believe it or not, combination locks can provide you with some significant advantages for peace of mind. Interested in finding out why you should ditch your key locks for combination locks? Check here:
3/11/2008 – Baggage Locks : Keys vs Combination

Over the past year the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) has experimented with allowing the sale of advertising on TSA security checkpoint equipment, such as security bins and the tables before the x-ray machine. I personally see this as something that needs to be discontinued. TSA checkpoints are federally controlled security area, and should be free from advertising and endorsements. Read more on this topic in this entry:
5/11/2008 – Ads At TSA Airport Security Checkpoints : Should They Be For Sale?

What can you do once you've planned your camera and lens selection, researched the perfect bag then discover the flights you researched earlier in the year no longer exist? With 59.7-million fewer seats flying in the 4th quarter of 2008 this can be tricky. For some tips on how to plan your next journey click here:
6/11/2008 – Packed To Travel But No Seats To Be Found?

This week's iPhone 'App' Of the Week, FBO Web Flight Tracker, is a fun fight-tracking tool for 'geeks.' FBO Web Flight Tracker allows you to track fights by tail number, airport, specific flight and find out where they are in the sky on a real-time map, as well as their altitude and estimated time remaining in flight. This iPhone 'App' does require slightly more than basic knowledge to use properly. Sound like a fun tool you want to explore? Check here:
6/11/2008 – iPhone 'App' Of The Week : FBO Web Flight Tracker

My quest to find the ideal mobile phone belt holster came to a stop last year on the second floor of the Kittery Trading Post, in Kittery, Maine, while shopping for a pair of pants. While browsing the store I came upon the Mountainsmith Amp mobile phone holster and I never looked back. Since I started using the Mountainsmith Amp I have never knocked my phone out, despite being banged my cameras, lenses, waist packs, belt pouches, having climbed over, on and through objects and flying around the world a few times. To read more about this durable, reliable and versatile mobile phone holster click this link:
6/11/2008 – Mountainsmith Amp : A Phone Holster For People On The Run

Next week I hope to introduce you to a whole new type of bag, this bag I should mention is NOT a Mountainsmith bag. From what I have seen this new bag looks to be a highly customizable. The bag I'll be reviewing should arrive on Monday and be packed with gear by Monday night. This bag was designed for use by wildlife photographers, and while I see incredible potential for sports photographers, for my purposes, I see this bag as a fantastic bag for traveling with a complete compact mobile lighting kit. So what is this new bag I'll be one of the first to use in the field? You'll need to check in next week to find out!

Happy Flying!

Flying With Fish To Join Mountainsmith's Design Board

Web: www.thetravelstrategist.com -- E-Mail: fish@flyingwithfish.com

7/11/2008 – Flying With Fish To Join Mountainsmith's Design Board

Since very early on in my writing on Flying With Fish I have written about my enjoyment of using Mountainsmith's products. I have been using Mountainsmith gear for years. Along the way I have modified their gear to meet my needs, and packed their bags well beyond their intended design specifications.

Earlier in 2008 Mountainsmith recognized my completely unaffiliated, non-endorsed and unsolicited promotion of their gear and sponsored a contest on Flying With Fish. While I kept in touch with Mountainsmith over the past year, I assumed at most they would maybe sponsor another contest at some point.

Well at this time Mountainsmith is not sponsoring another contest I know of (although they are welcome to), what they have done is asked me if I'd like to join their Design Board.

It took me all of 3 seconds to accept the invitation to be a part of the process of helping design bags that make life easier for photographers. I have been involved with other companies in the past in the testing of bags, but this should be a whole different process.

So now I'll not only be a happy, long time, loyal customer of Mountainsmith products, I'll also have a hand in helping creative process of designing the bags I choose to use. It is great that Mountainsmith looks outside its own internal design team to incorporate those who use their products in the field. As my background and use of their bags is different that many of those who use their gear for hiking, climbing and working outdoors, I hope to bring a unique perspective to the table.

My joining Mountainsmith's Design Board does not prohibit me from using other bags, traveling with other bags, discussing other bags or reviewing other bags. I have many bags for many different purposes and will continue to use the other bags in my closet. I'll also continue to use whatever bag is best for each specific job.......and should the opportunity come up to work with a non-competing company, work with them as well.

My goals in working with Mountainsmith, as well as maintaining Flying With Fish, are similar. My goal is to make life easier for those who travel and put those on the road at the forefront of everything I put into these projects.

............what else may be in the future for Flying With Fish and Mountainsmith? Keep your eyes open for some retooled workshops in the near future.

Happy Flying!

Mountainsmith Amp : A Phone Holster For People On The Run

Web: www.thetravelstrategist.com -- E-Mail: fish@flyingwithfish.com

6/11/2008 – Mountainsmith Amp : A Phone Holster For People On The Run

For years I had a habit of dropping, cracking and breaking phones that were on holsters on my belt. I prefer my phone be on my belt, however my camera would bang into the phone, my waist pack would open a holster flap, or the holster's Velcro was not sufficient enough to keep a phone in the case.

A little over a year ago while standing in the Kittery Trading Post, in Kittery, Maine, I found a the durable, reliable and versatile phone holster I have been searching for. This holster was the black Mountainsmith Amp, made from recycled materials. It is no secret that I like Mountainsmith's bags and packs, so when I found a mobile phone holster made by Mountainsmith I had to have one.

What separates this mobile phone holster from others is a few things
1: The Amp can be worn vertically or horizontally on your belt (I wear it horizontally)
2: The Amp has durable-&-stretchable neoprene size to allow it to fit many phones snuggly
3: The Amp has a lot of Velcro, which makes it very difficult to knock open
4: The Amp's stretchy neoprene keeps its shape, so should you knock it open you won't lose your phone.

My Amp was primarily used with a Motorola Razr V3, until I switched to the primarily using the Apple iPhone. While the Amp may appear to be too small for the iPhone, it fits it perfectly. When I travel internationally I switch back to the Razr to use local pre-paid SIM cards, and the Amp holds its shape to switch between the more slender Razr and wider iPhone. Most holsters would be to wide or two narrow to accommodate both phones, while Amp is ideal for both.

Having used the Amp in some very fast paced situations, where my phone holster is constantly being brushed, pushed and banged by a waist pack, belt-pouches or my camera gear, I have never had my phone drop out of the Amp.

The fact that the Amp is manufactured with recycled materials is just an added bonus. I strongly support recycling, the purchasing of carbon offsets when traveling and supporting those who choose to help the environment. So the Amp follows other items Mountainsmith manufactures using recycled products, such as the Tour and Day packs.

...........Mountainsmith may be discontinuing the Amp at the end of this season, so priced at only around US$10 each, you may want to snap them up now while you still can (I plan on stock piling half-a-dozen).

Below are five photos of my phones with the Mountainsmith Amp

Happy Flying!
--Click Images To Enlarge--

The Manfrotto 3373 : The Perfect Traveling Light Stand

Web: www.fishfotoworldwide.com -- E-Mail: fish@flyingwithfish.com

28/10/2008 - The Manfrotto 3373 : The Perfect Traveling Light Stand

Traveling with lighting equipment can be challenging. While it is easy to swap out large studio lights for small strobes and there are many lighting accessories for small strobes, there is still the need to travel with light stands. Light stands tend to be long and difficult to pack, with very few options available to be transported as carry-on baggage.

For the past four years I have happily carried my light stands on-board flights with me. My light stands are sometimes in the bag I am using, and more often than not attached to the outside of the backpack I am wearing. These rugged, compact-yet-full-sized, light stands are the Manfrotto 3373.

What makes the Manfrotto 3373 light stand ideal for the traveling photographer? For starters the 5-section light stand folds down to a compact 19.3", yet extends up to a maximum high of 6ft 2". At a lightweight of 2lbs the light stand can comfortably hold 4lbs. Working in right spaces with compact lights is easy with the 3373 having a maximum footprint of 3ft 3".

Each of my lighting kits has it's own set of Manfrotto 3373 light stands. I keep three in my LowePro Pro Roller II case that contains two Lumedyne heads, a Nikon SB-28dx, power pack, two batteries, set of Pocket Wizards, cables, soft-boxes, grids, etc etc. This full-size studio kit fits in a single checked bag that weighs a mere 48lbs. For the rest of my lighting needs, I keep an additional three Manfrotto 3373 light stands.

The three Manfrotto 3373 light stands that are not packed with my Lumedyne kit are used in a variety of set ups depending on my needs. The compact size of these light stands allows me to insert them in the outside pocket of most backpacks and secure them using the backpack's compression straps. While I frequently travel with a single light stand for many shoots, the design and size of the Manfrotto 3373 allows me to easily stack two together and travel with me inserted in a backpack's external pocket, secured by the bag's compression straps.

I have frequently stocked an entire mobile studio kit inside the compact Mountainsmith Parallax backpack, thrown two light stands on the outside of the bag and hopped on a flight. Earlier this year in 3.5 days I flew through 5 countries (shooting in 4 of them) on three continents, crossing the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, with a Manfrotto 3373 attached to the outside of my North Face Surge backpack. Quick shoot down in Philadelphia? Pack up a Mountainsmith Day pack and attach the light stands to the securing straps to the bottom of the bag, or in the side pocket and use a carabineer to secure the stands to the shoulder strap.

Fearful of the lightweight light stand tipping over with some wind while shooting outside? There is a simple solution, I often stop by a shop such as Home Depot and pick up a few US$2.00 cinder blocks to toss on the legs when using full-size lights. When using small strobes, such as the Nikon SB-28dx Speedlights I simply place my bag on one of the legs to weigh it down.

As for flying with the Manfrotto 3373, the ultra compact size of the light stands draws virtually no attention to its self. As the light stand is smaller then international carry on restrictions, airport security almost never questions the light stand being attached to the exterior of the bag. The light stand attached to my bag has only once been questions by an airline........and that was a United Airlines flight attendant whose hobby was photography. She wanted to know what light stand I had attached to my bag.

The more I travel, the more I shoot environmental portraits on the road, the more I grow fond of the Manfrotto 3373.

Below are a few photos of the Manfrotto 3373 at work and packed as carry-on for work.
Photo #1 : 3373 set up with a Photoflex Q39 softbox for a corporate shoot
Photo #2 : Two 3373s attached to the outside of my Mountainsmith Parallax
Photo #3 : A single 3373 attached to my North Face Surge backpack
Photo #4 : A single 3373 light stands attached to my Mountainsmith Day pack.
Photo #5 : A single 3373 lashed to the bottom of my Mountainsmith Tour.
Photo #6 : Two 3373s set up in a tight space on a location shoot


Happy Flying!
--Click Images Below To Enlarge--

26/10/2008 – The Weekly Round Up : PDA Boarding Passes : Miles Scam : Mountainsmith Parallax : Airport Etiquette : New TSA Rules , etc, etc

Web: www.fishfotoworldwide.com -- E-Mail: fish@flyingwithfish.com

26/10/2008 – The Weekly Round Up : PDA Boarding Passes : Miles Scam : Mountainsmith Parallax : Airport Etiquette : New TSA Rules , etc, etc

I'll kick this week's Weekly Round Up off with exciting news regarding the future of Flying With Fish. In the near future Flying With Fish will be packing up its posts, heading over to the counter to check-in and then fly on over to BoardingArea.com Boarding Area is home to some of the blogs I regularly read. To find out more about where Flying With Fish is headed check out : 23/10/2008 - Flying With Fish Is Flying Over To Boarding Area

..........as Flying With Fish flies over to its new home I plan on creating a somewhat regular schedule of updated airline and travel related posts on Twitter. You can find sign up for the travel snippets at www.twitter.com/flyingwithfish

This week started and ended with the discussion of the gaping security flaws in the U.S. Transportation Security Administration's (TSA) policies and systems. Both entries involving the TSA address the same issue, the lack of any true security in the verification of paper boarding passes.

The first of the two TSA-boarding pass related entries discusses the new allowance of Mobile Phone/PDA based boarding passes. With this new system flyers can download their boarding pass, with an encrypted bar code, and present it at the TSA security checkpoint and again at the gate. This system is now in place at 8 security checkpoints (yes, 8 airline specific check points, not 8 airports) throughout the United States. While this new system allows for secure verification of PDA based boarding passes, it does not address the significant problems related to forged paper based boarding passes. For more information, click here: 20/10/2008 – TSA Rolls Out PDA Based Boarding Pass : A Security Double Standard

The second of two TSA-boarding pass related entries points out the significant flaws in the new Department of Homeland Security & Transportation Security Administration's new policy requiring that all passengers in the U.S., or traveling to the U.S., will be required to supply their full name and date of birth before being issues a boarding pass. This new system may sound effective, but it does nothing to address how easy it is to purchase a boarding pass using someone else's information then forge the paper-boarding pass when checking in online. To learn more about how ineffective these new security policy is read this: 24/10/2008 - U.S. Flyers Required To Provide Full Name & Date-of-Birth In 2009

Everyday criminals devise new scams. This week I became aware of a new scam when I received an envelope in the mail containing my flight itinerary for six flights throughout Europe in early December. All the flights were marked as 'confirmed' and I was excited for this trip........until I realized it was not my trip! A phone call to United Airlines lead me to find out that there is a new scam to steal frequent flyer miles. Interested in how this came works? Check here: 21/10/2008 – Mail From United Airlines That I Wish Was True : New Scam To Steal Frequent Flyer Miles

While packing to head out on the road for a few days I reached into my closet full of camera bags and pulled out a favourite do-it-all bag. I have come to describe the Parallax as a "clown car" bag because is compact in size yet never ending in what I can pack in it. To see how I packed this bag visit this entry here: 22/10/2008 – The Mountainsmith Parallax Photo Backpack : Revisited

This week I revisited a topic I like to discuss on Flying With Fish...etiquette. While I might not know which fork to use at a 5-star restaurant, and I have no idea how to properly greet members of the British Royal Family, I do know the basics of travel etiquette. One thing I see often that I cannot stand is flyers verbally abusing airline representatives at the airport. Airline representatives can have a very stressful job due to circumstances well outside their control...and you shouldn't make their job any more stressful. To read more on airport etiquette click here: 23/10/2008 - Airport Etiquette : Gate Agents Are Not There For Your Verbal Abuse

That wraps up this past week.

Happy Flying!

The Mountainsmith Parallax Photo Backpack : Revisited

Web: www.fishfotoworldwide.com -- E-Mail: fish@flyingwithfish.com

22/10/2008 – The Mountainsmith Parallax Photo Backpack : Revisited

There are some photo assignments that require a wide range of equipment, for a wide range of shooting scenarios. At times these assignments also require a photographer to be able to work quickly and deal with the reality of working in confined spaces.

Over the next two days I will be shooting landscapes, architecture, environmental portraits and unscripted situations for a corporate client. Each day will involve shooting in approximately 10 locations over a 9 hour period. As I planned out my equipment I once again found myself turning towards a small photo backpack that can appear to be a 'clown car' when you pack and unpack it. This backpack is the Mountainsmith Parallax.

I first introduced the readers of Flying With Fish to the Mountainsmith Parallax back in August of 2007. Back in August 2007 I selected the Parallax to be the only bag to accompany me on my journey around the world one-and-a-half times in (flying roughly 34,000 miles) in a four-day period. You can revisit my initial thoughts on this bag here : 3-August-2007 : Going Around The World For A Few Days? You'll Need To Pack Ulta-Light

Now, more than a year later, this bag has continued to be one of the 'go-to' bags for challenging packing scenarios. For this two day corporate project the Parallax was the obvious front-runner to make the trip. The Parallax is small, so it can stay out of the way. The bag is ergonomic making it comfortable to wear when fully loaded. The bag is easy to configure and reconfigure allowing me to set up the inserts to meet my needs. The bag is deep allowing me to stack lenses, flashes and other items. The bag has tremendous and durable mesh side pockets and lash-straps allowing me to secure two Manfrotto 3373 compact light stands.

So what is being packed in this easy to carry, unassuming, fully legal for carry-on baggage backpack? Let me tell you:
1 - Canon 5D w/grip
1 - Canon 20D w/grip
1- Canon 14f2.8L
1 - Canon 24f3.5L tilt-shift
1 - Canon 50f1.4
1 - Canon 85f1.2L
1 - Canon 70-200f2.8L
1 - Canon EF 12mm Extension Tube II
2 - Nikon SB-28dx Speedlights
2 - Pocket Wizard transmitters
2 - Pocket Wizard receivers
2 - Manfrotto 3373 compact light stands
1 - Manfrotto 3007 compact tripod w/extension post
1 - Think Tank PeeWee Pocket Rocket
1 - 1-quart Hefty Bag with extra batteries, PC cord, random accessories
1 - mini roll of black Gaffers tape
1 - PhotoFlex mini Speed Ring
1 - PhotoFlex Q39 soft boxes
2 - Calumet Swivel Adapters
1 - Think Tank Cable Management 10 (with CF card reader, power supply etc)
1 - 15" Apple PowerBook
1 - PhotoFlex 22" white/white LiteDisc (Not Pictured)
2 - Canon BP511 battery chargers (Not Pictured, they were charging batteries)
4 - Sets of spare "AA" batteries (Not Pictures, they were on the chargers)

Overall, the amount this bag can haul, for its compact size is amazing. Most bags that are able to handle the size of this load have a much larger 'footprint.' Working with a larger bag is not only uncomfortable most of the time, but it also makes wearing the bag while shooting more challenging.

You can view the specs for the Mountainsmith Parallax on Mountainsmith's website at: www.mountainsmith.com

Below are 5 photos of the Parallax depicting the bag externally, internally, with all the packed gear (both packed and unpacked) and a 15" PowerBook with the bag to give you a sense of how compact the bag is.

Happy Flying!
--Click Images To Enlarge--

10/10/2008 – The Weekly Round Up : Loyalty Can Save You Money : Stay Safe In New Places : TSA Thief Busted : Securing Checked Bags :Meals Goes Green

Web: www.fishfoto.com -- E-Mail: fish@flyingwithfish.com

10/10/2008 – The Weekly Round Up : Loyalty Can Save You Money : Stay Safe In New Places : TSA Thief Busted : Securing Checked Bags :Meals Goes Green

This week Flying With Fish has significantly been dedicated to staying safe while traveling. The common thread between Tuesday and Wednesday was not intentional; however with the single largest bust of a TSA Screener for theft lead me to stay on this topic.

Traveling with valuable items can be challenging and my goal this week has been to keep the readers of Flying With Fish informed on how to stay safe. These topics included working in an unfamiliar environment, staying informed on a TSA screener creating a one-man crime spree, and how to ensure your locked baggage stays locked when traveling with valuable items. Just be aware that the Lightsaber iPhone 'App' is not a viable option for protecting yourself on the road.

Before diving into this weeks weekly round up, I like to stick a reminder in that the Get Up & Fly Single Day Boot Camps scheduled for November 7th, departing early in the morning from JFK Airport and November 13th late in the evening from LAX, both still have space available. The cost of the Boot Camp is $1250 and includes all airfare expenses, an over priced airline snack box on the daytime flight, and a Mountainsmith Tour waist pack (which you'll receive before the Boot Camp to pack it up and bring it with you). For more detailed information please visit www.comeflywithfish.com

Not addressed this week on Flying With Fish is why I think American Airlines' new 'unbundled' fare structure will ultimately work against the airline. You can read excepts of my opinion exclusively on AeroChannel in this article a: http://aerochannel.com/features/4891678

..............now onto the week in review!

This week kicked off with a suggestion for flyers to choose a frequent flyer program and stick with it. With the rising cost of travel, loyalty to an airlines frequent flyer program can save you as much as 5%-to-7%. You don't even need to fly the airline of your frequent flyer program; you can fly any airline within the alliance and gain miles, and in the process reduce your travel expenses. To learn more about saving money through frequent flyer loyalty check out: 6/10/2008 - Save Money By Being A Loyal Frequent Flyer

Working in new and unfamiliar places is fun and exciting. The world is out there for you to explore and you should pack up and go! Working in an unfamiliar place can also cause you to stop paying attention and put you at risk for becoming the target of a thief. You can pick up some tips on ways to stay focused and reduce your chances of being the object of a thief's attention in this post: 7/10/2008 - Staying Safe In An Unfamiliar Environment: Don't Be A Lost Tourist

The big news this week on Flying With Fish was the reporting of the US Department of Homeland Security's Office of the Inspector General making the single largest theft bust in the Transportation Security Administration's six-year history. My reporting of this story has been picked up and reproduced in a number outlets, both travel and photography. Including Popular Photography and AeroChannel. To find out how many cameras were found in the TSA screeners house when it was raided visit : 7/10/2008 - Airport TSA Security Screener Busted For One-Man Theft Ring

Following the single largest theft bust in the TSA's history, surprisingly allegedly carried out by a single TSA screener, I detailed a last resort tactic for travelers (ONLY when traveling domestically within the United States) to securely lock their valuables in checked baggage when the need arises. You can find out what you can do here: 8/10/2008 - Protecting Your Sensitive Valuables In Checked Baggage: A Last Resort

This week's iPhone 'App' Of The Week is just pure whimsy. The 'App' Of The Week is Lightsaber. What does this iPhone 'App' do? Turns your iPhone into a Lightsaber. This may not be great for protecting your baggage, it probably won't help you be more productive while traveling, but so what? This 'App' will help you pass the time, and have some fun. Check it out in this post (you know you want to!): 9/10/2008 – iPhone 'App' Of The Week: Lightsaber

What can China Airlines do to help reduce its carbon emissions and create a smaller carbon footprint for its self? It can change its in-flight menu! This alternative thinking is brilliant. Curious how a changed menu can reduce China Airlines carbon footprint? Check here: 10/10/2008 – China Airlines Reduces Its Carbon Footprint In A Unique Way

Remember; for random updates on travel-photography, and travel in general, related information follow my Twitter. There is no social networking and new personal updates on Flying With Fish's Twitter. For my purposes, only snippets of information relevant to the topics discussed on Flying With Fish are sent out via Twitter. You can join in at www.twitter.com/flyingwithfish

Thats it for this week!

Happy Flying!

26/09/2008 – The Weekly Round Up : Bags-&-Regional Jets : Choosing A Frequent Flyer Program : Make Your Own Modular Bags : A Dead Airline Rises, etc

Web: www.fishfotoworldwide.com -- E-Mail: fish@flyingwithfish.com

26/09/2008 – The Weekly Round Up : Bags-&-Regional Jets : Choosing A Frequent Flyer Program : Make Your Own Modular Bags : A Dead Airline Rises, etc etc

Wow, this week has been insane with travel news in the airline industry, particularly within the SkyTeam airline alliance. For starters Alitalia, an airline I have been watching die for more than a year appeared to be fading into the history books with the bagpipes gently growing in sound in the distance. I hoped for the best, but was sure the executioner was sharpening the blade........as of this morning it looks like Alitalia might have a ray of hope to live on and continue serving as Italy's National Flag Carrier. Alitalia has a long way to go to compete with a fierce European market, but with some strategic changes they can push forward and become a serious contender in the international and intra-Europe market.

Before I move into the week in review, I'd like mention an addition to my Get Up & Fly Photo Boot Camps. I have had some significant interest in these workshops, yet seats remain available! Just to entice those of you are interested to jump onboard I'm adding this offer.......for those photographers who join me on the New York and Los Angeles Get Up & Fly Boot Camps, I'll be supplying you with one of my favourite bags for the journey! Before we depart I'll ship you one of the bags I have discussed repeatedly on Flying With Fish so you can pack it up and bring it with you! Why am I doing this? Because I think this bag is outstanding and an excellent took for photogs to use, work out of and help dictate a stripped down minimalist kit on the road. For more information on the Get Up & Fly Boot Camps visit: www.comeflywithfish.com

For those of you who read Flying With Fish on a regular basis you'll notice my first ad went up this week. On the right hand column is now an ad from Adorama. Why Adorama? Well for starters I purchase a lot of my camera equipment from Adorama. Secondly would be Jeff Snyder, quite possibly the worlds great professional camera sales rep, I followed him from his old place of business to his current position at Adorama. Need any camera equipment, click the advertisement and a portion of your purchase will go towards supporting the maintaining of Flying With Fish. Don't want to support Flying With Fish but just want excellent service? Drop Jeff an e-mail at jsnyder@adorama.com or catch him on AIM at JSnyderAdorama


This week I kicked off Flying With Fish with an article on how do deal with leaving your bag at the stairs when boarding a regional jet or turbo prop flight. No one likes being separated from their bag, especially photographers, but there are ways to pack and minimize any risk of damage to your bag and the kit you've packed inside it. Find out more here: 22/09/2008 – Leaving Your Bag At The Stairs On Regional Flights, AKA: Valet Check, Stair Check, Planeside Check

On Monday I discussed the almost immediate demise of Alitalia. I am very happy to report that as of this morning they appear to be diverting disaster and have the possibility of continuing to fly. I have some significant concepts on what Alitalia must do to attract and retain premium passengers, and continue to reinforce passenger loyalty, in order to turn around their perception in the minds of business travelers and the flying public, but I'll keep those details to myself for the moment. To find out about Alitalia's saga, visit here: 22/09/2008 – Watching An Airline Die A Slow Death : Alitalia's Almost Certain Failure

Last week I asked the readers of Flying With Fish to suggest an ideal frequent flyer program for photographer Mark Rebilas in this post, 15/09/2008 – Choosing A Frequent Flyer Program : Help A Photographer Maximize His Miles. This week I revealed my detailed answers for what two frequent flyer programs I believe would most benefit Mark in this post: 23/09/2008 – Choosing A Frequent Flyer Program Pt-2 : Fish's Suggestions For Helping A Photographer Maximize His Miles

Who wants to go to Baghdad? It may not be a tourist destination, but now it will be serviced by Turkish Airlines' mainline flights from Istanbul. These are the first 'mainline' flights to fly to Baghdad, although Royal Jordanian flies regional jet service and Iraqi Airways flies a limited international schedule. This is a definite sign of progress for international business to progress as Iraq emerges into the global market place. Find out more here: 23/09/2008 – Baghdad Gets Scheduled Flights To Europe With Turkish Airlines


Choosing a 1-stop-shopping bag system for short trips that require minimal camera gear can be a challenge. While looking at a variety of systems I decided to make my own out of a few Mountainsmith bags. Find out what I have done to meet my needs and cut down on carrying excess weight here: 24/09/2008 – Simple Baggage Solutions : Make Your Own Modular System

Earlier this month I discussed American Airlines putting WiFi back in this sky in this entry, 2/09/2008 – American Airlines Puts WiFi In The Sky. This week I discuss American Airlines repackaging perks that have offered to their 'elite flyers' and how the new announcements of these perks make the airline appears as if they are only roughly a decade behind their competitors in offering these perks. American Airlines might want to focus on customer service (other airlines can focus on this as well) before repackaging its frequent flyer programs and muddling the AAdvantage frequent flyer program. You can read more about AA's 'new' PriorityAAccess here: 24/09/2008 – American Airlines Adds Perks For AAdvantage ‘Elites’...just a few years behind all of their competitors

On Thursday the shareholders of both Delta and Northwest voted overwhelmingly in favour of merging the two airlines. There will be some turbulence in the skies as the merger terms are smoothed out and the two giant legacy carriers move to become one. Both carriers bring significant advantages to the merger, and combined they will be a massive global powerhouse that will need to be factored in by nearly all other airlines servicing international routes into the United States. You can read up on the merger in this post: 25/09/2008 – The Delta Airlines & Northwest Airlines Merger : The Shareholders Vote Today

Looking for a fun iPhone 'App' to help you building a new doorframe at home or lining up your tripod on the edge of the ocean? This week's iPhone 'App' Of The Week is "A Free Level." Learn more about this fun took you can install in your iPhone here: 25/09/2008 – iPhone 'App' Of The Week : A Free Level


That's it for this week.......but feel free to visit www.comeflywithfish.com and join me on an upcoming journey!

Happy Flying!

Simple Baggage Solutions : Make Your Own Modular System

Web: www.fishfoto.com -- E-Mail: fish@flyingwithfish.com

24/09/2008 – Simple Baggage Solutions : Make Your Own Modular System

There are dozens of modular bag systems on the market today that are used by photographers. These bags are for general packing solutions, photography specific solutions and a hybrid of both. As I have been trying to reduce the gear I travel with for 'general shooting' situations I had started to investigate a variety of bags possibilities for more than a dozen manufacturers.

While researching a variety of bags one night I started staring at a set of bags I have used, trusted, loved and preached about often on Flying With Fish, and almost everywhere else I discuss bags. These bags as you frequent readers may have already guessed are my Mountainsmith bags.

To make a simple carry on + roll-aboard that could carry everything I'd need for a 'simple kit,' I turned to the Mountainsmith Correspondent roll-aboard bag, The Day and The Tour. These three bags can be easily combined into two bags for short trips, around the corner or around The World.

When initially setting up this configuration I removed the top 'cube' from inside the Mountainsmith Correspondent and sized up the Mountainsmith Tour to see if it would easily fit inside. Once I determined that the Tour would fit into the open slot, normally filled by a 'cube,' I was off and running.

For my needs, this how I packed for travel:

-The Day : 4 magazines (Photo District News, Airliner World, National Geographic, The Economist); sleeve of 10 DVDs, Newswear pouch with my Sony PSP Survival Kit (swapping the Skullcandy headsets for the Sony MDR-NC22 headsets), Vector 100watt emPower inverter; 15" MacPowerBook, PowerBook AC power supply;

- The Tour: Domke 4-slot insert (the original non-padded chocolate brown insert, how many of you remember when the bags were only brown?); PSP power supply; Garmin GPS; GPS accessories; Think Tank Cable Management 10 pouch (for all my random photo & computer accessories, mobile phone chargers, CF card reader, thumb-drive, etc, etc), Energizer rapid "AA" battery charger

- The Correspondent
(In The 'Cube') : Canon 5D w/BG-E4 grip; Canon 20D w/BG-E2 grip; Canon 16-35f2.8L; Canon 70-200f2.8L; Canon 24f1.4L; Canon 50f1.4; Canon EF-12II extension tube; Canon 580ex; Think Tank PeeWee Pocket Rocket (CF Card Wallet) ; two spare "AA" packs of rechargeable batteries, two spare BP-511 batteries; Canon ETTL Cord; Ilford Anti-Stat cloth

(In The Pocket Intended For A Laptop & Magazines): two button down folded shirts (folded and inside the laptop sleeve), 2 pairs of a socks, 2 pairs of boxers, belt.

(In The Inside Flap Clear Pockets) Hefty 1-quart (TSA Approved) bag with toiletries, stick of deodorant , two Canon battery chargers for the BP-511 batteries.

(In The Main Compartment): one pair of folded pants (placed above 'The Cube' behind The Tour)

With all of my gear with me, set up in easy to access and configured in a way that is easy to both unpack and repack, I am able to get to work easily. Once I am ready to get to work I remove the gear I'll be shooting with and set up my Mountainsmith Tour pack. Generally I'll head out with a 16-35f2.8 attached to my 5D and a 50f1.4 on my 20D, leaving the 24f1.4 & 70-200f2.8 in The Tour, along with a Canon 580ex, spare batteries, a Think Tank PeeWee Pocket Rocket and an ETTL cord.

The items that were in The Tour get transferred to 'The Cube' and off I go.

I have now traveled with this kit of three transcontinental trips to shoot projects and weddings and the set up has been perfect. The size and weight are easy to handle, the design function of all three items are ideal for traveling fast and light, while allowing me to carry everything I need to make sure I arrive with everything I need to do my job.

Overall, as I have mentioned time-and-time again, I trust my Mountainsmith products (they even make my mobile phone belt holster for my Razr and iPhone, the Mountainsmith Amp). The products Mountainsmith makes are reliable and durable, the space is ample, the bright yellow interior of the waist packs are easy to work out of , the zippers are strong and at the end of the day I know their products will take anything I can throw at them (including being left at the stairs, loaded with my gear, when boarding a regional jet or turbo prop flight).

Next time you're looking for a complete carry-on solution think outside the box and make your own.........maybe also check out the Mountainsmith line of bags for your needs.

Below are two photos of my Mountainsmith kit

Happy Flying!
--Click Images To Enlarge--

Leaving Your Bag At The Stairs On Regional Flights, AKA: Valet Check, Stair Check, Planeside Check

Web: www.thetravelstrategist.com -- E-Mail: fish@flyingwithfish.com

22/09/2008 – Leaving Your Bag At The Stairs On Regional Flights, AKA: Valet Check, Stair Check, Planeside Check

Not a day seems to pass where I don't get an e-mail or see an enquiry on some travel or photography message board regarding travelers being forced to leave their full-size roll-aboard bag at the stairs of a 'regional jet' or turbo-prop aircraft.

As more airlines reduce their mainline aircraft routes and increase their dependency on smaller regional jets and turbo-prop aircraft the question about leaving your bags plane side has moved from a problem faced only and smaller regional airports and moved into many mid-sized and larger regional airport routes.

Leaving your bag plane side, which has many names depending on the airline you're flying, is a significant concern for many travelers. The obvious concern involves damaging the contents of your bag. As a photographer who travels constantly, and who flies regional jets and turbo-props constantly, I have been dealing with these issues for quite a few years now.

As I have mentioned previously on Flying With Fish my home airport, New Haven (HVN), only have five flights per day, each of those flights is on a US Airways Express Dash-8 turbo-prop. My preferred airport, Providence (PVD), has seen a significant increase in regional jet usage, particularly on short routes I often fly to pick up medium-haul and long-haul flights.

Over the past few years I have only had my equipment damaged once when being forced to 'Valet Check' my bag. It was an isolated incident at Washington DC's Reagan National Airport (DCA) and I was lucky a ramp-supervisor witnessed the incident. A ramp handler from US Airways Express tool my well packed bag and threw it from the back of a regional jet completely missing the baggage loader truck.

Other than this once incident my Think Tank Airport Addicted backpack has flow hundreds of regional jet & turbo prop flights loaded with a minimum of two camera bodies, five lenses, two flashes and other gear and has never had any of the contents damaged. My Mountainsmith Correspondent, which I have recently begun to use, has now flown on dozens of regional flights, has also not had any gear damaged when left at the stairs of a flights.

What is the secret? Well there is no secret.

- First off if you have your laptop in your bag remove it! Do not ever have your laptop placed in the cargo hold, even for a short flight.

- When you chose your bag make sure it is semi-rigid or hard sided. Make sure the interior of the bag has padding, preferably multiple layers of padding, around your equipment.

- Make sure the padding in your bag is secure. You don't want the padding shifting around in the bag so it no longer protects the contents.

- If you have fragile contents in your bag do not be afraid to label the bag as such. My Think Tank Airport Addicted has strips of white duct tape on it with "FRAGILE" written in big bright red block letters on it with a permanent magic marker. My Mountainsmith Correspondent has bright pink duct tape strips on it with "FRAGILE” written on it in big bold black lettering with permanent magic marker.

- When you pack your bag make sure your fragile items are secure. You want in them in place and not shifting around. Damage comes from not only impact but also movement. You can have some 'give room' but not so your items are sliding. For photogs who stack lenses, place something between the lenses. I use the 'orange' Ilford anti-stat cloths, but I have also used a sock and a small face cloth. This is just to reduce things from scraping together; it won't protect your gear from a 15-foot drop (then again a Pelican case probably won't protect your gear from impact damage if it took a 15 foot straight drop).

- If you can hand your bag to a human, rather than just leave it at the stairs, and tell them the contents are fragile it can also be helpful. I know many flyers think the ramp agents damage bags just for fun, but most of them in my experience are nice folks and will take care with your bag if you ask.

I know leaving your bag at the mercy of the 'Valet Check’ is never ideal, but with some careful planning, and knowing if you'll need to leave your bag at the stairs (check your flights before hand to find out the type of aircraft you'll be flying on), can minimize the risk in leaving your bags and potentially fragile equipments at the bottom of the stairs.

For those of you where the term I often use "Valet Check" comes from, it comes from American Airlines' "Valet plane-side baggage check for carry-on bags"

Below is a photo of my Mountainsmith Correspondent on the ramp outside PHL's Terminal F, waiting to be placed under a US Airways Express Dash-8 turbo-prop for the quick flight up to HVN

Happy Flying!
--Click Image To Enlarge--

Killing Germs On The Road : Purell's 1oz 2-Go Carrier

Web: www.fishfoto.com -- E-Mail: fish@flyingwithfish.com

4/08/2008 - Killing Germs On The Road : Purell's 1oz 2-Go Carrier

Let's face it nearly everything you touch on the road is dirty. The check-in kiosk is dirty, the security lane bins are filthy, your arms rests on the plane are disgusting, and the tray table could probably be a science experiment. We go through the airport and get on the planes without a second thought to our health and the sanitary conditions surrounding us. If we thought about this as we went through our time in transit we'd probably lose our minds.

Years ago I found my solution to trying to stay as sanitary as possible on the road. One night while cruising through my local Target I picked up the Purell 2-Go Carrier pack. The pack (priced at under US$3.00) comes with two 1oz Purell containers and a flexible rubber carry strap that is reusable. Everywhere I go I simply hang a 1oz container from my bag. When I touch something I immediately squirt some Purell on my hands, briskly rub my hands together and move along.

For those of you who do not know what Purell is, it is a liquid instant hand sanitizer (my kids call it 'Magic Soap'). Purell is reported to kill 99.99% of surface germs, which you’d pick up in the course of your normal day, such as touching doors, holding the railing on the train, or nearly anything else you'd touch. This liquid instant sanitizer does not replace washing your hands, or aid in getting dirt off, but it does kill the germs on your hands.

My 'Purell 2-Go' is usually on the outside of my bag even as I pass my bag through the security x-ray machine. If I am questioned about it (which is extremely rare) I slip it into a 1-quart Ziploc bag (3-1-1 bag) and send it back through security (except for one incident at PHL that I won't go into).

Since surface germs are the cause of many of us getting ill this is an indispensable item to carry with you whether you're traveling to the grocery story or around the world.

Below are a few photos of package of Purell 2-Go, the 1oz container with strap and the Purell 2-Go hanging off my Mountainsmith Parallax backpack which is packed and ready to head out on a photo shoot.

Happy Flying!

--Click Images To Enlarge Them--

26/07/2008-The Weekly Round Up : Long Haul Sanity : Flying With Fish 'The Book' : More Mountainsmith Bags : Cancelled Flight Rebooking Strategies

Web: www.fishfotoworldwide.com -- E-Mail: fish@flyingwithfish.com

26/07/2008-The Weekly Round Up : Long Haul Sanity : Flying With Fish 'The Book' : More Mountainsmith Bags : Cancelled Flight Rebooking Strategies

This week Flying With Fish has been busy planning new ways to better inform both novice travelers and experienced road warriors. From signing a contract to write a book to quietly partnering up to plan a series of intensive one-day workshops to make the process of travel less stressful and more productive.

Flying With Fish kicked off the week by revisiting a lightweight, low cost, pocket sized source of entertainment to keep you sane during your travels. Since I started traveling with my Sony PSP I have found myself more relaxed on long flights, less cramped due to the size and hauling less weight to supply auxiliary power a laptop or portable DVD player. You can read up on simple ways to maximize your PSP here:
21/07/2008 - Long Haul Flight Sanity Revisited : 'Pimp Your PSP'

Tuesday was an exciting day for Flying With Fish! Well in all honesty the actual day its self was a drag and not one to write home about, but on Tuesday Flying With Fish signed a contract with an international publishing firm to be commissioned to write "The Traveling Photographer's Essential Pocket Guide." With any luck this will be the first of multiple books from Flying With Fish (well let's see how this one goes first): You can check out more on this book here: 22/07/2008 - Flying With Fish Signs Contract To Write "The Traveling Photographer's Essential Pocket Guide."

With a lot of recent discussion about the Mountainsmith line of bags, and how they can be used by photographers I decided to answer some reader mail asking if I used these bags prior to the Mountainsmith Bag Giveaway. The answer is certainly YES! I have used these bags for many years. Although I have written up my bags in the past, I threw my collection of bags in the back of my Volvo 240 Wagon (minus my Pink Mountainsmith Tour pack which was being used at the time) to show you all my current collection of Mountainsmith Bags. Looking for a bag? Take a look here : 22/07/2008 - What Mountainsmith bags does Flying With Fish personally travel with? Lets find out!

For the photography tech-geeks Flying With Fish introduced a new segment on Inside Digital Photo Radio. Michael McNamara, the former Executive Technology Editor at Popular Photography, will now be joining Scott Sheppard to bring listeners 'The McNamara Report.' When you're planning your gear purchases for your next trip you may want to tune in! Fine out more about this new segment on Inside Digital Photo Radio here: 24/07/2008 - Inside Digital Photo Radio Gets A Fantastic New Segment!

Everyone hates cancelled flights. Find out some tips for beating your fellow stranded passengers to a rebooked seat in this must read entry : 25-July-2008 - Getting Rebooked From A Cancelled Flight : A Simple Way To Reduce Stress & Increase Results

...........And I'm coming close to closing off the 'No Jet Lag Photo Workshops" Just a few more people are needed to gets the minimum seats filled to get these workshops off the ground! These two workshops, one Around-The-World and the other Sprinting-Through-Europe, will push your photography and your travel abilities to the edge. The pace will be relentless, but if you like to travel and enjoy photography you'll have the experience of a lifetime! To find out more about the No Jet Lag Workshops visit : www.comeflywithfish.com


On an unrelated travel or photography subject, I'd like to end this week's Weekly Round Up with my 'Quote of the Week.' I know many people experience various problems with PayPal at times. PayPal happens to be the credit-card processing service I use (although not for long), on Thursday we were given incorrect information regarding a transaction, while simultaneously performing the transaction and speaking with PayPal customer service to ensure what we were doing was correct. As you can guess, the transaction did not go as planned. So after some frustration we stopped for the night and I called PayPal in the morning. In the morning, I eventually got a supervisor and after explaining the situation in detail and getting nowhere I asked that PayPal review the taped conversation, which they readily admit they have. Upon requesting the tape be reviewed, this is the answer I was given by a customer service supervisor .......ready for it?......here it is ......"PayPal accepts no liability for the incorrect information given it it's customers by it's customer service representatives."

That's it for this week

Happy Flying!

What Mountainsmith bags does Flying With Fish personally travel with? Lets find out!

Web: www.fishfotoworldwide.com -- E-Mail: fish@flyingwithfish.com

22/07/2008 - What Mountainsmith bags does Flying With Fish personally travel with? Lets find out!


With the recent Mountainsmith Bag giveaway contest, during the 'The Great Mountainsmith Bag Give Away From Flying With Fish' I received a few e-mails asking me if I chose to use Mounatainsmith bags because of of the company's giveaway on Flying With Fish.

I dismissed the first email or two, but when the next three rolled in I decided I should probably address this question. In fact I have been using Mountainsmith bags for my camera equipment for many years...........nearly a decade now! Throughout this past year I have detailed my use of Mountainsmith bags in great detail, including a five part series on the Mountainsmith Tour back in January.

As a photographer who travels, I have used Mountainsmith bags around the world and chose to accept Mountainsmith's offer of giving away a few of their bags because I am a huge fan of their products!

How big of a fan am I of the Mountainsmith line of bags? To demonstrate my enjoyment of their bags I loaded up some of my collection into the back of my 1990 Volvo 245 and shot a picture of my collection (missing from the photo is my bright pink Mountainsmith Tour).

The Mountainsmith bags in the photo below from left to right are:

- The Day : The Day is a fantastic 'hit the ground running bag' to carry multiple carry configurations for shooting, lighting, taking your laptop to the library (it's even good for hiking).

- The Parallax : I used The Parallax as the only bag I brought with me while shooting a project where I flew around the world 1.5x in 4 days! Great bag to carry everything, while still being carry-on legal and small enough to wear on my back while shooting!

- The Cube : The Cube is great for not only packing your clothes for travel, like a duffel bag, however I use mine to disguise checked camera equipment. When I am forced to check camera gear in cases such as the Pelican 1514, or long lens shipping trunks, I place these cases inside the The Cube. When The Cube comes around the baggage carousel no one gives it a second glance as it looking nothing like what you'd expect to find camera equipment in. The bright neon green colour is to allow me to quickly and easily spot my bag among the sea of black ballistic-nylon bags in the baggage area

- The Correspondent : The Correspondent is the newest bag in my collection, and after some heavy travel in the past few months it has proved to be fantastic rolling bag! The unique interior configurability, while taking getting used to, has been great, and for many trips this bags design has allowed me to travel with one bag only for gear, clothes, laptop, etc.

-The Tour (in front of The Cube): The Tour has been by far my most used Mountainsmith pack. The Tour is a lumbar pack designed for hiking, but for me it is the do it all bag. I have at least half-a-dozen configurations of this pack. The Tour coupled with a 'Newswear Pouch' can meet nearly any shooting situations needs. The bright yellow interior is also ideal for not loosing little black lens caps, black cords etc etc........I also have a bright pink Tour which my daughter bought me that is not shown in the photo

- The Amp (in front of the Tour) : The Amp is a small mobile phone holster which I use every day to carry my Motorola Razr around on my belt. I wish they made a sleeve large enough for my Blackberry! The Amp's oversized top-flap and excessive use of Velcro ensures my phone is always in its case even when constantly being banged by camera equipment, lens pouches or waist packs. It has been by far the best mobile phone holster I have ever used........and I have used mine for over a year now since I first spotted the Amp at the Kittery Trading Post up in Maine.

Well there you go, my regular line-up of Mountainsmith bags (and yes I have others that are old and worn out elsewhere, but I wasn't emptying my entire closet into the back of my car)..........and why the Volvo again (I used the bumper in this week's post on the Sony PSP), I just felt like photographing my car for no real reason :0)

Happy Flying!

--Click Image To Enlarge It--

18/07/2008-The Weekly Round Up : US Airways Reduces Fuel On Planes : Bag Winners Announced : Airline Humour : New Airline Missile Defense System

Web: www.fishfoto.com -- E-Mail: fish@flyingwithfish.com

18/07/2008-The Weekly Round Up : US Airways Reduces Fuel On Planes : Bag Winners Announced : Airline Humour : New Airline Missile Defense System

US Airways has been cutting costs hand-over-first in recent months and shedding loyal frequent flyers in a pattern that could be only be described as an exodus from the airline. Now, in addition to frequent flyers being at odds with the airline, pilots at US Airways are troubled with US Airways' decision to reduce the amount of fuel loaded onto aircraft and take retaliatory measures against long-haul captains who order additional fuel for their aircraft as allowed by the FAA. You can about this clash between US Airways management and the pilots in this post: 14/07/2008 – US Airways Reduces Fuel On Aircraft To Reduce Fuel Expenses!

The entries have been read and Flying With Fish has selected three winners of 'The Great Mountainsmith Bag Give Away From Flying With Fish!' It was a difficult decision to narrow down some fantastic stories down to three, but it was great fun reading each and every entry. You can read the winning worst case scenario entries here: 16/07/2008 – Winners Announced For 'The Great Mountainsmith Bag Give Away From Flying With Fish'

We all need to laugh and the late comedic genius George Carlin created one of the best spoofs on airline announcements ever created. If you'd like to add some humour to your day (and you're not at work where everyone can hear your audio and/or your kids are out of ear shot) you can watch George Carlin's brilliant sketch by clicking here:
16/07/2008 – A Humourous View Of 'Airline Announcements'

This week saw the launch of the first commercial aircraft loaded with passengers fly with the JetEye Infrared Missile-Defense System, and the start of the final phase of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security's (DHS) 'Counter-Man-Portable Air Defense System (C-MANPADS). ' To learn a bit more about the JetEye anti-missile system check out: 16/07/2008 – Airline Missile Defense System Takes Flight With First Commercial Passenger Flight

It has been well documented that I am a fan of the AeroChannel web site, in turn it can easily be documented that the folks at AeroChannel enjoy Flying With Fish. So Flying With Fish and AeroChannel have decided to team up and begin creating 'TheHub Guide.' To find out more on 'The Hub Guide' check this post out: 16/07/2008 – Airline Missile Defense System Takes Flight With First Commercial Passenger Flight

That's it for this week......so Happy Flying!

Winners Announced For 'The Great Mountainsmith Bag Give Away From Flying With Fish'

Web: www.fishfoto.com -- E-Mail: fish@flyingwithfish.com

16/07/2008 – Winners Announced For 'The Great Mountainsmith Bag Give Away From Flying With Fish'

Choosing the top three 'worst case scenarios' most deserving of the Mountainsmith Parallax photo backpack for first place; the Mountainsmith Day Pack for second place and the Mountainsmith Cyber II for the third place was difficult.

I have read more than 100 entries (and tossed a few, including a personal favourite that involved being abducted by aliens) before whittling down the entries to make it to the 'next round.' From this 'next round' I sought the insight from a few expert travelers. The decision on the final three entries has taken a few days of deliberations. I hoped to have my winners first thing Tuesday morning, but in reality I kept coming back to five entries, and ultimately had to make my decisions from these final five.

So what were the winning entries in the 'The Great Mountainsmith Bag Give Away From Flying With Fish'? Let's find out!
---
1st Place: David Ringrose takes home a Mountainsmith Parallax!
Have Crowbar, Will Travel
I was traveling by rail in Portugal, watching the countryside go by. Suddenly there was a horrble screeching noise, and I saw that rocks and pieces of metal were flying past the carriage windows at a high rate of speed. My first thought was, "We've been derailed!" So I grabbed the bottom of my bench seat waiting for the carriage to tip one way or the other.

The locals began sticking their heads out the windows, this seemed crazy to me since things were still whizzing past. Luckily nothing was flying up at an angle to hit one of these brave, or stupid, souls. The train slowed and came to a stop, and several of us got off the train to see what had happened. The brakeman was out of the locomotive looking at a small car that was now attached to the front of the locomotive and there was a man running in our direction from the other direction, the driver as I later learned.

Immediately, visions of being stuck here for hours waiting on the Portugese version of the NTSB to show up, while my friend who was being married in two days waited for me to arrive at my destination. I walked forward to see if I could be of any assistance. As I walked past the locomotive the engineer handed me a crowbar, using the international, "take this" sign, since I don't speak Portugese.

Thankfully there was no one in the car, and amazingly the car radio was still playing. Several of the men were trying to push the car off the tracks. When they saw me with the crowbar they waved me up onto the car. So I crawled up there and started prying the car and locomotive apart at a couple of points where they'd become melded together. With a lot of heaving and pidgin and about ten minutes of work we managed to get the two separated and were on our way. Leaving behind one destroyed small car, with a working radio, and an upset, yet relieved driver. We managed to get to my destination only twenty minutes late.

My travel tips from this experience. Follow the wisdom of the Hitchhiker's Guide [to the Galaxy], DON'T PANIC. It also helps to keep your sense of humor, and your worst case
scenario can become an adventure, and a great story.

(Sidenote from Fish: I love the 4th book in the Hitchhikers Guide trilogy "So Long and Thanks For All The Fish")

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2nd Place: Rikk Flohr (www.fleetingglimpse.com) takes home a Mountainsmith Day!
"My scheduled 20-day shoot began on June 1st of this year. I would shoot a sculpture workshop at Mt. Rushmore, Waterfalls in Spearfish Canyon, Devil's Tower, a family reunion, a family portrait, and a week camping in the Bighorn Mountains.

I arrived at Rushmore on Monday - Day 2 and attended the workshop without my gear to scope the location. Afterwards, I secured a campsite at Grizzly Gulch and decided to hike in to photograph the Grizzly Bear Falls. Forgoing my entire backpack of gear, I slung a 40D with 17-40 and a 5D with a 70-200 zoom over each shoulder and set out.

Recent heavy rains eroded the stream banks rather severely. The boulder at the base of the falls onto which I stepped gave way, tipping me into the stream, depositing me and my gear into a 5-foot deep pool of icy rushing water. The 5D and telephoto zoom went completely under. The 40D and wide angle zoom were doused but I managed to get them out of the water quickly. It took nearly 10 seconds of flailing about to get my feet underneath me and the cameras out of the water.

Sloshing back to my tent, I reflected on my options. I was on Day 2 of a 20 day safari and I was without my main camera and my backup without having fired a shutter. My cell phone was protected in my breast pocket and still worked, as did the key fob for my Prius so I had transportation and phone service. I called my wife and had her ship my backup 5D and my ancient 20D via Fed Ex for a Day 4 arrival. I called my insurance company (I carry a rider for my gear) and reported the accident.

Two trips into Rapid City for desiccant and the ultimate post-mortems at Ritz Camera to satisfy the underwriter and I had assurances a check was on the way. Day 4 came, the backup gear arrived. I was back in business. My wife called on Day 5 and had the check in hand. The order to B&H was placed and on Day 9, the replacement gear was delivered. One shoot was cancelled due to lack of gear and a few shots were salvaged by using the 2.0 MP cell
phone camera to get the shots I needed for my blog.

Days 10-20 were a picnic by comparison."

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Third Place: Melody Bostad (www.oneeyedesigns.com) takes home a Mountainsmith Cyber II!
Rain.
I should be used to it by now. I live in Seattle! Yet, there I was, in Boston on July 4 all set to photograph fireworks for the first time. My friend and I staked out a great location hours before the start of the show. I didn’t have any problems setting up the tripod, camera
settings and cable release were ready – and then the rain came. It wasn’t just a light drizzle but the kind of rain you can swim in. Put my hat on my Canon 20D to help protect it from the water but I didn’t even have a lens hood on the camera so rain was pelting the lens, ruining any chance of still getting a decent shot of the fireworks. Not wanting to lose my spot in search of protection from the elements, I tore up a walking map of Boston I had in my pocket, wrapped it around the lens, and swiped my friend’s hair tie to secure the paper. Viola! A temporary lens hood. I happened to have a clear plastic shower cap that I took from the hotel a while back (read in a book that they can be useful in such a situation) and placed it around the rest of the camera. I ended up getting some great shots of the fireworks and even better memories.

My next stop on my vacation was New York were I bought a camera rain protector from B & H

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I want to thank everyone for their entries, and I especially want to thank Mountainsmith for their support of Flying With Fish's reader........and Ingrid at Mountainsmith! Without Ingrid this contest would never have existed. THANK YOU INGRID!

Happy Flying!