Traveling Light & the Working Vacation
Here are a few images from the shoot I had with David Crow of Floracopeia a few weeks ago. David is a world's expert in the field of botanical medicine, natural health and ecological sustainability and an expert in the Ayurvedic and Chinese medical systems.
He needed a variety of different images to use for his Web sites, promo materials and press kit. He had seen the work I had done for one of his business partners (and long-time friend of mine) here on the East Coast last summer. He had a very specific idea of what he was looking for and wanted to shoot in the San Francisco Botanical Gardens in Golden Gate Park.
The trip worked out well and was considered more of a working vacation than a full-on assignment. I stayed 4 nights and 5 days with friends and family and was able to offset the cost of the trip by working for one afternoon.
Still, with no assistants and keeping true to having the trip pay for itself, I needed to travel light. No checked bags. So I carried the gear I needed, a body, a few lenses, a couple of Speedlites and the various cords and adapters in my ThinkTank backpack. The Manfrotto 6' Retractable 5 Section Lightstand, as well as the 33" shoot-through umbrella folded neatly into the bottom of my suitcase. And that was it, two bags, all the gear I needed to complete the job and I was able to carry it all onto the plane with me.