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Be really honest with yourself. How much of the photographic gear you normally carry do you actually need? How often do you use all the lenses and the other accessories that you carry with you?
Only a few years ago the standard lens on a 35mm film SLR was 50mm focal length. Remember that? If you have been through that experience you probably had the 50mm standard lens and little else, but you still managed to get some great pictures. The 50mm lens is now rapidly becoming a specialist lens and a ‘standard zoom’ covers that and a range of other focal lengths. Then we were tempted by a variety of other lenses and accessories…
I spent years carrying all my gear to every place I went thinking I would need everything I carried with me. The bag got bigger and heavier and I started to question my own sanity at carrying all this junk as the reality was that a lot of the stuff I carried stayed in the bag for most of the time. To prove to myself that I was being daft, I went through a whole year’s worth of images to check what lenses I actually used and how often. The results are embarrassing. Suffice to say I used just one lens for the vast majority of my images. The next used lens represents a few percent and ‘the rest’ fill up the remainder. Like most DSLR users I have a collection of lenses that cover a broad range of focal lengths. In my case from 15mm to 500mm, beyond if you include the teleconverters. My most used lens in 2008 was the 24-105mm f4 L IS. Next were the 70-200m f2.8 L IS, 180mm f3.5 L macro, 50mm f1.4 and 16-35mm f2.8L. I will not divulge the remainder but there are several lenses I owned all through 2008 that did not get used. That doesn’t seem very sensible.
I wouldn’t mind betting that if you have a collection of lenses you have a similar usage profile. There’s probably one lens (possibly two) that sticks to the camera body most of the time and two or three other lenses that come out on occasions. You may have other lenses, but they probably stay mostly unused only to be brought out on rare occasions. None of this means you shouldn’t own that gear - that’s your decision and will be dictated by what you think are the right lenses to own and your financial position. Indeed, several of the rarely used lenses I possess are just perfect for some of the work I only occasionally do. A good case in point is the fantastic Canon 85mm f1.2L lens, probably the best lens for the Canon DSLRs that I have. It’s great for pictures of people, lousy for landscapes or gardens, so it doesn’t go out much but I wouldn’t miss it for the world when I want it.
Some other lenses get such little use that I should sell them or think about renting others when they are needed. I have, for instance, a 400mm f5.6 L lens that I bought some years ago for bird photography in Scotland. It’s a wonderful lens but has not been used at all in at least two years, and the 500mm f4 L IS lens I have now comes out every time in its place. But I do not go out very often at all to photograph birds in Scotland or any other place… Anyone interested?
When I went to Venice earlier this year I packed three lenses (24-105 f4 L IS, 50mm f1.4 and 70-200mm f4). On the first day I carried the lot around in a rucksack but my 24-105mm lens was almost permanently attached to the camera. The 70-200 was used for about half a dozen frames and the 50mm lens came out in the evening. The second day I decided to go commando and only carried the camera with one lens. I took no spare battery, no filters and just one spare memory card. What a feeling of liberation! And guess what - I didn’t need any of the equipment I’d left in the hotel or at home.
But it’s not just about lenses. We will often willingly pack a second camera body (just in case), an array of filters and other accessories and carry the lot around with us. A thumping great tripod finishes off the pack, and your back unless packed properly.
Now just stop a moment and think about that camera pack. When did you last use the vast majority of the items in your pack? Do you really need to drag all that weight around? Many will be unused, but others will have been used for very specific conditions or subjects. How many could you leave at home, in your hotel room or other base rather than lugging about everywhere? And how much additional crap (and weight) has crept into the bag over time - guidebooks, notebooks, white balancer, reflectors, flash remotes, spirit level, papers, etc, etc. Ask yourself why did you last use the lenses, filters or other bits. Did you use them for technical or artistic purposes, and did you really need them? And were the resultant pictures any good?
It is too easy to place a reliance on specific gear to get the picture, when I believe we should pay more attention to the picture itself. Gear can make it easier to make great pictures, but there is no substitute for the thought processes that should go on - composition, colour, movement, depth, etc. From my experience my best pictures I those where I connect with the subject and think about the picture, not which lens I (think I) need to capture it. I am not saying we should abandon all the lenses and bits and pieces we have, just don’t let them become a prop or substitute for thought. A little careful research and planning will always help to suggest the essential kit we should carry with us rather than packing the kitchen sink “just in case”. Think about vision, passion and getting connected with your subject. Get to see the picture - no lens or any other piece of gear will help you being able to see properly. A camera, lens and other equipment will help you capture your vision but they will never create you vision.
Of course, there is always the argument along the lines of “if I didn’t have the 270mm f1.2 lens with thingamajig with me there’s no way I could have got that picture” and is used as the excuse for carrying all that gear. And there are occasions, assignments and photographic styles that need multiple lenses, cameras and other equipment. It would be foolish, for instance, to go to photograph a wedding with just one camera and lens. What about a backup, what about the photographs in the church where no flash is permitted that need a really fast lens? There are some things you would be daft to leave behind - spare battery, spare memory cards and a cleaning cloth. Pack sensibly, not just in case.
So how does this translate into suggestions for your camera bag? Simple, leave it behind. Try taking minimal kit with you on your next project or shoot and see what you can do. Put a spare memory card and battery (if you really need to!) in your pocket. Be liberated from gear! Just take pictures. Don’t start thinking about the technical aspects of capturing the image, be focussed on the picture without worrying about gear. I think you will be surprised. |
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