Wed morning 9 am. The phone rings, the caller wants to know if I'm free the next couple days. Yes, I answer. Well, can you meet our delegation at 45 Rock in 90 minutes ready to shoot? Should be a standard documentary assignment, grips and grins.
Sure. This is the reason I always recharge every battery and repack all my photo gear when I get back from a shoot. This way I am always ready to go when the phone rings.
Ready-Bag
For all my shoots, I pack two of everything: cameras, lenses, flashes, batteries. So this time, I grab my Think Tank Speedbelt and lug the D2x, D200, a 12-24mm, 17-55 f2.8, and a 18-200 VR (backup); 2 SB-800's and a couple sets of Powerex AA's. Gels for the speedlights since I am shooting indoors under all kinds of lighting. I decide to bring a portable lightstand, 36" umbrella with removable black backing, and a pair of Pocket Wizards - just in case. (Turns out I don't need the portable studio setup, so I ditch it the next day.) All this fits in my TT belt and a shoulder bag.
I meet the group at Rockefeller Center and away we go for two and half-days of shooting. Here's a photo of two members walking along the unfinished 38th floor of #7 WTC.
