Photo credits: Bob Krist

Words and photography courtesy of Bob Krist

Here’s the breakdown:

Nikon D90

Two D90 bodies, one mounted with a 70-300mm VR Nikkor and the other with the 16-85VR Nikkor. Gotta admit, they rarely come off.

Lenses & Flash

A 12-24mm f/4 AF for the tight spots, and the small, sharp 35mm f/1.8 and 85mm f/1.8 AF Nikkor primes.

These little primes are great for available light and give me the FX-style bokeh I crave at times. Also, a SB 800 with SD8A battery pack.

Audio Recorder

Olympus LS-10 Audio recorder with Sennheiser MKE 400 mini shotgun mic (with windmuff). Also, not pictured, a small Gorillapod to use as a mic stand/handle.

Other Accessories

• Mini rain umbrella and raincover for the camera
• Extra batteries for the camera headlamp for me
• A Think Tank Pixel Pocket Rocket (which clips inside the bag) filled with 8GB and 4GB fast SDHC cards
• A miscellaneous bag with cable release, PC adapter (in case I have to plug in big flashes), flash filters, model release forms, wrist brace (!), hot-shoe bubble level, IR remote for camera, hex wrench.

The Bag

A Tamrac Velocity 9x sling bag or a Lowepro Outback 300 AW belt/shoulder bag.

Which bag I pick depends on how my back is feeling at the time I’m packing for the gig (the Tamrac rides high, the Lowe is at your waist).

If I have room, I take both and alternate ( it helps to keep that spine feeling springtime fresh after a 14 hour day!).

The whole kit weighs a few pounds less than the D300s & f/2.8 zoom setup that I used to carry on travel gigs and still use on commercial assignments.

One thing I wish somebody made and that I’d pay good money for? A sharp, fast, compact, DX-format wideangle prime, like a 17mm f/1.8 or something!

Yeah, I know, fat chance on that. But I can dream, can’t I?

More on Bob Krist

Bob Krist is a freelance photographer who works regularly on assignment for magazines such as National Geographic Traveler, Smithsonian, and Islands.

These assignments have taken him to all seven continents and have won awards in the Pictures of the Year, Communication Arts, and World Press Photo competitions.

During his work, he has been stranded on a glacier in Iceland, nearly run down by charging bulls in southern India, and knighted with a cutlass during a Trinidad voodoo ceremony.

He won the title of “Travel Photographer of the Year” from the Society of American Travel Writers in 1994, 2007, and again this year at the 2008 convention.

In 2000 his work was honored at the Eisenstaedt Awards for Magazine Photography in New York City.

Read more of Bob’s biography and follow his blog, Photo Traveler.