Hi everyone,

As I think that most of you know I like to carry an absolute minimal amount of photographic gear and I’ve been giving some thought to why I always pack some things with me. Now bare in mind that I’m not embarking on a month long trip up the Amazon River or suchlike and I’m always within, at the most, a few hours of civilisation, why do I, for example carry two or three spare batteries when one fully-charged spare would almost certainly do? as the only time that I can remember flattening three batteries in a day was some years ago in Rome. Likewise why do I carry several “spare” memory cards when one would surely suffice?. Then there’s other accessories like filters, sure I very occasionally use one but is it worth habitually carrying one or two when the 99.9% or more of my shots aren’t taken with one. Lastly there’s my lens shade for my LCD, it’s very useful in bright sunlight when travelling in hot countries, that’s why I got it, but otherwise it’s not required and, anyway, I very rarely use the LCD as I much prefer the EVF and I never CHIMP. Okay these items aren’t unduly heavy or bulky but do I need to pack them?, nine times out of ten or more I most certainly don’t. For my photographic interest all I typically need is a small, lightweight camera, a few small, lightweight lenses, a spare battery and memory card that’s about it. Basically all I’m doing, albeit somewhat late in the day, is applying my long-standing logic regarding camera and lenses to everything else in my bag. Once one let’s go of the notion that one “simply must” carry these things around, “just in case” then it becomes quite liberating.

Kind regards,

Leigh