Journal
Packing light for the road
What fits in one bag when a job starts in Zürich and ends on the far side of the Alps.
( Published )
( Category )
Kit
( Reading time )
3 min read
Most of my jobs start with a long drive. The valleys are beautiful and far from everything, so I learned to pack as if nothing can be bought on the way. It usually can’t.
The rule is simple: if I did not use it on the last three shoots, it stays home.
The camera side
One body and one spare, same model, same batteries.
A 35 mm and an 85 mm. The 35 does places, the 85 does people.
A small flash I rarely use and never leave behind.
Twice the memory cards I think I need.
That is it. Zooms, a third lens and the big tripod stay in the studio.
Everything around it
A cooler with water and fruit, a folding chair, sunscreen, a warm layer for a night at altitude and a paper map for the stretches of valley with no signal. The chair has saved more shoots than any lens: long waits for light are easier sitting down.
— Nora Steinmann, Zürich
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