Packing for Colorado/The Gear

I’m catching a 6am flight to Denver tomorrow morning. Some logistics of the trip are still in the air, because of permits and weather conditions. All I know at this point is that I am filming backpackers somewhere in Colorado- so it’s going to be great! Most of the plans are firmed up, but will know for sure tomorrow where we will be in Colorado. The backpacking trip is the next day so it will be nice to know where we are going. I will be posting quite a bit over the next week- bringing you updates from remote locations where I can.

As I write this blog, I try to think about who my audience is and its hard to put a finger on it. My audience ranges from outdoors types to filmmaking gurus and the just curious. My intention for this blog is to provide useful info for people or at least be entertaining to family and friends. So I’ll be dabbling between my outdoor pursuits, filmmaking and any other useful info I feel I can share.

Let’s start with my camera gear:

This is the gear I’m taking on this trip. I spent a lot of time triple checking my gear and making sure I wasn’t missing anything. Missing one item (like a mic cable or battery charger) can really turn a great shoot into a poopy one fast.

In case you haven’t heard, there’s been a lot of excitement over the last couple of years for people who are shooting video with DSLRs. In other words, still cameras that shoot video. Why? For the prosumer type cameras such as the Cannon 7D and 5D, they capture incredible images with their large sensors and interchangeable lenses. The interchangeable lenses are important because it allows the shooter so many more options such as depth of focus. Whether it is shallow depth of focus (blurry background or foreground) or deep depth of focus (foreground and background in focus)- this is what can make a shot look professional. Look at a professional photograph and you will see these techniques used pretty clearly. I have the Canon 5D- which is an incredible camera! Beautiful! Amazing! But it has it’s shortfalls. There is no good way to capture audio and it can be difficult using in handheld situations because its built to take photos, not video. So I also have a Panasonic AF-100 which is a proper video camera (you can plug a mic into it, etc…) but it has a large sensor and allows for interchangeable lenses! I will be using them both. For most of the filming where I am moving around, it will be the Panasonic Af-100. For other beauty shots and time lapses- the Canon 5D. They cut together pretty seamlessly. Here’s some camera tests I shot with both cameras: http://vimeo.com/23412741

I could write a lot about all of my camera gear and why I chose each piece of equipment- but today I just wanted to give you an introduction. BTW- most of the photos I post will be pictures taken with my iPhone, so don’t judge the quality of the cameras by these photos. If you are looking for a decent still camera that shoots video that doesn’t cost too much check out the Canon T2i.

And now my backpacking gear:

This is what I am taking on this trip. The qualities I look for most in backpacking equipment is lightweight, high quality and easy of use. As you can see from my camera gear picture- I already have enough weighing me. And I’m not out to win a tough guy contest- I want to shoot while backpacking. I want to be as nimble as 50 pounds will allow me. Again, this is an introduction. I’ll go over specific gear when it’s appropriate to talk about them. Most of this equipment is new and I’m excited to take it along. Among the highlights are: Osprey Aether 70 backpack, Jetboil Sol Stove, Mountain Hardwear Sprite 1 tent, and lots of other stuff. I love Mountain Hardwear. To the point of looking like an idiot- because almost everything I wear while backpacking is Mountain Hardwear. But then again its hard to look bad with Mountain Hardwear.

Another Disclaimer: I am not getting paid by anyone to say great things about any of the camera or camping gear. I am sharing my experiences about the stuff that I love. Because I really value online reviews for making purchases, I want to share what works for me- that is all. I value quality and I like my gear to last a long time and work great.

So here’s my stuff all packed up- THANK GOODNESS FOR SOUTHWEST AIR (2 free checked bags and 2 carry ons- a filmmakers dream!).