Think Tank Photo Airport TakeOff packed with gear and placed in a Lightware 1629 MultiFormat Case to check on my flight to New Orleans. Photo by Robert Hanashiro, SSA

Heading To The “Big Easy”
By Robert Hanashiro, Sports Shooter Academy

Traveling with camera gear is like putting together a big jigsaw puzzle. Trying to get all of the pieces to fit, while keeping the baggage fees as low as possible, stay under 50 pounds per case … and get it all to your destination all in working order.

In the “old days” — aka getting two checked bags for free — it wasn’t as much of a concern to me. If I went over, it cost me (or rather my newspaper) $25 or $50 for being over by one piece or being overweight by a few pounds.

Present day? You could probably book a seat on the flight for your 400mm for price they charge for checking bags —-especially if you’re at 3 or 4 pieces and/or one is 5-pounds overweight.

That long glass would look good buckled into a (coach) seat!

Since I couldn’t book my flight to New Orleans for this weekend’s NCAA Men’s Final Four on Southwest —which does not charge for your first two checked bags— it meant a little bit of a change in my packing strategy.

Normally I carry onto the plane a computer backpack AND a Think Tank Rolling case.

The Think Tank ShapeShifter will be my only carry-on for my flight to the Final Four. Photo by Robert Hanashiro, SSA

(I’ve recently “down-sized” from the TTP Airport Security roller to the smaller Airport TakeOff after having some problems getting the larger case into the overhead bin on several flights late last year.)
But since I wasn’t flying Southwest couldn’t buy my way into the front of the first boarding group, I didn’t want to take the chance of getting the most dreaded words a traveling photographer can hear: GATE CHECK.

So I decided to board my UAL flight to New Orleans (via Houston — there are no direct flight to the New Orleans from LA!) with just a fully loaded computer/camera backpack.

I would load the roller into my trusty, 20-year-old Lightware 1629 MultiFormat Case (aka: The Travel Kit Case) and check it.

Using a digital luggage scale, I sorted and packed my gear into the TTP Airport TakeOff and a small rectangular shaped duffel bag I bought at the “Supply Sargent” (an army surplus store in Burbank). The duffel I bought recently to use to pack and check a Kart-A-Bag equipment cart and load some more stuff into it — like my clothes.

After some trial and error, mixing and matching things to keep the two pieces under 50 pounds, this is how it broke down:
Think Tank Photo Airport TakeOff Roller/Lightware 1629 MultiFormat Case (48 pounds)
- Nikkor 200-400mm zoom
- Nikon D300 camera body
- Nikkor 50mm
- Nikkor 24mm
- Nikon CoolPix P7000
- External liveview LCD monitor
- Card wallet
- Camera battery charger
- 5 camera batteries
- Small core gaffer tape
- Pouch with a set Pocket Wizard MultiMAXs plus cords
- TTP ChangeUp belt bag (w/ GoPro Hero and small clamp w/ ballhead)

Army Surplus Duffel Bag (36 pounds)
- Kart-A-Bag equipment cart
- Gitzo Monopod
- Nikon SB800 Speedlight w/ off-camera TTL cord
- HonlPhoto Traveler8 softbox
- Nikon fold-up camping/basketball chair
- Small tool kit
- Clothes (for 6 days) in Eagle Creek Packet-In
- Shaving Kit

Think Tank Photo ShapeShifter backpack
- Nikon D3S camera body
- Nikon D3 camera body
- Nikkor 24-70mm zoom
- Nikkor 70-200mm zoom
- MacBook Pro 15″ w/ power supply
- TTP Cable Management pouch with laptop accessories
- The latest “Lucas Davenport” and “Stephanie Plum” crime books

A few notes: A few notes:
- I use spare dividers from the Think Tank rollers as padding around and on top of gear during transport
- The Kart-A-Bag cart goes with me everywhere
- The Lightware 1620 MultiFormat is the best shipping/transport/storage case ever. Get one — well worth the investment.
- Nikon gave away the basketball chair several years ago at an event (the best, most useful schwag ever)
- I’m not sure what’s happened to the overhead bins, three Southwest flights the Airport Security would not fit wheels or handles first — so I had to place it sideways. All three of the flights the Southwest flight attendants gave me a bit of grief for not getting the roller in wheels/handles first. (But when I opened the roller and showed them what was in it, they were a bit more forgiving.
- The TTP Airport TakeOff has no problem fitting in the overhead wheels/handles first.
- Remote gear was shipped to New Orleans last week — 60 pounds worth.
- After I land at Louis Armstrong International I am heading straight to Coop’s Place and order the Cajun friend chicken with the rabbit & sausage Jambalaya!

An army surplus store duffel bag is used to check my equipment cart and give me room for other items --- like my clothes! Photo by Robert Hanashiro, SSA

(Bottom Of The 9th is an occasional column by Sports Shooter founder Robert Hanashiro. He is also USA TODAY’s west coast staff photographer.)

A floor remote photo where just about everything comes together: Great action straight at the camera. Framed pretty tightly, not requiring much cropping. Photo by Robert Hanashiro, USA TODAY

Assignment Breakdown: Pac-12 Tournament
By Robert Hanashiro, Sports Shooter Academy

When covering basketball I like to set up at least one remote (I’m not in the same league as Sports Illustrated … I don’t have a dozen D3 bodies but I do what I can) because it gives me — and especially the picture editors at USA TODAY— an alternative angle.

Covering hoops, the easiest remote to utilize is a floor remote: simple to set up, requires little gear (no mounting hardware or radio trigger), accessible and tweak if desired or necessary.

During the recent Pac-12 Men’s Basketball Tournament I used a floor remote at all six games I shot. Here’s the breakdown:
- Nikon D3 camera body
- Lenses used was a 24mm and later 24-70mm @ 32mm
- Triggered by a custom remote cord between the remote camera and my handheld camera (which had a 70-200mm)
- Remote camera is placed on the floor, two AA batteries gaffer taped to the bottom to position it; a small piece of tape to mark the spot on the floor
- I had someone stand-in to focus; the lens and camera switched to manual and taped in place

This photo is just a little too loose at 24mm. Photo by Robert Hanashiro, USA TODAY

I got to Staples Center several hours before the first game of the tournament so I could talk to the photo marshal and insure I got the shooting spot on the baseline I wanted: two spots in from the post.

Basketball shooters are either “inside guys” (positioned close to the post) or “outside guys” (in the corner). I’m an “inside guy”.

A spot close to the post is ideal for a floor remote, it gives you a clear view and players will be coming right at you.

During the first couple of games I went with the 24mm prime lens. But later when editing, I felt it was too loose. So I switched to the 24-70 at 32mm, which gave me just a bit of the floor to just above the net.

Using a “double remote” cord — motordrive plug on each end— allows me to fire the remote at the same time my handheld camera fires. This gives me two different, distinctive angles on plays around the hoop.

When using a zoom lens on a remote, zoom it out to focus and then set it to the wider focal length you actually want to shoot at. Zooming it out makes it easier to focus.

Remotes require planning, set-up time, pre-visualization and a lot of luck.

Never depend on a remote — there are too many things that can and often will go wrong, especially if you’re using a radio trigger. Consider a remote for what it is: something extra.

(For a video on setting up a floor remote, check it out here:  http://vimeo.com/22172605 )

AA batteries used to angle the floor remote and a double motordrive cord. Photo by Robert Hanashiro, Sports Shooter Academy

(Bottom Of The 9th is an occasional column by Sports Shooter founder Robert Hanashiro. He is also USA TODAY’s west coast staff photographer.)