Andrea Johnson Photography

 

Photo gear traveling pack

Feb 2014 update:  After returning from 6 weeks photographing in SE Asia, I can now report back on these pre-trip photos of my gear I posted.

I brought this gear through the ringer, including a 4 day jungle trek where I modified the bag to carry both my camera gear and clothing.  Though the bag wasn’t designed with this purpose in mind, it performed surprisingly well. The back mesh panels wicked away the sweat,  versatility of the removable interior lens modules worked well for rolled clothing, and handy exterior pocket held water, snacks, a fleece jacket where the laptop typically is stored.  I’ve used the airport rolling bag series for the past 6 years, and while I still use that system with the larger padded belt at home for shoots with heavy gear I loved the freedom of the pack carrying all my gear and leaving my hands free.  I could never have handled the larger system walking the gangplank from boat to shore in Sittwe, Burma – on a skinny flexible bamboo plank sloped sharply uphill at at 45 degree angle I needed to be balanced!

It was quick and easy to adjust my gear for each day’s shoot and only bring the pouches needed for the lenses I carried that day.  I kept the laptop semi-hidden in the inside side pocket visible below, and though I brought the pac-safe mesh lock system to secure the entire pack I didn’t use it -simply locked the zippers together.  When traveling through airports I packed the modular lens pouches almost flat inside my large suitcase, and was ready to quickly remove them to attach to the skin belt to begin shooting immediately upon landing.

Photos below show the pack with the larger pro belt – made the decision right before the trip to use the thinner skin belt and pouches shown in the last photo. Smart decision – I was more comfortable in the lighter weight belt with the hot, humid climates & this left me room in my suitcase to bring a few extra souvenirs home I could have never fit otherwise :-).

Think Tank StreetWalker HardDrive camera backpack. Pack has an inner pocket to slide up to a 15 inch laptop, my macbook pro is inside a Brenthaven laptop case

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Aloha Rejuvination

I don’t know why it’s so difficult for Americans to enjoy time off work to relax and rejuvenate without feeling guilty, but for the last 15 years I’ve found it necessary to escape the USA to a 3rd world country for this ‘indulgence’. When a last minute opportunity arose for a trip to Molokai and Maui, I decided to return to the islands I’d enjoyed with my family and rediscover the islands Aloha spirit.

Molokai Land trust, photo by Dewitt Jones

Dewitt Jones, a National Geographic photojournalist, inspirational speaker, filmmaker, creator of “Celebrate What’s Right with the World (http://www.celebratewhatsright.com), and long time friend of colleague Robert Holmes offered us his guest house and the right frame of mind to recharge our creative batteries. Evenings were spent on his porch watching sunset over the island, and at dawn we explored the extensive natural wilderness of the Molokai land trust conservation.

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Behind the scenes from an assignment in Australia’s Northern Territory

(versions of this story ran in Oregonian and World Hum in 2012)

I’ve been working as a professional photojournalist for over a decade yet I still face the same challenge wherever I travel. How can I create meaningful ‘sense of place’ photographs that convey the uniqueness of each location; the sure-footed agility of Himalalyan Sherpas who effortlessly passed me on the trail to Everest Base Camp, the surreal experience of swimming with jellyfish and drift diving with sharks in Palau, or the incredible sense of freedom floating down fresh untracked powder helicopter snowboarding in the Canadian Bugaboos? It’s a never-ending quest to create photographs that create the same emotional impact in the viewer as I experienced during these assignments.

It takes time to allow a place to impress itself on you and to reflect on its significance afterwards. And time and attention are the two resources we lack most in today’s fast paced ADD culture. I was reminded of this challenge once again on a recent trip to Australia’s Northern Territory. I traveled extensively throughout Australia in 2001, but monsoon rains stopped me visiting the top end of the Northern Territory. I hadn’t realized the importance of that trip at the time. The openness of the land, devoid of modern distractions and illusions, allowed me to clear my mind and remove the creative blocks to begin my career as a photojournalist.

Stuart Highway, Northern Territory, Australia

I now had my chance to return to the areas of Australia’s Northern Territory I’d missed, traveling with a group of journalists while testing the newest Canon camera. To complete my assignment I’d be required to shoot almost exclusively with this ‘prosumer’ model (the EOS D650 also known as the Rebel T4i in the United States) aimed at the market between consumer and professional; a camera that wasn’t yet released to the market so I wouldn’t have a user manual or an opportunity to test the gear beforehand. And this time instead of three months, I’d have just five days to explore.

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Reasons Why Professional Photographers Cannot Work for Free

I wish I’d written this myself or shared it sooner – unfortunately it is a recurring situation that all professional photographers face. Originally posted in the Photo Society blog by Tony Wu, shared by a group of contributing photographers for National Geographic Magazine. A link to this original blog is below:

http://thephotosociety.org/blog/how-to-respond-to-requests-for-free-photography/

Reasons Why Professional Photographers Cannot Work for Free

Dear potential photo buyer,

If you have been directed to this page, it is likely that you have requested the use of an image or images for free or minimal compensation.

As professional photographers, we receive requests for free images on a regular basis. In a perfect world, each of us would love to be able to respond in a positive manner and assist, especially with projects or efforts related to areas such as education, social issues, and conservation of natural resources. It is fair to say that in many cases, we wish we had the time and resources to do more to assist than just send photographs.

Unfortunately, such are the practicalities of life that we are often unable to respond, or that when we do, our replies are brief and do not convey an adequate sense of the reasons underlying our response.

Circumstances vary for each situation, but we have found that there are a number of recurring themes, which we have set out below with the objective of communicating more clearly with you, and hopefully avoiding misunderstandings or unintentionally engendering ill will.

Please take the following points in the constructive manner in which they are intended. We certainly hope that after you have had a chance to read this, we will be able to talk again and establish a mutually beneficial working relationship.

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Oregon Wine Press cover shoot – Women Sommeliers

I’ve photographed more than 50 covers for Oregon Wine Press Magazine, and this concept was the the most ambitious and fun to date. For the feature story on the powerful, feminine, and fun personalities of Oregon’s women sommeliers, writer Jennifer Cossey (also a sommelier) pitched Hilary Berg, editor of Oregon Wine Press, on the concept of an April fool’s cover aka Vanity Fair with a nod to Annie Leibovitz’s elaborate sets for group portraits. However we did not have the extensive budget or staff to assist – no makeup or wardrobe stylists, nor group of assistants to move props, set up lights, or a digital tech to greenscreen individual portraits to be photoshoped together for the faux ‘group shot’ . With just three of us preparing for the shoot – Hilary braved the cold to stand in as a model for light tests and helped move the props to best locations with Jennifer, and Krysta McLaughlin, owner of Charlotte’s Weddings & More, provided the dresses and fitted everyone on location. Talk about multitasking – the sommeliers were equally involved keeping each other’s glasses full of bubbly, doing their own hair and makeup, and keeping the energy lively for the entire shoot, fueled by their passion for their jobs and the industry. The energy was contagious, and they were naturals.

Oregon Wine Press cover April 2011

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