Andoni Lubaki

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I like to travel as light as possible. For me, carrying a lot of weight is a hassle. I hate airports, their bureaucracy and their long waits – and that with weight is what I detest the most in this life (that and the people who say “my mobile has more megapixels than your camera”).

What you see in the photo is what I take only to photographic orders or trips for personal projects. If the order is for video, I would have to bring more things.

All this I put in a backpack ProTactic BP 450. We never give importance to the backpacks and bags in which we put our belongings, but it is one of the most important parts of the whole team.

Cameras

Two old Nikon D750’s, though I only use one of them. I usually only carry one of these cameras and almost always with a Sigma ART 35mm f/1.4. Without a 35mm, I am lost in any situation.

I don’t like depending on ending the day in a place where there is light. Many times in the desert there is no light and it is better to save the car battery to be able to start if things get ugly. That is why I carry six batteries and a double Patona charger and another of the same model in my backpack.

With them, I can take around 8000 photos without having to upload them a single time. All of them well stored in a cheap but resistant battery bag.

Lenses

Like I said before, I am lost without a Sigma ART 35mm f/1.4. So much so that I carry another backup Nikkor 35mm f /2.0 many times. I only have one zoom, and it’s the Nikon 16-35mm f/2.8, which I use very rarely.

Also, I have an 85mm f/1.8 for portraits or things not so far away as to use a large TV. I have no Tele objective.

All of them with their lens protectors. Toyota rides are often hectic and it is best to keep the equipment well.

Lights

The photo shows a Manfrotto LED torch, although to reduce even more weight lately I am using a Petzl headlamp. So the same thing that I use to read at night I use it to illuminate if necessary or for creative purposes. The flash is for losers.

Hardware & Software

Small recording equipment with its respective cables. A Rode NTG and some microphones in the black square bag that is closed below. A Zoom H4n Pro4 with Senheisser mouthpieces, with enough batteries for replacement.

A Lacie 4 TB Rugged Hard Drive – I use it less and less since I use the iPhone SE 2020 (with which I have taken the photo) to make a backup. In 256 GB of memory, I can fit more than 8000 photos. Enough for a couple of months of work, which also coincides with how long I can go without charging the battery.

I do not like depending on charging my devices and batteries to be able to work.

Lately, I don’t work with the computer either, unless it’s video production. I use Lightroom Mobile to catalog, edit, and do a little touch-up. That if it is necessary to send the image urgently. If not, I keep them on the SD cards in duplicate since the Nikon allows me to make a copy on the fly (of the same capacity as the iPhone, 256 GB). The SD is always of the best brand, in that I do not skimp.

In the bag with tricolor rubber, I have a folding Bluetooth keyboard. With this I do the captions, write short articles and do the basics. 95% of my work is done away from computers.

Under the camera, there is an SD card reader to download the photos to the iPhone. After each trip, I have four copies of each image. One on each SD card, one on the iPhone and one on the cloud (if the internet has allowed me).

Misc.

As important as the equipment mentioned so far are the miscellaneous items. The ones that can make all that equipment described above worthless or double its functionality.

It is also as important to feel comfortable when you are not working as when you are. That is why I always carry Photophoche books (in this case Cristina de Middel and Vasco Szinetar) and a literature book. I change books or give them away when I read them. I don’t like the Kindle, I don’t have an Amazon account.

I’m still old school when it comes to taking notes. For that, some Moleskine notebooks are necessary, with your 0.7 mechanical pencil and some pens to correct or note if the mechanical pencil runs out of spare parts at that moment.

A robust watch without the need for a battery is the Seiko SKX 007 with a NATO strap. I think after my brother’s head it is the toughest human-made object that can exist. Besides, aesthetically I like it and it is very cheap.

International vaccination card, passport, business cards and passport-size photos to request visas and permits in different countries.

Headphones for listening to music that I have in the yellow Nokia 8110 shown above. A magnificent telephone with mail and the possibility of tethering. You can also put WhatsApp on it, although I don’t have an account here or in the countries where it seems to me that installing spyware in our tools goes against our own work.

A paper agenda is also essential. Most of the time I have the iPhone turned off and I only use the Nokia to communicate. Being able to see my appointments and future jobs quickly is essential for me. I hate Calendar and all that kind of software.

At the top left, there is a bag where I put a toothbrush, toothpaste, medications, nail clippers, creams, mouthwash, tissues and some energy bars for emergencies along with water purifying tablets.

In the green bag, I put the batteries, passport and all the things that I have to have on hand and I don’t like to carry in my pockets.

Final advice

My final advice would be to pack your luggage in the simplest way possible. It has to be the most comfortable for you, the lightness and the feeling that there are not so many things that if it is stolen or lost, the world ends is very important to me.

There are commissions in which lightness is ruled out from the beginning – video in a conflict zone, for example. But basically, this is my gear and what I always have in my backpack.

andonilubaki.com | @andonilubaki

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