Traveling Light with Rob Knight

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The better your travel experience, the better your travel pictures will be.”

Photographer Rob Knight provides practical tips on how to pare down your gear assortment so you’ll carry a lighter load and, along the way, makes a good argument for shooting with Panasonic Lumix cameras and Micro Four Thirds format lenses. Some of the tips that Knight relays seem pretty obvious, like eliminating gear you don’t use, but it takes experience and a degree of confidence to know when you will not use a particular lens and to be “okay” with passing on a shot when you don’t have that lens.  He also emphasizes the advantages that can be gained by working with only one lens for an extended period. He demonstrates how to use the library filter tools in Lightroom to analyze which focal lengths you use most often, and offers his suggestions on what gear and apps to use (Lightroom mobile, Snapseed, wireless hard drive, iPad Pro) when traveling light is paramount. Knight also recounts the various camera systems he has used during his career and tells how he arrived at his current setup, based around Lumix mirrorless and even point-and-shoot cameras. We hope you enjoy the video, and invite you to view the wide selection of other instructional and informative videos at BandH.com.

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I am learning to just bring what I think that I will shoot with. For the final Space Shuttle launch, I brought my camera bag, which also contains my "potato masher flash"; I did use my 400mm f6.3 lens. For an air show, I brought my bag again. I used my 28mm f2.8, 80-205 f4.5, and 400mm f6.3; but I didn't need my flash. For a practice round at The Masters, I brought my Canon New F-1 with 28mm f2.8 and Canon 5D III with the 100-400mm f4.5-5.6L II; I removed the motor drive for the F-1 and the battery grip for the 5D. I used a shoulder harness to carry both cameras.

My original camera bag is the Lowepro Magnum 35, which contains the flash, batteries, filters, lenses, etc. I have a SubZero lunch bag that I use to carry either my A-1 or F-1 with one lens mounted, film, and Cokin filters. I use the SubZero to carry one of my film cameras to work, or I will use my kit bag to carry the 5D to work.

Not everybody can afford to buy multiple tripods for different situations.

Not having the gear. For 2012, my resolution was to shoot 2012 exclusively using B&W film. It was a year of experimentation to use different B&W films and the B&W contrast filters: yellow, orange, red, and green. It took about three months before I started visualizing in B&W. Did I have regrets about my decision? Absolutely! Particularly when I saw a stunning sunrise or sunset. But I think I was most creative when I limited myself to B&W.