30-January-2007 : It's A Boy! Yea!

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

30-January-2007 : It's A Boy! Yea!

My wife and I started our morning in a wonderful way, we welcomes our third child, and second son, into the world Simon Rye Frischling. Simon arrived at 7:40am at 7lbs 15oz and 20" long with curly black hair.

I hope to make Simon, and his sister Lauren and brother Max, into world travelers so they can experience the wonders of the world. In the process I hope take some time to relax and actually stop to see the world with my kids as well.

Below is a photo of Simon getting ready to take to the skies.

-Click On The Photo Below To Enlarge The Image-

26-January-2007 : So You Want To Pack It All On Your Back? Sometimes I Do!

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

26-January-2007 : So You Want To Pack It All On Your Back? Sometimes I Do!

There are many different bags for many different packing and work situations. Sometimes you need to haul it on your back, sometimes you need it all,sometimes you want to roll it. Is there a perfect bag? No there is not. I now rotate my camera equipment primarily between two backpacks and a rolling case. All are fully carry on compliant by U.S. and Canadian regulations, but one bag seems to be the jack of all trades for me.....it can be extremely heavy when loaded, and is an absolute work horse.................this bag is the Think Tank Airport Addicted Backpack (http://www.thinktankphoto.com/ttp_product_ArprtAddctd.php)

In 2005 my Think Tank Airport Addicted logged hundreds of thousands of miles. I can't put my finger on the exact number, but it is probably around 300,000 miles, with an average of five flights every 29 hours every other day due to my travel schedule in 2005. This bag logged another 100,000 miles in 2006. The Think Tank Airport Addicted was released while I was working as a magazine director of photography, in my position as a magazine Dir of Photo I commuted every other day between Providence, RI (PVD) or New Haven, CT (HVN) and somewhere in the west coast every other day. My average turn around time from my driveway back to my driveway was about 30 hours.

Despite the weight, my Airport Addicted became my travel companion almost every day. I could change the contents easily, I could pack clothing or my second 12" Apple PowerBook in the "back pocket" which was designed for a laptop. I could use it as a desk. I could shove almost everything except the kitchen sink this bag.

For my "daily" editorial assignments my Airport Addicted (First Photo At Bottom Of Post) typically contained the following
2 - Canon 1D series bodies
2 - Canon 550ex Speedlights
2 - Canon 580ex Speedlights
1 - Medium Domke Pouch with my "editing/transmit kit"
1 - Canon 70-200f2.8L
1 - Canon 28-70f2.8L
1 - Canon 16-35f2.8L
1 - Canon 24f3.5L TS-E (Tilt-Shift)
1 - Canon 85f1.8 USM
1 - Canon 50f1.4 USM
1 - Canon 20f2.8 USM
1 - LensBaby
1 - Stofen Omni Dome
2 - Canon ST-E2 IR flash triggers
3 - Rolls of tape (mini roll of Gaffers, mini roll of duct tape, mini roll of electrical tape)
1 - Mini-Mag flashlight
1 - Think Tank Pixel Pocket Rocket (CF Card Wallet)
3 - Pocket Wizard Receivers
1 - Pocket Wizard Transmitter
4 - Spare 1D series batters
8 - Sets of "AA" batteries
.........................as well as other random accessories.

My other set ups, such as as set up for sports and hard news (Middle Photo At Bottom Of Post) would hold 3 1D series bodies, six spare batteries, cell phone for deadline data transmitting as well as other variations. I must have used more than a dozen configurations of this bag, including 3 bodies, a 400f2.8, 70-200f2.8,16-35f2.8, accessories and even stuffing a Gitzo monopod inside this bag.

I have stuck the Think Tank Airport Addicted under many commuter planes, not that I like it, but it is required on small commuter aircraft, and my equipment has never been damaged. I do have a strip of white duct tape across the front with "FRAGILE" written in bright red Sharpie marker on the front, but I like to think this bag is just so well built that my equipment has been well taken care of. Of course I NEVER leave a laptop in this bag when it goes under and I NEVER check this to be sent through as baggage, but never-the-less, the bag is fantastic.

With a schedule that often shifts, needing to change flights in the middle of a schedule, this bag lets me travel and do my job no matter what. On more than one occasion my checked bag with my full lighting kit went to one city while I had to suddenly change my schedule and go somewhere else. Being able to pack a lot of small flashes , radio triggers for the flashes, as well as all the bodies and lenses I'd need I am able to deal with whatever is thrown at me.

Think Tank now makes a very similar rolling version of this bag, the Think Tank Airport Security ( http://www.thinktankphoto.com/ttp_product_ArprtScrty.php ) as well as the Airport International ( http://www.thinktankphoto.com/ttp_product_ArprtInl.php )which conforms to international airline regulations. The Airport International appears to be considerably smaller than the Airport Addicted, but for international travel I am sure it can't be beat, and I will be buying one in the next few months.

One think I never planned on using the Airport Addicted as was a mobile office, but my bag often becomes my mobile office and desk (Bottom Photo At End Of Post). Being able to stick everything in one bag (although it held one laptop not two, my briefcase holds the send laptop) allows me to finish my job, get to the airport, check in, get to my gate and then start working. I do get some odd looks at times, but the height of the bag is perfect for me (I am 6ft 3in) when I am sitting down to start editing.

Nothing like getting on a 5:30am flight, landing in San Francisco (SFO) at noon, setting up , shooting, tearing down, catching a 5:30pm flight to Las Vegas (LAS), getting to my connection gate by 8:PM, editing and transmitting all the images, catching at 11:PM redeye flight and being back in my bed by 9:AM the next day. This bag makes the task much easier day in and day out.

-Click On The Photo Below To Enlarge The Image-


Standard Editorial Kit Bag Set Up


Sports & News Bag Set Up


Editing Deadline Photos At Gate 38D In LAS

24-January-2007 : You Can Help A New Airline Fly!

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

24-January-2007 : You Can Help A New Airline Fly!

People complain about airline service and quality everyday. Yes, even me (OK, especially me depending on the day). Well Sir Richard Branson, the founder of Virgin Atlantic, has been trying to get Virgin America off the ground for sometime and is being blocked by trivial U.S. laws and lobbyists from from major U.S. "legacy" carriers (Delta, United, Continental, Northwest).

Virgin produces an outstanding product all over the world, with Virgin Atlantic for the long hauls out of London and smaller "regional" airlines operating in Europe, Australia and Nigeria (yes, even Nigeria, they have really cool green paint on the engines). I think the product Branson wants to unveil in the U.S. would be an asset to all flyers in the U.S. He has the space at San Francisco Int'l Airport (SFO) he has the Airbus A 319 and A320 aircraft (I have seen them parked and waiting in Montreal (YUL)) , he just needs the U.S. Gov't to say OK.................so what can you do? You can go here and sign a petition to let Virgin America fly!
http://www.letvafly.com

I have been a fan of Virgin Atlantic since I was 16.I have flown Virgin between the U.S. and London in every class of service and find them all to be fantastic. I have had the pleasure of flying in a Virgin Atlantic 747 with less than 40 passengers and sitting and chatting with Branson for 3 hours on a private flight from London Heathrow (LHR) to Basrah, Iraq (BSR). This guy knows how to run an empire and run an airline.......and he has even listened to frequent flyers by installing standard 110v power outlets in every seat, in both classes of service!

I say LET VIRGIN AMERICA FLY! ( http://www.letvafly.com )


-Click On The Photo Below To Enlarge The Image-

A Photo of Richard Branson From My Trip With Him At Basrah Int'l Airport in Iraq

23-January-2007 : Harnessing The In-Seat Power

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

23-January-2007 : Harnessing The In-Seat Power

So you think that you may want to try using in flight power? Good choice. It is not guaranteed you're plane will have it, and the airlines have been known at times to not turn it on in-flight (despite passengers asking nicely that the switch be flipped on the flight-attendents panel).

There are a few options for using in-seat power, but the most common option is EmPower. Obviously if your plane has standard electrical outlets (which exists almost exclusively on non-US carriers at the moment) you don't need a device to convert your power. If your plane uses a cigarette outlet (only American Airlines uses this option throughout it's fleet) you can also use your EmPower device, as almost all EmPower power supplies have a cigarette tip included it in the design of the .

Having tried many different inverters ininverter flight I currently have three and really only choose to use one in-flight. My choice to stick primarily with one unit is based on not only size and flexibility of the unit, but it's reliability, size and ruggedness.

The three devices I have are the following: Wagen Tech 120 watt car/airline inverter(white on left) APC 75 watt car/airline inverter (grey in center) and the iGo Juice 70 (silver on right).

By looking at the photo you can probably tell which two travel the most and really tell which one is my unit of choice.

All three devices are between $90 and $130, although prices may vary. All three devices do their job, but I'll weed out why I currently choose not to use one device on airplanes, and only use it in my car.

The Wagan Tech 120 watt is a nice unit. For size and ergonomics it cannot be beat. I bought this inverter to replace my older, and heavily beaten, APC 75 watt inverter. When the box arrived I popped open the packages, plugged it into the cigarette outlet in my car and tested it out a little bit. Satisfied that the unit would fit my packing needs and handle what I wanted it to charge I promptly packed it up for a four journey that would involved nine flights through four countries, two continents and a number of long haul flights. Of these flight six of the planes should have had EmPower installed in the seats for in-flight power (Korean Airlines 772, Korean Airlines 747-E on two flights, Continental/Microneasian Airlines 764, Delta 764, Delta 738) ......of these planes the Wagan Tech inverter fit exactly ZERO of the EmPower outlets, despite the company selling it as an EmPower device (keep in mind that EmPower is a standard system, there are no "different versions" of EmPower). I contacted Wagan Tech when I got home as I spent around 40 hours in flight in four days with no way to use my laptop , the answer the company's customer service gave me was "you must have been using it wrong." I was ticked off, but it works in my car, so I am keeping it for my car.


On to the two devices I use......for Laptop and Mobile Phone charging I love the iGo 70. The iGo unit is made up of multiple pieces. The main power "box" the power cord with interchangable tips that conform to all sorts of different computers, the "power cord" (there are two) and that's it. If you want you can plug in an auxiliary cord that will simultaneously charge your mobile phone. The beauty of the iGo is that you can use it to power your laptop at home in an AC outlet (and the iGo comes with a global plug set so it can be used around the world!) , it also comes with a DC power cord that will work in your car as well as in an airplane EmPower outlet. If you do not plan on charging anything else, besides your laptop and phone (and iPod, which you charge by plugging into your laptop) then the iGo is fantastic. I love mine. I always carry two spare power tips for the laptop and phone incase I lose to break a tip....but at $10 a tip it's not a big deal. Overall the iGo is a fantastic device and should be looked into, because they make many versions for different uses, by anyone who owns a laptop and uses it at any point off of their desk.

You can check out the iGo Juice 70 at : http://www.igo.com/product.asp?sku=2366908
You can check out the new iGo Everywhere 130 at : http://www.igo.com/product.asp?sku=2701967
(the 130 does not come with a Mac G4 tip and iGo does not make a tip for the MacBook/MacBook Pro yet)

Now the work horse of my traveling power.....the APC 75 Watt DC/AC inverter with EmPower. This model was updated to a 90 watt unit and again, recently to a compact 150 watt unit! My APC inverter is fantastic, it is a an absolute work horse, it takes a beating and it just keeps on working. This unit is great because it is compact, it has a standard North American three-prong outlet, emits low heat and transfers from my plane seat to my rental car front seat , usually with a small three outlet adapter, to power my laptop and batter chargers. The unit is simple and easy to use. Green light means power, red light means low power, no light means it ain't plugged into a source with any power.
You can check out the new version of this unit at:
http://www.apc.com/resource/include/techspec_index.cfm?base_sku=PNOTEAC150%2DECA

For MacBook/MacBook Pro users, who do not want to carry an inverter (which fully suggest because of the plane & car power options) Apple does sell the MagSafe Airline Adapter to power your laptop from an EmPower outlet. Just keep in mind that this adapter will only power your laptop it will NOT charge your laptop. If this is what you want you, look here:
http://store.apple.com/1-800-MY-APPLE/WebObjects/AppleStore.woa/wo/StoreReentry.wo?productLearnMore=MA598Z%2FA

There are other options from companies like Kingston and Targus, as well as a few others, but none of them lasted or impressed me for a variety of reasons. Top of the list is primarily size and weight.

-Click On The Photo Below To Enlarge The Image-

My Three EmPower Compatible Inverters



My Used and Asbused APC Inverter With Exposed EmPower Tip

21-January-2007 : So you want power?

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

21-January-2007 : So you want power?

As photographers there is something subtle we all seem to be looking for, especially when we travel. No, it's not good light or the perfect moment, it's power.

Yes, power. Not the "I'm in control" power like the bouncer at the velvet rope of a cool club, but electrical power. We go home, we plug in our batteries, laptop and mobile phone. We go to a job we seem to walk into a room and immediately start looking at the space where the wall meets the floor for an outlet, we check into a hotel and the first thing we tend to do is unzip out bags and start plugging stuff in.

Why not look for this same convenience while flying? Airplanes in seat are at the top of my list when planning my flights. I like to sit down, plug in and either charge my laptop, work on my laptop or put my seat back and watch a movie on a long flight across the continent.

For international travelers there is more and more hope as new aircraft are rolled out and older aircraft (some only a few years old) are overhauled with new seats. For the international traveler many airlines are installing Universal Plugs that can take a US/Japan , UK and Euro plug without any adapter. These are ideal, but not the standard in the sky.

The more common type of power on planes is called "EmPower" and various companies make EmPower Inverters or power tips (such as iGo) that will allow you lean down, look under your seat for a "green light" and plug in. EmPower is currently used by more airlines than any other type of in-seat power, both in the US and internationally.

I personally prefer an inverter to a dedicated EmPower tip for charging my stuff because I can plug in a small 3-way outlet to the inverter and charge batteries, my cell phone and my laptop on a flight. All three of these items don't draw anywhere near enough power to max out a 75 watt or 90 watt AC/DC inverter , even from seat power. Once I am off the plane,I can take my inverter to the rental car and plug it in, all in one unit.

My preference for AC/DC inverters, with EmPower are the APC 75watt travel units, which have recently been replaced with a 90watt travel unit. The device is small, light, durable and very reliable,mine have been around the world and dropped dozens of times.

It is rare to find cigarette lighter outlets on planes, however American Airlines (AA) offers this kind of power outlet of almost all of it's MainLine aircraft. The EmPower power leads and inverters can all be used in a cigarette adapter. While I am not one who likes American Airlines, I do like this power option.

In seat power still exists on many planes or airlines only in First Class or Business Class, but many airlines now offer power in Economy Class. You can find out which planes offer in seat power on Seat Guru : http://www.seatguru.com

As I had mentioned above, finding flights with power is a priority for me on certain routes. When booking flights with my preferred airlines I search for certain flights on certain aircraft.

Delta: When flying Delta (DL)all the seats on every Boeing 737-800 (738) has EmPower, every seat on the Boeing 767-400 (764)has EmPower and every seat on the Boeing 777-200 (772)

US Airways: All the US Airways (US) Airbus aircraft, A319, A320, A321, A330 have EmPower in every seat. Even in coach flying a plane that lets you have power for 4+ hours makes the flight much more relaxing.

One thing that can be confusing is the recent merger between US Airways and America West (HP) , the US aircraft (tail number ending in US) have EmPower on all Airbus aircraft but the HP aircraft (tail number ending in AW) do not have EmPower. US Airways calls "US" aircraft the east coast fleet and the "AW" aircraft the west coast fleet. You should be able to find out which "fleet" your aircraft is coming from by call US Airways. The airlines know which aircraft you'll be on because the planes have different seat configurations, and they must know the seat configuration before they sell any seats.

United Airlines: For the flyers who travel between JFK and LAX or JFK and SFO United Airlines (UA) offers "United PS" which is an all premium service flight. These are the only "three class" planes flying regular domestic routes, and economy class is actually Economy Plus (E+) which is more comfortable on the 5 hour flights. All the seats on UA-PS have standard universal electrical outlets under the seat. This is great because no EmPower is required. It is obviously a limited route, but if you can fly it for a direct flight or use these flights to connect somewhere else,it is well worth it. You can find more information on UA-PS at : http://www.unitedps.com/main.html

-Click On The Photo Below To Enlarge The Image-

19-January-2007 : What are the chances I'll get delayed?

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

19-January-2007 : What are the chances I'll get delayed?

Whether you are flying for business or for pleasure you still want an easy and painless flying experience. The first thing that we can all do as travelers to make our trip smoother is fly on a flight that departs on time, because it means we will either arrive on time or make our connecting flights.

Believe it or not there are some flights that consistently depart late or are canceled on a regular basis. Most people don't know this, some folks believe it is random, but there are a number of factors that can play into a flight being delayed often, such as an airport's regular weather pattern or the type of aircraft you'll be flying.

When I am booking flights I often reference Expedia's flight booking system ( http://www.expedia.com/flights ) because when you click flight details Expedia often shows the on time rating of each flight. Of course not every flight has this information to be posted, but it is very handy.

There are two excellent resources for looking up the on time reliability of airports and flights.

The first web site, a US Government site, does not have complete data and can be confusing to reference , but it can be handy at times
http://www.transtats.bts.gov/OT_Delay/OT_DelayCause1.asp

The second site, Flight Stats, is fairly accurate, easier to use and I find the date to be more complete than the US Gov't site
http://www.flightstats.com

Happy Flying!

16-January-2007 : Countries With No Airports? What Am I To Do?

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

16-January-2007 : Countries With No Airports? What Am I To Do?

Today I was asked a question by a fellow photographer I had the answer to, but never really thought about. What do you do when you are flying to a country with no airport? In this case it was traveling between the United Kingdom and Monaco.

Monaco is a Principality with more per-capita money that almost any nation on the earth (with limited exceptions such as Brunei) . This is a nation that is only 1 square miles (2 square kilometers), a nation that has been made famous by a massive casino and a harbour that often contains the most expensive luxury yachts in the world.........but not even a private airport

Well, should you have a spare €2,000,000 to drop at the tables your best bet is to fly into Nice (NCE) in France, which is only about 15 miles from the Monte Carlo Casino. There are more seasonal flights to Nice in the spring/summer, but there is still regular service to NCE all year round from London Heathrow (LHR) Paris (CDG), Amsterdam (AMS) , Munich (MUC) and Rome (FCO). So what do you do when you want to travel here?

Make friends with a billionaire and take their private helicopter in.

Happy Flying!

12-January-2007 : Am I Really Being Delayed By Weather? Maybe....Maybe Not

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

12-January-2007 : Am I Really Being Delayed By Weather? Maybe....Maybe Not

It happens all the time, you arrive at the airport 90 minutes in advance, or if you are my mother 240 minutes in advance, for your flight. You look up on the "big board" and your flight shows On Time. You check in, you take your time going through security and when you are waiting at the gate the announcement we all hate gets announced "Due to a weather condition Flight 1 to LAX has been delayed yadda yadda yadda yadda."

This has happened to me, any most travelers, more times than we'd like to hear. Something I have begun to do is look at two web sites. The first web site is the FAA Air Traffic Control (ATC) System Command Center's real-time status delay site and the National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration's Aviation Weather Center web site. Very often an airline will claim a weather delay when there is some other issue, such as a mechanical problem with the flight which delayed it's arrival.

If you are delayed due to non-weather issues you may be due compensation by the airline. For me, my main concern is travel, so I always seek an immediate transfer to another airline.

While on my way to a wedding in October I was flying from San Diego to Sacramento via San Francisco. The airline kept telling me it was a weather problem, once I was able to go up to the gate and show the gate supervisor a live weather model for almost all of the west coast, including a detailed area of the two airports in question as well as the FAA ATC's site I was immediately transfered to another carrier and I was on my way within 30 minutes....and got to my wedding on time.

Bookmarking these web sites, so you can access them from the airport WiFi is a very handy idea for the rare cases when you just can't wait and need to know if the airline is being straight with you or is using weather as an excuse.

FAA ATC System Command Center
http://www.fly.faa.gov/flyfaa/usmap.jsp

NOAA Aviation Weather Center
http://www.aviationweather.gov

Happy Flying!

3-January-2007 : Mystic, Connecticut

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

3-January-2007 : Mystic, Connecticut

Wow, how does the world function at 8:AM? For me 8:AM means either sleeping in my bed, changing planes somewhere, or settled into my seat chewing some gun, trying to sleep with an iPod and noise canceling headsets blocking out the world.

So anyway, this morning I had the great opportunity to be the first speaker at a gathering of wedding photographers from the Digital Wedding Forum. My topic, you guessed it, travel. I was not discussing how to get jobs that require traveling, but more the nuts-and-bolts of traveling. As I have discussed on here before, travel for me is not something that I generally do for relaxation, it is something I do to get my job done as quickly as possible and get home as fast as I can.

Passing this information was a lot of fun and I hope those who were awake for my presentation were able to pick up some useful information from me and apply it to their own business and travel.

Below is a photo of me speaking, shot by Walter Van Dusen , a wedding photographer who is based not far from me in Southeastern Connecticut ( http://www.waltervandusen.com )

-Click On The Photos Below To Enlarge The Image-

21-December-2006 : United States Transportation Safety Administration - Know The Rules!

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

21-December-2006 : United States Transportation Safety Administration - Know The Rules!

How many times have you packed and wished you could bring your roll-aboard carry-on, your brief case and a bag (that meets the legal carry on size) full of camera on board? Admit it, you've wished this quite a few times if you have flown more than twice in the past few years. Well, there is a little know rule the TSA has and almost no airlines argue with.....it turns out YOU CAN BRING ALL THIS!

Yep, that's right, the TSA Guideline allow for one carry on, one personal item (brief case, book bag, laptop bag, etc) and one full size carry on with photographic equipment. While the TSA guidelines do offer an out by saying check with your airlines first, when presented with a print out of the TSA carry on allowance, and exemption for photographic equipment, I have never had a gate agent go against the printed rules. Below is a link to the TSA guidelines PRINT IT OUT AND CARRY IT WITH YOU AT ALL TIMES

http://www.tsa.gov/travelers/airtravel/assistant/editorial_1248.shtm


-Click On The Photos Below To Enlarge The Image-

15-December-2006 : Seat Guru

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

15-December-2006

I seem to get a lot of e-mails from a lot of photographers regarding a lot of different subjects related to flying.

As I go through a variety of online resources, and tips, and other related material, I think i'll start with the most common web site I suggest...... Seat Guru , http://www.seatguru.com

Seat Guru is a great basic website for comparing airlines in-flight seats, seat configurations and finding out what seats are good and what seats are not so good on certain aircraft.

The first thing you need to know when you use Seat Guru is what aircraft you will be flying on, this basic information is usually pretty easy, when you book the flight on any online travel agent (Expedia, Orbitz, Travelocity, etc) the booking information will always tell you what plane you are flying on. At times the only information given may be "767" instead of 767-300 (763) or 767-400 (764) if this is the case you should call your airline to clarify what aircraft you are on.

In other cases the aircraft listed may show "777-200" (772) , if you are on a United Airlines (UA) flight this 772 maybe a 777-XP or 777-XC/XI configuration. Many airlines fly one aircraft in many configurations, such as the UA 772. In a more confusing case, Lufthansa (LH) flies the Airbus A340-300 (343) and the Boeing 747-400 (744) each in four different configurations!

If you have to figure out what configuration your aircraft is simply call the airline. The airline is assigning seats from the day the flight opens for sale (usually 330 days from the date of departure) and they must know which configuration they are selling seats for! Call, ask, then go to seat guru, pick your seats and call back with your request.

Seat Guru , http://www.seatguru.com

8-December-2006 Hong Kong, China : Incheon, South Korea : Nagoya, Japan : Honolulu, Hawaii : Los Angeles, California

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

8-December-2006 Hong Kong, China : Incheon, South Korea : Nagoya, Japan : Honolulu, Hawaii : Los Angeles, California


Today was the day that would never end.

There is not much to discuss travel wise other than I am traveling on a somewhat insane schedule. This schedule is not one I would suggest for most people. You really need a high tolerance for monotony.

My day began with a shower at the HKG Air France lounge at midnight, then off to a a 12:40am flight from Hong Kong (HKG) to Incheon, South Korea (ICN). Upon arriving at ICN at 5:AM I decided to clear immigration, go outside to get some fresh air and wander around shooting some photos, then off to a quick 12:25pm flight to Nagoya, Japan (NGO) .

The airport in Nagoya is somewhat odd, but it has a great bathhouse for travelers to relax in one of the best observation decks of any airport I have been to.

From Nagoya I was onto an 8:15pm Continental Airlines flight to Honolulu, Hawaii (HNL) which does to the dateline/time-zone shift landed 4 minutes before it took off (I love when that happens). The seats on the Continental 767-400 (764) were so comfortable that I was asleep in minutes and well rested on arrival and ready to tackle the day.

A quick trip out of the airport to meet with a wedding coordinator and back to HNL for a 2:15pm flight from HNL to Los Angeles (LAX) on Delta Airlines.

Now at LAX I am on my last flight on the 8th of December to Columbus, OH (CMH) with a quick 30 min layover before my last flight home to Hartford,CT (BDL).

I would normally post a whole lot of photos, but instead I have created a QuickTime movie of Dec 8 from Midnight to Midnight :
http://www.stevenfrischling.com/weddings/DEC08/Dec08_03.mov

-Click On The Photos Below To Enlarge The Image-

07-December-2006 Hong Kong, People's Republic of China

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

07-December-2006 Hong Kong, People's Republic of China

Well here we are, two days into my journey (remember I cross the international date line) , I am well rested, despite having cozied up on the floor of the terminal at HKG. The secret to this again has to do with choosing my flights in such a way that I could rest on the flight over knowing that today would be an extreme marathon. This marathon does not only relate to work, but also due to time zone changes, carrying everything I have packed on my back at all times and trying to keep myself on such a schedule that I will not be heavily affected by jet lag when I get home.

The key to working this way is having my two meetings as early as possible in the day then immediately heading back to the airport to relax. I know, people fly all the way from New York to Hong Kong they want to go out and see the city. Believe me, I'd love to go see the city, but I know what is ahead for me, I know that my body needs rest and I know what I have to do to stay alert on this trip.

Once I arrive back at HKG I check in and immediately head to a public lounge with showers. For me the Air France lounge , which I was allowed to access due to their partnership with Korean Airlines. I check in, ate a small snack and headed for a shower. Once I showered and changed clothes I proceeded to take a quick nap in the lounge then go for a walk.

Despite being tired walking around the airport for three hours is good because of all the flying I have a head of me. I found a quiet spot,went found some food, brought it back to the quiet spot and relaxed while eating my meal. Then back to the Air France lounge to get some work done,follow up on e-mails, and watch a movie.

As Midnight approaches I know I have a huge marathon coming. On the 8th , with the international date line, time zones and other factors I will fly on three "long haul" overnight flights. This is the maximum number of red-eye flights you can on one date, and technically this should be a somewhat impossible schedule if you try and book it through the airlines, but this is how I am choosing to maximize my schedule.

Off to the shower again before I go.....why the shower? The more I shower I get a quick wake up and I feel more refreshed, which makes this kind of travel easier on me.

Then to my gate for a flight from Hong Kong (HKG) to Incheon, South Korea (ICN)

-Click On The Photos Below To Enlarge The Image-

06-December-2006 Hong Kong, People's Republic of China

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

06-December-2006 Hong Kong, People's Republic of China

After traveling through four U.S. states, flying on a three flights, passing through immigrations twice and spending approximately 23 hours sitting in an airplane seat, I have arrived in Hong Kong shortly before mid-night.

Looking to maximize my flexibility, cut down on costs and use the long flights to sleep to my advantage, I booked my flights intentionally to allow me the least amount of time on the ground before my two meetings.

Now that I am in the terminal in HKG I need to find a quite dimly lit space, that has electrical power, and rest. My train into the center of the city is in about 9 hours, which in relation to the span of this trip is easy. Almost every major business airport has a place where a weary traveler can sit and relax safely.

Now I am off to find the shower facility, a quiet corner and rest a little bit.

-Click On The Photos Below To Enlarge The Image-

05-December-2006 New York, New York

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

05-December-2006 New York, New York

A large portion of my travel is from two local airports, either New Haven (HVN) or Providence (PVD), but for some trips I need to travel to a larger airport. Ideally there would always be connections that work with my schedule, the reality is I know how I want to travel and know that I need to be flexible to meet my own needs.

When long haul international trips come up I have two choices, take Amtrak to Boston or down to New York. Very often I choose to travel to New York because there is more flexibility not only among airlines but possible flight connections between JFK (JFK) and LaGuardia (LGA).

Amtrak is a good choice because the late train from my local station leaves around 11:30pm so it is quiet and arrives around 2:AM into New York Penn Station (NYP) which is plenty of time to catch a prearranged Super Shuttle, that picks up at 33rd St and 7th Ave, and get over to either JFK or LGA.

Today I am flying from on Delta Airlines from LGA to Dallas-Fort Worth (DFW), then picking up a Korean Air fight from DFW to Incheon, South Korea (ICN), then onward to Hong Kong, China (HKG).

--Click On The Photos Below To Enlarge The Image--

04-December-2006 Niantic, Connecticut

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

04-December-2006 Niantic, Connecticut

Well I guess every blog has a beginning, everything has to start somewhere, so here we go.

First off, when I am packing for a trip, I always love staring at all the things I need to pack and looking at the small "legal carry on" bag I need to pack them in.

At the moment I am getting ready for a four day business trip that will take me through six U.S. States, four countries, two continents, one train, nine flights, without stopping for one single night in a hotel. This may seem a little bit strange, but for me travel is about business as a photographer. Many photographers travel for work then stay a few days to sight see, no me. I need to go, do my work and get home to my family. The less time I am away the less money spent, the less money spent, the more profitable my trip.

For this trip I am heading out to meetings with four weddings coordinators in two countries, two in Hong Kong and two in Honolulu. I should have some downtime to try and wander around (not to far from the airport) in Incheon, South Korea and Nagoya, Japan along the way.

Due to the international date line, and time zone shifts, I will never technically be in any country on the 6th of December, and on the December 8th I will fly on three (yes three!) overnight red-eye flights, set foot in four countries, and log more air miles than I care to think about.

Below are two photos. One shows everything I must pack , the other shows the LowePro Stealth Backpack and small Domke F5X wait pack in which I must pack it all.

-Click On The Photos Below To Enlarge The Image--