I just returned from 3 weeks in Kenya with “A Better World” a non-profit humanitarian relief organization on a photo shoot. This was my first trip with ABW and certainly will not be my last. Check out their efforts on www.a-better-world.ca

While I have been to Tanzania before for wildlife photo safaris, travel as a photo correspondent is quite different in what to pack. Each trip I take I look back on what worked and what didn’t in terms of the gear I took.

What I took:
Canon 1D Mark III
Canon 1DS Mark III
Canon 5D – Infrared Converted
Canon 100-400mm f/4-5.6
Canon 24-105mm f/4
Sigma 16-35mm f/2.8
Gitzo 1258 w/ Markins ballhead

All of this along with memory cards, spare batteries, external hard drives, etc. were all packed in Gura Gears near Kiboko bag created and developed by good friend and colleague Andy Biggs. This is a must have bag for any international air travel. Check out this great bag at www.guragear.com.

As always I shoot a lot. With over 8,000 photos shot during the 3 week trip I’ve narrowed down my selected photos to less than 2,000 with more deletes to come. I usually wait a month or more before reviewing further as to remove the “emotion” from the review process and to look at each photo on its own merits.

So what would I do differently next time? I would not take the Infrared converted 5D or the Sigma 16-35mm. As I only used the tripod twice I would also leave it behind.

I took my Apple Macbook Pro 15” laptop with me in a separate bag along with its charger and various other travel necessities. This is another area I would seriously reconsider. While it’s convenient to travel with the laptop to allow for review during each evening it certainly does add to the weight and challenges of travel.