IN THE BAG

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|| SportsShooter.com: News Item: Posted 2011-10-14

IN THE BAG
Traveling Light in Afghanistan

By David Honl

Photo by Mobin Jamshady

David Honl (left) and his armed guard (right) walking with Afghan children in central Afghanistan.

As I ready for my third trip to Afghanistan this year, I reflect on how little equipment I carry, how well it's serves me, and how easy it's been on my bones and back.

Little things add up, like how amazingly light my MacBook Air is - half the weight of my nearly 5 pound 12" PowerBook back in 2006. My lighting kit has also been trimmed down, but still allows studio quality effect in a pinch. Here are the meat and bones of my traveling kit: - half the weight of my nearly 5 pound 12" PowerBook back in 2006. My lighting kit has also been trimmed down, but still allows studio quality effect in a pinch. Here are the meat and bones of my traveling kit:

Cameras and Lenses
Nikon D3S, D700 and CoolPix P7000 Nikkor 24-70 2.8, 50 1.4, 85, 70-200 2.8

Lighting
Nikon SB800 & SB900 Pocket Wizard Plus II 2 HonlPhoto traveller8 softboxes, 1/8 Speed Grid, and assorted filters

Workflow Hardware
11" MacBook Air (latest model) 2 G-Drive Slim 320gb drives 10 Lexar 32GB 600x CF cards Lexar USB 3.0 Reader

I run PhotoShop CS5, Lightroom, and Final Cut Pro X on the Air. All data (photos, video, etc.) are kept on the external drives, leaving the Air's drive streamlined for speed.

Photo by David Honl / ZUMA Press

A makeshift studio portrait in Bamiyan Afghnaistan using 2 Nikon Speedlights.

Support
Induro CT014 carbon fiber tripod with MagicBall head Manfrotto 5001B light stand 2 Bogen Justin Clamps outfitted with frio cold shoes

Bags
Think Tank Photo ShapeShifter -as a carry-on for my cameras, lenses, and flashes Think Tank Photo Airport Addicted-as a carry-on for all my computer gear Think Tank Photo Airport Addicted-as checked baggage inside a large North Face Base Camp Duffel. Carries all my clothing, toiletries, as well as tripod and light stand gear. On my return trip I use the North Face to carry all the stuff I accumulate on my trips; i.e. rugs, jewelry, pottery, etc.

One of my favorite pieces of new gear are camera straps by BlackRapid. They attach to the tripod socket of my cameras and operate light a sling over your opposite shoulder, making it nearly impossible to slip off. And more importantly, they make shooting much more intuitive for me. I've definitely gained a few good pictures after using the BlackRapids.

Dave Honl is a freelance photographer based in Southern California and his work has appeared in major publications worldwide. Dave is also the creator the popular a line of speedlight modifiers that bear his name. You can see his work on his Sports Shooter member page: on his Sports Shooter member page: http://www.sportsshooter.com/members.html?id=4501 and at his personal website: http://davidhonl.photoshelter.com/; his products can be found at this site: http://www.honlphoto.com/.