Im always in a quandary

[cupic]

When i decide to go on a shoot weather its landscape,seascape,motorsport etc I am always in the basket of bringing the wrong tools
for the task at hand.I mean motorsport 70-200 ( Or longer )and not having the foresight to bring a second body with wide angle.

Is there a plan that fellow togs decide the night before where they just know what to and when to bring the right tools.
i know that everyone is different but is there a set plan and to what function the right range of lens are needed and used


cheers

[Just Taken]

for i me i take nearly everything with me i have a lowepro sling shot and it carries everything i need 1 body+lens 55-250 for my main stuff and a second body+lens 18-55 as a back up or of if i can get a closer angle. the only thing i do the night before i go on a shoot is to make sure lens is clean and memory cards are clear.

with lens use i find everyone is really different i thought 50mm lens is great for portrait shots but then im told alot of people use the 55-200 lens for portaits.

hope this helps

[ricktas]

Depends!

If I am going off to shoot macro (usually fungi) I take only macro lenses and associated stuff, including garbage bags to lie on in the bush etc (leaches). If I am doing landscapes it tends to me more wide angle stuff, filters etc. I do try and pre-plan what I need and get it ready. More-so, if I am getting up at 4.00am to get to some sunrise location, as the last thing I can do at 4.00am is sort out camera gear... coffee is my priority.

So to answer your question, yes I pre-plan and tend to only take what I will need.

[ameerat42]

Yes, more or less, and this:

...Is there a plan that fellow togs decide the night before where they just know what to and when to bring the right tools...

sounds like the makings of a plan.

Anything is better than being in a quandary. Any (sort of a) plan can help to divide the quandary by two, so that you only end up in a dilemma.
(Hm!)

[mugget]

I think a lot of it comes down to experience and just trying things out, then knowing for the next time what you wish you had, or had left behind because you didn't need it.

For motorsport I never worried about wide angle, because unless you're going to be wandering around the pits etc. you usually won't need it (unless you wanted to take a hybrid sort of "landscape motorsport" photo, but when I have done that I have planned ahead and even thought out just the shot I wanted). But with your 70-200mm lens, I would say that even 70mm is fine for around the pit areas etc. if you can stand back a bit further and only want to isolate certain subjects.

But my choices were easy because with my DSLR I only had two lenses (50mm and 100-400mm). Now my choices are even easier because I just have one camera and one lens. But yes, I would definitely pack the day before, make sure your batteries are charged then just grab your bag & go on the day. Makes things easy for yourself.

[fenderstrat1963]

I'm a big fan of lists so after I get home I like to go back through what I took photos of and what I used. I also think about what was hard because I didn't have something.

In other words, the best thing I ever put in my bag was a notebook/pen

[William]

I dont have lists , Except in my mind , I go out every morning at (This time of year) 5.15am, Like Rick Coffee is first on the list , All the gear I take is organised the night before , Batteries charged , Filters cleaned , Lenes cleaned , Camera Deleted and formatted , Make sure the tripod is free (After Saltwater) Fuel in the car , And a Garbage Bag , A big green one that I stuff in my pocket in case it starts raining when I'm more than 200mtrs from the car I hate running I even set my camera up the night before , Set ISO, Shutter speed, Mirror Lockup . Timer etc , All I have to do in the morning is attach the camera to Tripod and get in position , I now have the back of my hatchback set up like a Mini workbench for changing Lenses , I dont even take anything out of the car anymore , Except to down load to the computor after the mornings shoot , Hope this helped

[Speedway]

If a planed subject shoot i.e. Motor Sport, Birds/wildlife or Landscape etc. also duration of shoot, 1hr, 1/2 - 1 day, or 2 or more days/weeks. I set up the gear I think will suit and make sure all batteries are charged the day before then if travelling pack everything in the Ute, Luckily I usually travel alone as once all the camera gear is loaded there isn't any room for a passenger.
Keith.

[cupic]

Thanks for the input.The main problem i face is that Im in mind of what I want to do and when I arrive something else takes
priority and that's the skid to my quandary Im side tracked and unarmed to tackled the new project

cheers

[fishographer]

I do a lot of my shooting out in the field, on small boats, walking a lake or river shoreline with other fisherman and I have to be ready when the action starts or risk missing what I need. I need all my gear all the time as I am often in situations where I need a wide angle shot, telephoto shot, portrait shot with fill flash, ND filter, polarizing filter ect. so everything needs to be at easy reach.

I have everything in a Lowepro backpack and it all comes with me, except when I am in a boat and then its all in a waterproof hard case, I make sure everything is clean, deleted, recharged and repacked after every shoot so everything is ready to go at a minutes notice, all I have to do is grab my bag, tripod and go and I know its all there.....no need to think too much

[rustylongbeard]

while you are in the learning phase, you are better off taking all your gear so you can cope with anything that crops up. Having said that, you have said you are going to specific areas, so pack for that particular arena. And... as the guys above have said, check it all the night before.