Prelude:
Kitsch. Tackiness. History. Fun. Adventure! Photos.
Route 66. The ‘Mother Road’. The mother-effing road of no less than our collective consciousness.
And I mean that in an awe-struck way.
An old, blind-in-one-eye Bloodhound, contentedly basking in the sun… a white, weather-worn porch swing creaking slowly in a gentle breeze… an occasional, barely detectable scent of Lilac in the air? Or, maybe that’s just a memory…
Route 66 is the sciatic nerve that traverses The Human Condition.
Do you see it? Can you see it?? Come, let me show you.
Welcome to Americana. Please drive slowly.
The Kit:
My new favourite pack – the Roots 73 Flannel
iPad
Backup camera: the RX10 II (‘the perfect travel camera’). I still prefer the constant 2.8 aperture of the II compared to the variable av of the more recent models.
Not travelling quite as light as I usually do this time since I’m in the process of ‘rebalancing’ my travel kit by incorporating zooms, but am also taking my primes. I’ll see what lenses gets used most this trip. Two Zooms: 16-35mm GM, 28-70mm. Three primes: 35mm2.8, 55mm1.8 and 85mm1.8
I’m starting to favor zooms more lately.
Don’t get me wrong, I love how the primes render. Beautifully fast apertures, wonderful optics and buttery bokeh. All in a lithe, back-and-wallet friendly package.
But zooms are simply so versatile, especially for travel and documentary. More and more my preference has been to ‘be in the moment’… and pausing to change lenses interrupts that. Briefly, yes. But still… to me… it’s like listening to a record that skips.
To be continued…
Note: this article represents a departure in form – it will be serialized over weeks and months, and ultimately be lengthier and more immersive than previous posts. I hope you will enjoy reading it as much as I enjoy writing it!
Travel Light Photography 