iPhone 'App' Of The Week : Packing

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

20/11/2008 – iPhone 'App' Of The Week : Packing

Packing for a one day trip or a one-week trip is the same for me. I am slow, methodical and spent a considerable amount of time compiling what I need. Once I have assembled everything in front of me I spent an hour mumbling incoherently to myself as I remove items, add items and pack everything in my bag(s).

Departing is somewhat easy; it is the return that can be stressful. At the end of a short business trip, an assignment or a long vacation, travelers tend to pack at the last minute. Last minute packing often causes people to be forgetful and leave items behind.....this is where the iPhone 'App' Of The Week "Packing" comes in very handy.

Packing is simple to use. You set up a packing list for yourself. You add items to the list. As you pack those items you place a check mark next to them. Could it get any simpler?

Since downloading Packing I have used it to track a variety of packing situation. Since entering my 'Day Pack - Run Kit' I have chosen to permanently leave this packing list in my iPhone, as it is a fairly constant kit.

Packing allows you to view pre-created Sample Packing Lists, as well as create a list from a template, or creates lists from scratch. As a photographer, none of my packing set ups match any sample lists or templates, so I have been creating lists from scratch simply and quickly.

Using Packing is simple in practice. As I begin to put my gear and personal items away I take out my iPhone, open Packing, and scroll down my list checking off everything I have stowed away

Best of all for all travelers, the Packing 'App' is easy, functional, hard to lose (unless you lose your iPhone), not prone to bad handwriting, and can be easily edited.

Next time you sit down to print out your print-at-home boarding pass also take a moment to download Packing from the iTunes App Store.

Below are five screen shots of Packing (typos and all...)

Happy Flying!
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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!

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!
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19/09/2008 – The Weekly Round Up : Frequent Flyer Choices Pt1 : Packing Your Cameras : Credit Cards & Int'l Travel : Round-the-World Workshop & more!

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

19/09/2008 – The Weekly Round Up : Frequent Flyer Choices Pt 1 : Packing Your Cameras : Credit Cards & Int'l Travel : Round-the-World Workshop & more!

This week's Weekly Round up comes to you from Seat 13A on board a US Airways A321 as I cruise past Pennsylvania heading out to San Francisco.

During my layover I had some fun reading Mark Rebilas' Blog (the same Mark Rebilas in who is the subject of this week's 15/09/2008 – Choosing A Frequent Flyer Program : Help A Photographer Maximize His Miles). This week Mark takes a different approach to travel writing up the 99 Things He Hates About Traveling, which is wrote while flying from Phoenix to Atlanta.

During my layover in Philadelphia (PHL), shortly before reading Mark's blog, I had the pleasure of being the subject of an interview by CFO Magazine regarding The Travel Strategist. The interview was an interesting discussion on the outlook of the 2009 business travel market and how business can reduce their overall travel expenses. The article should appear shortly in a future issue of CFO Magazine.

..........now onto the Weekly Round Up

I'll kick this off with mentioning that I have reintroduced the Round-the-World Workshop for Photographers! This workshop will push you to your limits as you travel completely around the world shooting on four continents, in seven countries exploring 8 world class cities all in 10 days. This workshop, which travels entirely in business class, costs less than a round-trip business class ticket from New York to Sydney. Interested in finding out if this workshop is for you? Find out here: 17/09/2008 – Round-the-World Photo Workshop : Reintroduced All For Less Than Flying From New York-to-Sydney In Business Class!

This week began with some entertainment for the global traveler with an introduction to Alanis Morissette's "Citizen Of The Planet." This is a great song for anyone who travels. Check it out here: 15/09/2008 – Music For The Global Traveler

In an effort to help fellow photographers on the road this week I asked readers of Flying With Fish to voice their opinions on the best frequent flyer program for Phoenix (PHX) based photographer Mark Rebilas. It is not to late to voice your opinion by visiting: 15/09/2008 – Choosing A Frequent Flyer Program : Help A Photographer Maximize His Miles

Over the past few years I have received a few dozen e-mails from photographers who have damaged their equipment when packing their camera and lens while connected. The damage generally involves warped camera mounts, damaged CPUs and damaged lens release locks, but there is a way to avoid damaging the mount of your camera and your lens. You can find out how to pack your gear to reduce the risk of damage in this entry: 16/09/2008 – Packing Your Cameras & Lenses Properly : Do Not Attach Your Camera & Lens

Traveling internationally with your credit cards? Have you contacted your credit card company to make sure your card is authorized internationally? For more information check this entry:
17/09/2008 – Using Your Credit Card Internationally : Inform Your Credit Card Company Before You Cross The Border

This week on Flying With Fish wrapped up with the iPhone 'App' Of The Week. This week I explored using TSAwait as a valuable tool for any frequent (and infrequent) travelers. With access to updated average airport security wait times for more than 400 commercial airports in the United States this 'App' is ideal for knowing how much lead time you need to get to the airport and get through security. For more info on TSAwait check this post:
18/09/2008 – iPhone 'App' Of The Week : TSAwait


Next week I'll reintroduce Come Fly With Fish (www.comeflywithfish.com) and hopefully get around to demonstrating how to use household tools to modify a lens hood to make it more effective for packing and travel!

That’s it for this week folks.................have a great weekend, I've got 6,000 miles to go before I get home again Sunday afternoon.

Happy Flying!

Packing Your Cameras & Lenses Properly : Do Not Attach Your Camera & Lens

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

16/09/2008 – Packing Your Cameras & Lenses Properly : Do Not Attach Your Camera & Lens

For some reason photographers like to pack their lenses attached to their camera bodies. For some even stranger reason photographers seem to pack their longer, heavier, lenses attached to their camera bodies. Why do photographers pack this way? I have no idea.

When you pack your equipment you should think of Sir Isaac Newton and his theory that an object in motion will remain in motion until something stops the motion. Another way to look at this is that that a force of impact on your camera will need to dissipate that force.

Newton's theory looks something like this:

So what does this mean for photographers when they pack their 70-200f2.8 attached to their Nikon D700 body? It means that if your bag should sustain an impact the force through your camera, or through your lens, will transfer from one object to the next, often damaging the weakest link. What is usually the weakest link between a camera and a lens? The mount!

If your bag is dropped, knocked, hit, or otherwise 'whacked' your camera body can be spun one way while your lens is spun another way. The result of this impact is you torquing the two mounts significantly damaging both your camera and your lens.

If you pack your body and your lens separately the twisting motion of the camera body and the lens are only felt by the body and the lens individually. The impact dissipates into the padding of the bag. Since neither your camera body or your lens is attached to the bag there is no damage to either the camera or the lens.

I have heard many photographers say, "If my camera is attached to my lens then I can act faster to capture the photo." I have news for you, if you need to put your backpack down, open the flap and remove your camera and lens kit..........you've already 'missed the moment.'

I have spent years covering news and fast paced situations and I can't think of a single moment where I thought, "if only my camera and lens were attached in my bag I might have captured that image."

Fleeting moments happen non-stop. You'll see photos all day long if you're looking, and if that is your intention you need to travel with your cameras out, on your shoulders, ready to shoot.

When you pack your equipment you need to pack it securely. Pack your gear relatively snug so it does not bounce. You need to maximize your space in small area of a bag, backpack or rolling case.

Not only does traveling with your lens attached to your camera significantly increase the chances of damaging your camera equipment while traveling, but it also decreases your packing flexibility. When you pack your camera body and your lenses detached from each other you increase the space in your bag to pack more effectively. By having each item separate you are no longer packing 'around a camera-lens combo,' you are free to stand lenses up, stack lenses, lay lenses down, adjust the location of our camera body within the bag.

All of these elements make for a safer and more practical way to pack your equipment.

Happy Flying!