Packing for a Party

This morning as I was packing my Think Tank for tonight’s party I will be covering, thought I’d take a snapshot for you of what goes into it. This is pretty much how I would pack for a wedding, too. I am shooting one of my client’s birthday party bash this evening, but also doing the first hour of their family portraits. My second shooter is my mother for the party portion, but also my assistant for the portrait side.

I have the Airport International V 2.0 thanks to the recommendation from Corey Woodruff here in St. Louis. I have gone through a bazillion bags and opted to just stop doing the “cute” bag thing and go with practical. At events…or anywhere, the option to just lie the bag on the ground and open up to see everything inside is just what I needed!

Since my second shooter is my mom, her gear is going in here too. But, I’d always take a second body with me on a shoot just in case something happened to mine. I have dropped cameras before!

1. The Canon 5D Mark II
2. The Canon 50D – my normal backup is my Canon 5D but the pins where the CF Cards goes are bent and I need to fix it. This is the camera mom would use for photobooth setups. This is why having a backup is so important. I had to run and get the 50D from Best Buy (display model) about 2 hours before I was due to be at a wedding. All because my second body has bent pins that I discovered at the last minute! I would have been in so much trouble because my second shooter bailed on me as well and I needed to get my mom second shooting. INVEST IN BACKUPS and always have them on you!
3. 70-200 mm f/4 (I want the 135 prime so bad to replace this and keep this as a backup lens)
4. 50 mm f/1.2 – great for portraits and low light inside, like tonight
5. 24-70 – I would typically use this for tight venues or backup. Tonight, it will be on my mom’s camera
6. 17-40 to get wide angles of the venue and dancing
7. Two Canon CP-E4 Compact Battery Packs for my flashes. These puppies make cycling so much faster for my flashes! MUST HAVE! One for me and one for mom.
8. Two Canon 580 EXII flashes and an older 550 for backup. Usually all three would go to weddings with me because of the photobooth setup and for backup. Tonight, we will both have one on and another for backup.
9. Pocket Wizard Mini TT1 and Flex TT5 if I choose to do any off-camera work – probably not at this event, but like to have it.
10. Gary Font Light Sphere | though lately I don’t use it much, lens cloth
11. Battery chargers and extra batteries

For portraits, I probably would ditch my flashes, battery packs, and PWs if doing on location – as I’m not much doing off-camera yet. I need to! For weddings, I might also take the Fisheye and 100 mm Macro for details and dancing shots. But not this time.

I always have a mini flat head screwdriver, clamps, cables, pens, connectors, electrical tape with me. I have had to use them! And tons of CF cards. I have another case somewhere with more cards in them but I can’t find them. Hmmm.

For events I bring the Shootsac just to have on me at the receptions and parties. And, a reflector because I’ll need it for portraits. I’m not sure it will actually zip up with the reflector, but it’s going with me! That’s it!Easy peasy lemon squeezy! I love that this bag rolls as I hate things around my neck or arms or shoulders. I don’t even put my camera strap on unless I’m on a risky spot. Crazy, I know.

P.S. All these images were shot with no flash using high ISO on my point and shoot. Sorry they are a bit grainy!