Packing The Gear

Well, I have finally settled on the camera gear and how I'm going to carry it. My carry on will be a Lowe Pro Stealth bag holding two camera bodies, three lenses, flash, my Mac laptop, iPod, cords, card readers, cards, and external hard drives. In my Think Tank rolling bag (which I will check) I'll have the two long lenses, a 300mm and 500mm, monopod, remote equipment and rain gear, hat and probably secure it all with some clothes.
With the help of Milwaukee photographer Morry Gash (we all want to be more like Morry!) and a Chinese translator, I have business cards that have English on one side, Chinese on the other. Exchanging business cards in China is a good idea so having the cards ready to go is a big plus.

After spending the past week at the Carolina Panthers training camp in Spartanburg, S.C., I really need to get everything settled. I leave Charlotte early Monday morning so it's time to pack!

One Month To Go

(Olympic credential)

One month to go!
I received my Olympic credential/Visa a few days ago along with a info packet from the AP. I'll be staying in two places....the Olympic Media Village and a hotel close to the rowing/canoeing venue (which is the event I'm covering). The AP has also provided some Chinese language lessons for staffers traveling for the Olympics. I've been studying the MP3 and .doc files and hope to at least be able to speak enough to solve any potential problem.
I've spent several days choosing the camera gear I will take and a way to pack it all. I plan to carry the necessary gear on board with me and to check a bag of gear along with a bag of clothes. It's been a little nerve-racking trying to figure out how to pack as much as you can in as small and manageable space as possible. It looks like I can carry only one bag on board for the longest flight so I will have to check two.