A Multitude Of Projects
A few more thoughts on traveling light
This is a brief follow-up to my proposal of traveling “camera bag free”. That discussion was driven by Les’ trip to Spain carrying only his iPhone. Instead of focusing on international travel or any long-distance trip, I wanted to discuss traveling light with no camera bag more as a daily habit.
You may have noticed over the last couple of years I gravitate to approaching photographic work as projects rather than disconnected events. The word project might seem intimidating but it shouldn’t. Projects don’t have to be multi-year epic efforts. Projects can be small and take a few hours like the “Dust to Dust” still life project. From concept to final printed output that project lasted less than a day.
A small camera and lens combo that lends itself to grab-and-go as we were discussing last week along with a project mentality can be transformative in your work. I implore you to try defining your “bag free” setup then making a habit of taking it with you all the time. I fall away from this dicipline myself but always return.
The enemies of my own psychology in falling away from this practice are two-fold. The first is closely related to gear acquisition syndrome. As I write this I am in the middle of transitioning my daily carry bag-free setup from an X-Pro 2/35 1.4 to an M10 with one of three lenses which I am waffling on. This causes me to have to think about “what gear to bring” instead of just grabbing the camera. What happens? I just don’t bring either setup. The other factor is falsely believing there will be no subject matter worthy of making photographs.
Looking back a week or so I missed the opportunity for at least three projects I wish I would have photographed. Off the top of my head, those three projects would be:
The high-school graduation of my neice. The nervous getting ready, the ceremony, the emotional gathering of classmates on the football field afterward, the celebration dinner and all the special moments, the waitress the family knows, the familiar views and ambiance of that venue we’ve been to a thousand times, the food and desserts.
A newly initiated neighborhood cigar night on the bay (hence the demo photograph I used in a black-and-white discussion). I took the time to make promo pictures but didn’t follow up with the actual event. Stupid, as there was a ton of wonderful photographs to be made... if only I would have slung either the X-Pro or M10 with any lens on my shoulder.
A fantastic one-day project I missed was building a saw horse as a gift to my brother. Not just any saw horse. This was a replica of one my grandfather made that is the most interesting blend of practical engineering and furniture like construction ever. The trip to Benjamin Lumber housed in a victorian era building. The cutting, measuring, sawing, chiseling… The finished saw horse. The unveiling in my brothers garage and beers that followed.
If I didn’t make compelling and aesthetically pleasing documentary, environmental portraits, still-life, and architectural images with each of these it would be my fault not the occasion or subject matter. Would I get better at it for every circumstance? Absolutely, but not just by reflecting on those projects. Would those projects stand alone as something “printworthy”? Possibly, and based on prior successes, probably. Would they lead me to other projects? Definitely! I have one about local hardware stores/lumber yards vs. big box brewing in my head right now.
Leaving the house with a small camera/lens combo all the time is a minor burden. Yes, that camera slung around your shoulder will nag at you. That’s a good thing regarding all those small projects we miss every week and every day. Hefting a big, heavy camera with a bigger and heavier lens around all the time is truly a burden. An X100, X Pro with small lens, a Ricoh GR, a Leica M or Q… not so much.
Trust me, do this enough and the minor burden will go away. The key is not having to decide what camera and other gear to take. My psychology demands that grab-and-go camera is not my system camera. You may fare better with your “system camera”. I promise your far-away adventures will benefit more than you can imagine.
My dad had an OM-1 and I was amazed at the light weight and huge image the viewfinder provided. My grab n go is now my phone camera. I’ll bring my system camera when I need good fill flash or long lenses.
As an office dweller with M-F commutes, I wish I had more opportunities for photography, daily would be wonderful. At best, I get sporadic points in time, or dedicated plans made months in advance. Perhaps this is just a stage in life and eventual retirement will afford those daily opportunities.
Am I on an island, or is this the norm?