One way to keep the bag lighter is to leave the spare body/lens/flash/ecr
stashed with a friend/associate or even in the car. I often do this with not
only the oly gear, but with clothing for outdoors stuff. An extra hat,
gloves, and jacket for example, in case the weather is not what I anticipated
(which in the pacific NW is often the case!). You may miss a few shots
running back to the car, but at least the whole night is not blown.
And I ALWAYS carry at least one spare set of batteries. I have 357 batteries
stashed in all sorts of places, my camera bag, my messenger bag, and most of
my climbing packs!
Jim Couch
"Barry B. Bean" wrote:
> Tuesday night, shooting a HS basketball game with a couple of
> newspapers interested in freelance submission , the school
> publication asking for pics, and orders from a couple of player
> parents asking for prints featuring their own budding Michael Jordan,
> I broke THE RULE and got caught.
>
> After lugging a Domke full of lenses, batteries, film, extra bodies,
> tools, cords, and filters to every game for two years, I had decided
> to fly light this year and went to the game sporting only my 4T,
> mounted 50mm lens, flash, power pack, and a half dozen rolls of film.
> I've found that I work best using one focal length all night, and saw
> no reason to lug all the extra gear.
>
> Things start off promisingly enough, and the game looks to be heated
> from the start - lots of physical play near the goal (where I'm
> standing - I have the entire back wall to myself - even the refs stay
> out of my way), lots of dramatic shots, and the crowd is excited.
>
> Then the inevitable happens: a player comes flying right at me, in
> perfect form for a layup, defender flying in from the other side
> eager to block the shot. I'm in perfect position, kneeling just under
> the goal, looking up at the action, panning up with the ball, framing
> both players in a 1/2 shot with the goal and ball fully visible,
> faces popping perfectly into focus, and I ever so gently squeeze the
> button on the motor drive.
>
> Aaaaaaarrrrrgh! The camera freezes, aperture closed, mirror up, no
> flash.
>
> Had a bad battery with no other batteries, no backup body, no store
> nearby, and me out of luck.
>
> Guess whos lugging a spare body and batteries to the next game? That
> loaded Domke sure does weigh a lot less than disappointment over a
> shot missed and rolls of potential submissions not taken!
> -
> B.B. Bean bbbean@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx
> Bean & Bean Cotton Co/Bean Farms http://www.beancotton.com
> Peach Orchard, MO
>
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