I decided this past week to attempt to travel via air with a decent approximation of a portrait photo studio packed neatly into my standard luggage. Since the airlines limit standard baggage to 50lbs it was a challenge. I was in Milwaukee for an auto show for ten days and had to pack normal clothing and supplies for that time in my checked luggage too.

Utilizing a bit of creativity, I was able to fit the following into my checked luggage: six t-shirts, ten boxer-shorts (answers that question), 11 pairs of socks, two pairs of dress shoes (required by contract), two vests, five dress shirts, two pairs of jeans, one leather belt, a set of scrubs with lab coat (always good to have on hand), track pants, slippers (a bit of home), and a dopp-kit. That wasn’t a surprise. What is a surprise is that I could fit in all my tertiary photo equipment: two light stands, a 24″ softbox with mount adapter, 18″ octagon,  48″ 5-way bounce, reflector clamp arm, 24″ 5-way bounce, 2 light-stand flash adapters, a wired mouse (for comfortable editing), and laptop tray (so I don’t overheat my baby while processing huge files). The whole checked bag, when packed, weighed in at only 46lbs and could be tossed around or stacked during transit without damaging anything. The interesting part is that the Dakine bag weighs at least eleven pounds when empty.

In my carry-on pelican case I packed all the secondary equipment like the tripod, secondary flashes, clamps, modifiers, adapters, batteries, chargers, and laptop. I also carry a Tenba Ultralight in which I pack my primary camera and gear including a secondary body, three lenses, my favorite flash, and a king size black sheet to use as a temporary backdrop or light flag. I packed the black temporary backdrop under the assumption that the hotel I was staying in would use white sheets, and that I could scavenge one to use as a white backdrop. The pelican case weighs in around forty pounds and the backpack is easily thirty. In case I have to gate-check the case, due to the jet’s size, I can remove the laptop and lock it. Everything else tumbles without damage.

This is the set-up I achieved in my hotel room.

I really only brought the equipment as a trial to see if I could. I figured it was better to try it in a no-pressure situation before committing to a future client (like you? ). I know I could always shoot on-site without the extra flashes, stands, and such by utilizing a local setting and daytime lighting, but there are no guarantees in weather forecasting.

At the top is one of the test shots I took of myself on the black background. I was just getting a bit goofy. Thankfully, I told my coworkers, in advance, that I planned on bringing my gear. I had a couple willing volunteers to test the set-up in exchange for free photos. As of writing this I haven’t touched up everybody’s favorites (’cause they haven’t picked them yet), but Heather of HeatherSkipper.com has agreed to let me use one of the shots as an example of the travel studio when used on someone more beautious than myself.

Hopefully, I’ll see you on the road in the future. I’ll be in Minneapolis this coming week and many other locations in the following months. If you’d like to discuss any photo projects you might need a shooter for, let’s talk. Just send me a note by way of the e-mails. info@jondeckerphoto.com

This is the last in the quick tip series for this season, not including the “lost tips” which may be posted out of order later.

This month, I have been studying for a certification test in a field I know little to nothing about. The work contract I signed stipulated a need for this certification, though they felt confident I would be more than capable of passing the tests involved in receiving the certification, and so contracted me prior to the test. Test taking terrifies me. The little piece of paper allows for no mistakes and is judged by an impartial machine.

I likely have ADHD but never got diagnosed as a child due to some controversy over early ADHD medication side effects. I have, therefore, never been prescribed medication for it. In college, tests were the bane of my existence. I could do the class related projects well enough, but the actual tests all indicated that I was not retaining the information as expected. At the time, I didn’t know what the problem was. After seeing my grades decline with every passing year, I began to fear that I was “turning dumb” for some unknown reason, and having been a top quality student prior to college added to my confusion. I wasn’t a drinker or “partaker” and always seemed capable of grasping the in-class concepts well enough, but the tests told a different story.Eventually I began to fear the very concept of tests, which didn’t help the situation.

Now 10 years later I’m studying for a new test, and though I should not be, I am terrified yet again. I’m reading through the material a loud, making flashcards, and even recording the notes on MP3 to listen to on the drive down to the testing facility. None of that makes me any less terrified.
At the time of my writing this, I have not yet taken the test. I hope to have a positive outcome to report prior to this posting, but right now I am illogically terrified of even taking the test, let alone finding out the outcome (pass/fail). It’s irrational, I know. If I take a step back and look at it logically it reminds me of people’s fear of bees or other insects. Simply being reminded of the fear inducing subject is enough for their mood to change drastically. I suppose that this is my irrational fear: written Scan-tron tests.

*Update*
I took the certification test and passed. Weirdly enough, I felt no relief from passing the test – having found out that in order to retain this certification the testing process is scheduled at recurring intervals. I wanted to have a neatly wrapped up post for Grasping @ Creativity, a post that oozed hope for people in a similar situation, but right now all that seems unrealistic.

The only real moral for this story is “don’t do nothing.” Don’t let fear hold you in a perpetual state of inaction. Things may get harder, they may get easier, but for creativity’s sake they must never get stagnant.

Good luck!

P.S.

At the end of October I’ll be starting a new series on in home builds and projects that I’ve been doing since the move at the beginning of September. They’ll likely be bit shorter than usual, but I’ve been told that shorter is better for blog posts. I hope you all enjoy them.