My Camera Bag - Playoff Edition

[Jeremy Igo]

That's impressive and all.

Get one of these to carry your Camera then I will bow down to your greatness.

[Hawk]

nice purse

 

 

safe travels and I hope you have a great time in Seattle

[Port City Cat Fan]

as a wanna be photog..... POST OF THE YEAR!!!

this info is fantastic. i have so wanted to ask a lot of these questions.

thanks for this and thanks for all the amazing photos.

[faultlessjoint]

CJ is a beast.

[Montsta]

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You get to wear your Huddle hat on the sideline? That's pretty sweet.

[KendrickPanther]

Zod uses a shorter lens but his pictures go deeper.

[Hawk]

it's not very long but it sure is skinny

[KendrickPanther]

When you are working a game. Do you make any consideration to avoiding contact with players? Do you know certain areas are prone to it? I can imagine a big ugly wrecking your camera would be a substantial financial loss. Do you have any tips or strategies on how to take a hit without getting your camera destroyed?

[Ricky Spanish]

do you carry your camera equipment onboard the plane with you or check it in at luggage?

 

I wouldn't trust anyone with that stuff. Also, have you ever been detained because they thought you were carrying a bomb camera?

[Udogg]

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On principle I'm not a hater... but you make it hard sometimes ...

 

 

/ bows to your greatness.

[the butch]

Someone's giddy...

[SpeedOFLight]

This may not interest many of you, but for those of you with an interest in photography, here is how I travel to away NFL games. (The irony of me taking these photos with my phone is not lost on me.)

Remember, I don't have the luxury of corporate backing and a large budget. I own and maintain all of this equipment. So you won't see any 12,000 dollar lenses like the big boys use. But I make do...

First up, and should not be overlooked, is travel bag. I choose to use a backpack, namely the Tamrac Expedition 8x. FOr me its just much easier and mobile to get around a crowded stadium area and in the tunnels. This thing is iron clad, have had it for years. Even accidentally dropped it in a pool once (don't ask). None of my equipment was wet.

A nice feature is the front pocket is large enough to fit a 17 inch laptop.

The monopod is mounted on the side. A monopod is just what it sounds like, a tripod but with one led. It is a back and shoulder saver on the field and a big help in keeping the frame steady. Its a manfrotto monopod, highly recommended brand. Very durable.

Inside the bag....

Camera Bodies:

Nikon D4 - The Nikon D4 is a solid football camera. Super quick reaction, durable, and amazing low light capabilities for night games. Really I have no urge to use anything else.

Nikon D3s -

The D3s is also good, but with less megapixels and not quite as good low light performance, but still more than acceptable.

(note: a good way to get my eyes to gloss over and lose interest is telling me how much better one camera brand is better than another. I really don't care. To mimic Jack Nicholson in The Departed.... I'm an artist. Give me a fuggin polaroid and I'll get ya something out of it. )

That mesh nylon bag up top? Holds the aquatech sport shield. Think rain coat for a camera. Probably smart to take it to Seattle. Obviously I don't take it to dome games.

The Lenses:

Sigma 120-300 2.8. This is my main football camera. A lot of photographers use 400-600mm to shoot football. Editors want really tight photos of players. I really don't care for that as much. 300mm for me is the ideal length. Here is why...

A shot a newspaper or magazine editor would like... tight and facial expression

A shot I prefer....

For me, the second picture tells more of a story, it even reads left to right. Of course, there is no correct answer. This is all subjective.

Sure, with only 300mm of reach I have to run around like a mad man while other guys can just hang out in the end zone, but I need the exercise.

Nikon 70-200 2.8 This is mainly a backup lens should the sigma lens fail. I will use it something in goal line situations within the 5 yard line especially if I think a run is coming.

Nikon 24-70 2.8 This is my wide angle. Used for celebrations that are close for me and player interactions on the field after the game.

Like these...

That strap in the middle of the camera bag is a black rapid camera strap. If you still use the old school camera straps that connect to the top of the camera at either end, you should stop. This new type of strap connects to the bottom of the camera and is made for super quick pull and shoot. SO if you are on a monopod with a large lens and have exactly 1.3 seconds to grab your wide angle and get a shot off... its a must have.

Overall the weight is about 40 pounds. Gives me a good amount of exercise lugging it to and fro.

There you have it, a one man show covering the game from the field on a modest budget.

Great write up! I enjoy your photographs. I liked how you used samples and gave a summary of what you used. I have a love for photography myself. I went to college and studied it. I had a website dedicated to my work and was really getting a good list of clients. Sadly life happened and I was forced to get rid of my camera as long as other things. I definitely want to get back into the swing of things but that will take time. Keep up the good work. Whether you know it or not, you motivate people by your work! I know you have motivated me.

[Jeremy Igo]

When you are working a game. Do you make any consideration to avoiding contact with players? Do you know certain areas are prone to it? I can imagine a big ugly wrecking your camera would be a substantial financial loss. Do you have any tips or strategies on how to take a hit without getting your camera destroyed?

 

Yeah, it happens. I've nearly been demolished a time or two. All my stuff is insured. Not worried about it.

 

 

Never taken a hit though.

 

[Jeremy Igo]

do you carry your camera equipment onboard the plane with you or check it in at luggage?

 

I wouldn't trust anyone with that stuff. Also, have you ever been detained because they thought you were carrying a bomb camera?

 

Always on board.

 

 

never checked.

 

 

Never really stopped through the security line. They see tons of traveling journalists. Last time I traveled the x-ray gal even asked "Nikon or Canon" from behind her computer.